Delivery and Shipping

In many ways the advance of online auction platforms has been good all round, and most auction houses have stepped up to the mark with good liaison with regard to condition reports, efficient billing, and shipping purchases at realistic prices. I factor such in-house shipping costs into my bidding.

Plans to drastically reduce the carbon emissions of the art and antiques sector by cutting air freight have been put forward by a group of art market businesses.

I have been greatly heartened by the news that Christie’s is to trial shipping by sea freight with a view to reducing the environmental impact of existing systems of packing and transport (front page, ATG No 2539).

Christie’s is to trial moving art works by sea rather than air, with the aim of drastically reducing its carbon emissions. It estimates that the switch could reduce the environmental impact by 80%.

Art and antiques dealers were temporarily banned from sending items to certain European countries after a botched list was published by the Royal Mail.

I have been a collector of early old Sheffield plate of the first period, for more than 50 years, and continue to buy at online UK auctions. I am resident in France.

Much is made about the green credentials of antiques but transporting them can affect their carbon footprint

Green issues are coming to the fore but the focus for art and antiques delivery firms in the past year has been dealing with Brexit and the pandemic.

Art hub Cromwell Place has received approval from HMRC to operate an official Customs warehouse.

Click-and-collect services from non-essential retail will now no longer be allowed in Scotland.

Deal or no-deal, logistics firms are as prepared as they can be for any eventuality for Brexit post-December 31

A number of changes will affect the import and export of goods from January 1, 2021, when items moving between the UK and the EU will have to undergo customs formalities and border control, like any other country.

Fitting delivery vans with showers and toilets was just one of the innovative solutions that haulage and logistics firms had to improvise to keep their vital services running for the art and antiques trade.

Given the government’s strict guidelines on social distancing, what delivery options can art and antiques buyers use during the lockdown period?

MADAM – I am a regular user of various online sites that facilitate distant bidding. I have noticed a huge disparity between auction houses that recognise that the bigger the audience, the greater chance of higher prices for the lots on sale – and therefore the chance of increased buyer’s premium earnings – and those that seem to regard bidders using delivery services as a cash cow to be milked through ‘shipping costs’.

Whether it’s delivering a 12ft long model ship or taking a dining table from Paris to London, getting a prized item from A to B safely is vital. We also report on latest developments in art insurance.

An update to the offensive weapons bill (2017-19) could have a negative impact on the shipping of antique swords and knives.

How can art and antique buyers ensure their purchases arrive in the same condition as when they were bought, at a competitive price? ATG explores some options...