How to ship antiques

 

Antiques are very precious and delicate. It is having a sentimental as well as the monetary value that makes it even more fragile, especially if you’re moving long-distance. Here are few options for shipping antique furniture and other items:

1.     Don’t—sell it

2.     Parcel shipping

3.     Rent a truck and move yourself

4.     Hire professional movers

5.     Consolidated freight

Let’s take a closer look at each of these methods:

1. It is difficult but chooses or sell

It may not be worth the time and effort of moving every piece. Carefully look at the items once, decide which to keep, pack and sell the rest. Some items may make it difficult to choose but do what makes more sense practically than emotionally. To make your decision a little easier, selling some of your antiques will help you recover some of the costs of moving, and your move may even be cheaper overall. 

2. Parcel shipping

Antique items shipped using parcel shipping services are typically packaged and labelled in individual boxes. They will be shipped using the same methods as other packages—sorted on conveyor belts and loaded and unloaded by individuals at several checkpoints throughout the shipping process. For this reason, properly packing your items for transport is critically important if you are considering parcel shipping. If the item has a high monetary value, simply insure it.

3. Renting a truck and moving your antiques yourself

Getting the help of family, neighbours or local vendors are for the shifting of regular items. If you rent a truck to move your antiques, you must pack them properly before you load them into your moving vehicle—poor packing is the most common cause of damage to antique furniture. We recommend hiring professional packers and movers for this purpose to keep those antique collectibles safe.

In addition to the special considerations you’ll have to take while packing your antique furniture and other items, you’ll also have to pay attention to how you load these items into your moving vehicle:

• If your antique furniture has fragile legs, feet, or casters, load it into your moving vehicle upside down.
• Pack each antique separately to avoid breakage of any item.
• Do not stack other items, including boxes, on top of antique furniture or boxes containing smaller antique items.
• Secure antique furniture or boxes containing antiques in place using ropes so they don’t shift in transit and damage other items

The cost of renting a truck and moving depends on the size of the rented vehicle and how far you are moving. Antique furniture can be large and bulky, so you may need to rent a larger vehicle to safely accommodate these items, which will increase the cost of your rental vehicle. Some companies offer packages of packing and removable making it a better offer to choose from.

4. Hire professional movers

Whether you need to move antiques across town or across the country, it’s often best to hire professionals to help you transport antique furniture. Professional antique movers have experience of not handling such fragile items but also have experience of what to do when any specific problem take occurs. They will have the experience and equipment to properly pack and transport antique items. If you are considering hiring standard household movers, be sure to tell them about any high-value and fragile antique items so they can give you an accurate quote and arrive prepared to handle these items. 

Can be expensive, especially for long-distance moves or shipments

5. Consolidated freight

When you ship furniture or other antique items using consolidated freight, your items will share space on the truck with other items heading in the same direction. Because you only pay for the space your antique furniture takes up on the truck, consolidated freight can be a more cost-effective option for long-distance moves than hiring professional movers. The best-consolidated freight providers will connect you with an experienced long-distance shipping company that specializes in transporting antique furniture and other items. Consolidated freight is also a safe, convenient shipping method for small household moves. If you are considering consolidated freight services for your move, be sure to let your prospective shipping companies know about your high-value, fragile, and antique items so they can give you an accurate quote and make the appropriate arrangements.