Ama Menec on wed 8 dec 04
Dear Clayarters,
I'm hoping some of the UK potters on this list can share their experiences
of shipping pots from the UK, to other countries, and also across the UK;
and hopefully recommend a postal/shipping company who manage to do the job,
without slinging boxes around and breaking pots/sculptures. Any
suggestions/recommendations? Any good results of breakages/insurance
disputes? Any affordable postal companies?
Myself and my partner have had awful experiences with 3 companies so far,
and we always double box pots/sculptures. I'm hoping to ship sculptures to
America, boxed in individual MDF boxes with loads of bubblewrap, and then
boxed again in stout cardboard with yet more bubblewrap. Thanks in advance.
Ama Menec, Totnes, Devon, UK.
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on wed 8 dec 04
Hi Ama,
One possibility, depending the quantity of Ceramic Items you
may wish to ship to America...and or their packaged bulk...
Would be to find a buddy, who somehow, is connected to some
near-to-you Business, who ship their whatevers to the United
States in 20 or 40 foot Containerized Cargo Containers, via
Ships of the Sea.
If they felt kindly to your interests, they could fit your
stuff in there for about nothing...
Arrangements for the items once they get here, of course,
being an additional matter to be thought out and arranged...
Good luck,
Phil
el ve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ama Menec"
> Dear Clayarters,
>
> I'm hoping some of the UK potters on this list can share
their experiences
> of shipping pots from the UK, to other countries, and also
across the UK;
> and hopefully recommend a postal/shipping company who
manage to do the job,
> without slinging boxes around and breaking
pots/sculptures. Any
> suggestions/recommendations? Any good results of
breakages/insurance
> disputes? Any affordable postal companies?
>
> Myself and my partner have had awful experiences with 3
companies so far,
> and we always double box pots/sculptures. I'm hoping to
ship sculptures to
> America, boxed in individual MDF boxes with loads of
bubblewrap, and then
> boxed again in stout cardboard with yet more bubblewrap.
Thanks in advance.
>
> Ama Menec, Totnes, Devon, UK.
Ingeborg Foco on wed 8 dec 04
"I'm hoping some of the UK potters on this list can share their experiences
> of shipping pots from the UK, to other countries, and also across the UK;
> and hopefully recommend a postal/shipping company who manage to do the
job..."
Ann,
You might check with UPS; go to their website UPS.com.
I ship within the US but they ship world wide. I pack well and so far have
not had a problem. UPS requires a minimum of 2" of packing/space all around
the item- perhaps more from outside the US.
You can do a rough estimate on their website as to how much it will cost.
Good luck.
Ingeborg
the Potter's Workshop & Gallery
P.O. Box 510
3058 Stringfellow Road
St. James City, Florida 33956
239-283-2775
mailtoandrew@FSMAIL.NET on wed 8 dec 04
Hello Ama,
Re insuarance: although thankfully I ve never had to claim its been
explained to me that the insurance that is included with The Royal Mail s
Special delivery service covers the item be lost. If it arrives in tiny,
broken pieces then no pay out.
As always best to double check the small print, and use lots of bubble
wrap !
Regards,
Andrew
Ama Menec on mon 13 dec 04
Many thanks to those who responded to this posting. The fact that there were
none from the UK suggests that either there are very few Clayarters in the
UK or that none of the British clayarters have anything good to say about
the British postal system! I have had a solid, (like a thick, relief slab
... double boxed, lots of bubblewrap), concrete sculpture smashed to bits by
Parcel Force, (the parcel aspect of the Royal Mail), and they don't insure
ceramics at all. Having also been a bookseller, and witnessed daily the way
their staff literally throw the boxes around in their vans doesn't inspire
me to try them for ceramic sculptures at all. The other two private postal
companies my partner Lea has used for her pots also smashed them, despite
being very thoroughly double boxed and bubblewrapped.
Thanks Ingeborg for suggesting UPS, I haven't tried these yet so that was a
good tip. I shall be redesigning my website during January in the hope of
being able to display and ship sculptures to my fan base in America, but I
need to be confident about shipping first. If anyone has any tips about
transatlantic sales, selling via the internet, and of course shipping and
postage, I'd be very grateful for them. Thanks for the advice so far,
Ama Menec, Totnes, Devon, UK.
Dorothy Feibleman on mon 13 dec 04
never send anything ceramic by parcel force
send it by FEDEX insured only or by a shipper for an airlines preferalby
Lufthansa or ANA or JAL
their cargo handling seems to be the most careful.
United Parcel is no good either for ceramics, they do not pay compensation
anymore for ceramics.
Maybe if you call it art, but when it comes to the pay out, it is
difficult. I had to handle a pay out from Oregon to the UK for a Japanese
artist who works in ceramic material and it took me 2 years and many
letters.
Recently a European gallery sent my work back totally smashed by post when
I specifically said I did not want to to be sent by post under any
conditions...only insured and by FedEx .
They of course did not insure it. I of course sent it well packed and
insured to them by FedEx. It arrived perfect.
I have a feeling I may have to hire a lawyer to recover the value of my
pieces, which I had retail buyers for on the return, so, my recommendation,
is never send anything breakable by parcel force ever.
This is the only time my work has been broken in transit.
If you can afford financially the loss, just make sure you make good photos
of the pieces for your reference before sending. On packing, or repacking,
make digitals and give good instructions.
Best,
D
Steve Mills on tue 14 dec 04
Dear Ama,
You are quite correct in assuming that UK potters have nothing good to
say about Parcelforce; we used them briefly for sending customers goods
around the UK. The crunch came when we received a call from our local
Sorting Office asking how dangerous were the contents of a plastic screw
topped container labelled Brush-Wax. Apparently a postal worker had got
it all over his shoes. The package concerned consisted of a hard plastic
bottle with the screw lid taped on, inside a heavy duty sealed polythene
bag in a small but rigid cardboard box, surrounded by compressed poly-
chips. They would have had to jump on it from a great height to break
that.
I rest my case!
Unfortunately I didn't get to answer that call or I would have
recommended that the gentleman concerned (I use the term loosely) burnt
his shoes and socks forthwith.
By contrast I had an Acoustic Bass Guitar shipped to me from California
last year by UPS. They received it from the Vendor and packed it on
their behalf and then sent it to me. It was NOT in a hard case, just
well wrapped in cardboard. It arrived in perfect condition.
Perhaps the answer is to use UPS and get them to do the packing!#
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Ama Menec writes
>Many thanks to those who responded to this posting. The fact that there were
>none from the UK suggests that either there are very few Clayarters in the
>UK or that none of the British clayarters have anything good to say about
>the British postal system! I have had a solid, (like a thick, relief slab
>... double boxed, lots of bubblewrap), concrete sculpture smashed to bits by
>Parcel Force, (the parcel aspect of the Royal Mail), and they don't insure
>ceramics at all. Having also been a bookseller, and witnessed daily the way
>their staff literally throw the boxes around in their vans doesn't inspire
>me to try them for ceramic sculptures at all. The other two private postal
>companies my partner Lea has used for her pots also smashed them, despite
>being very thoroughly double boxed and bubblewrapped.
>
>Thanks Ingeborg for suggesting UPS, I haven't tried these yet so that was a
>good tip. I shall be redesigning my website during January in the hope of
>being able to display and ship sculptures to my fan base in America, but I
>need to be confident about shipping first. If anyone has any tips about
>transatlantic sales, selling via the internet, and of course shipping and
>postage, I'd be very grateful for them. Thanks for the advice so far,
>
>Ama Menec, Totnes, Devon, UK.
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
katetiler on wed 15 dec 04
Hi Ama,
I haven't posted pots out but I have had a medieval skillet (real one)
sent to me safely in the post in the UK! Talk about nerve racking!
Anyway, two suggestions - we use Parcel to Go http://www.parceltogo.co.uk/
for anything large or that we want couriering - a very good rate of
just over =A310 for anything up to 4ft in any one direction and 25kg. My
partner sends car parts & tyres to people using them, we know our
local driver very well! They do have an international service too,
which we have also used, slightly more money but still reasonable last
time we sent car bits to Norway. They pick up from you the day afetr
you book them and usually deliver in 2-3 days in the UK, with a parcel
that you can track online to find out where it is.
The other thing is to use lots & lots of packaging, boards, hardboard,
boxes and especially those inflated plastic tubes that you can use for
sending bottles of wine in - they are bomb proof. Not just the large
inflated pillows that you pack round, these are a tube that you
inflate until the article is completely inside a large air bubble.
Have a look on ebay in the UK, there are lost of packaging suppliers
there which you don't have to buy more than you need, and practice
sending some stuff to yourself or friends first, before you need to.
I can't find exactly what I mean on ebay but this looks like a Xmas
version! Search for item 2293954591
Hope this helps,
Karen
http://www.katetiler.co.uk
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