How to pack stone sculture for shipping

["dondougan@zzzzzzzz" <dondougan@zzzzzzzz>]

Hi Mary,

I can send you some pictures off-list of crates I have made for some of
my work.  UPS is what I usually use, and as Walter said they are fussy
about what you call it when you insure it.  As of a week or so ago if
you wanted to send it the cheapest way (ground) you were limited to $200
insurance value.  Anything over that they insist on sending next day air
(depending on where you are shipping to and the declared value that
might mean several hundrds of dollars difference in price).  They also
surcharge for over certain weights, for non- standard packaging, etc,
etc.  I am in Georgia, and I sent a 42 lb. sculpture (before crating,
60+ lbs in crate) to a museum in Oregon recently.  I declared a value of
$2000 (about $500 less than my net value to keep the insurance costs
down), and it cost me $270 one way. They insisted on it going next day
air, and because it was a wooden crate (non-standard) I think all the
surcharges added to perhaps $65 worth of that total.  Because it was
going to a museum I splurged on this one.

I have sent things in crates with a $200 insurance value ($1500 actual
value) so I could send it ground.  From Georgia to New York for a 30 lb.
crate (framed non-stone sculptural artwork) was only $30 and it went
ground (about three business days). If you would like to see the packing
I 'll send photos to you off-list as attachments.

UPS is one of the cheapest common carriers door-to-door, but if you are
willing to use trucking/rail freight companies and longer delivery times
you can do it less expensively -- it all depends on you getting it to
the shipper's depot . . .

Good Carving to You,
Don

http://www.dondougan.com