Transporting a high-value canvas or a centuries-old sculpture is as much an art form as the creation itself. For auction houses, professional artists, and galleries, knowing exactly how to ship artwork without compromising its integrity is crucial for maintaining client trust and business reputation. When you need to ship art internationally, relying on standard mail is a risk you cannot afford. Success requires museum-grade preparation, strict customs compliance, and the precision of a dedicated fine art courier. Here are the critical strategies for protecting and transporting your cultural assets.
Chantal has been writing about logistics topics for almost two decades and has worked for major international carriers.
The highest risk of damage when shipping paintings overseas occurs due to poor internal packaging. Masterpieces are sensitive to shock, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. Proper packing art techniques create a micro-environment that shields the piece from these external threats.
Follow this professional packing protocol:
Surface Protection: Never wrap a painting directly in plastic or standard bubble wrap, as it can trap moisture and bond with the varnish. Always use acid-free glassine paper as the first protective layer.
Glass Taping: If the artwork is framed with glass, apply low-tack artist tape in a star pattern across the surface. If an impact occurs, the tape holds the shattered glass in place, preventing it from slicing the canvas beneath.
Rigid Enclosures: After wrapping, sandwich the piece between two oversized sheets of dense foam board to create a rigid inner shell. Secure the corners with specialized cardboard protectors.
The Outer Shell: Slide the inner shell into a heavy-duty, double-walled cardboard box. For high-value or exceptionally fragile pieces, constructing a custom wooden crate (using ISPM 15 heat-treated wood) is the gold standard in the industry.
Given the unique financial and historical value of these items, we highly recommend you insure your package comprehensively before it leaves your facility.
When you cross international borders, physical protection is only half the battle. Antique shipping and fine art logistics require meticulous documentation. Customs authorities scrutinize cultural goods to prevent illicit trafficking, meaning your paperwork must be flawless.
Every international art shipment requires a highly detailed commercial invoice. This document must explicitly state the artist's name, the medium, the creation date, and the accurate commercial value.
Strategic Tip: Many nations impose strict export restrictions on items of historical or cultural significance. Before dispatching an antique, always verify if your piece requires a specific cultural goods export license by consulting the European Commission - Cultural Goods regulations.
For time-sensitive exhibition deadlines or elite client deliveries, businesses must partner with premium logistics providers. A specialized fine art courier ensures your shipment avoids automated sorting belts wherever possible, providing end-to-end tracking and expedited customs clearance.
By using an intelligent shipping platform, galleries can instantly calculate shipping costs across multiple top-tier carriers, ensuring the artwork arrives securely, on time, and within budget.
To ship artwork internationally, wrap the piece in acid-free glassine paper, protect the corners, and sandwich it between rigid foam boards. Place this structure inside a custom wooden crate or a double-walled box filled with shock-absorbing material, and ship via an express courier.
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The safest method is to apply artist tape in a crisscross or star pattern directly onto the glass. This ensures that if the glass breaks during transit, the shards will adhere to the tape rather than falling inward and scratching the artwork.
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It depends on the age, value, and origin of the item. Antique shipping often falls under cultural heritage laws. Always check the specific export regulations of the origin country and include a detailed commercial invoice to avoid customs seizures.
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Paintings are highly susceptible to changes in humidity, temperature, and physical shock. They require specialized packing materials (like glassine instead of plastic) and must be handled by carriers that offer advanced tracking and priority customs clearance.
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No. Standard postal services use highly automated sorting facilities that are rough on fragile packages and lack the specialized customs support required for high-value art. A dedicated courier network provides the security, speed, and careful handling necessary for B2B art logistics.
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You can instantly check the shipping costs through our rate calculator. Enter the weight, dimensions, and destination country of your shipment, and you will see all available shipping options along with their respective delivery times. The calculator can be used to compare shipping rates for both export and import shipments.
If you need help calculating a shipping rate, watch the video below. Click on the 
button to play the video and the 
icon to view the video in fullscreen.
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Shipping costs are calculated based on dimensions (LxWxH in cm), weight (in kg), and the destination country. Both the actual weight (as shown on the scale) and the volumetric weight are considered.
The volumetric weight is the weight calculated based on the space your shipment occupies in the plane. The higher of the two weights (volumetric or actual weight) is used to calculate the shipping rate. You don't need to calculate this yourself; our calculator does it for you.
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You can use the discount code PP10 for 10% discount on the transportation costs of your first shipment. You can apply the discount code during the checkout process (instructions).
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Whether additional costs apply depends on whether your shipment stays within the European Union or is sent to/from a country outside the European Union. Below, you can see the additional costs for each situation.
Within the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to Italy (within the EU), there will be an additional 21% VAT on the shipping costs.
Furthermore, if your shipment stays within the European Union, you won't have to deal with any import duties or customs clearance fees because your shipment doesn't go through customs. Please note that the European Union is not the same as Europe.
View here all the countries that are part of the European Union. For example, Switzerland is part of Europe but not part of the European Union.
Outside the European Union
If, for example, you send a shipment from the Netherlands to the United States, there will be no VAT (0%) applied to the displayed shipping rates.
However, there might be import duties levied by customs in the destination country if you send a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union. Typically, customs costs are charged to the recipient. This is known as Delivered At Place (DAP) in logistics terminology.
Customs is a government agency that levies import duties in certain cases to protect the local market. As a company, you can also ship using Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), which means any customs costs will be charged to you as the sender.
If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to contact us. Additionally, you can read everything about import duties, VAT, and the customs clearance process in this blog.
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A customs invoice is a form where all the goods you want to ship are specified. This invoice includes an English description of the goods, along with their corresponding value and weight.
The contents of your shipment must be specified per type of product you're sending to avoid delays at customs. A customs invoice is always prepared in quadruplicate in accordance with customs guidelines.
When is a customs invoice required?
A customs invoice is only required for shipments to/from countries outside the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - United States). If your shipment stays within the European Union (e.g., Netherlands - Italy), your shipment will not go through customs, and therefore, a customs invoice is not required.
Additionally, document shipments are not subject to customs, so if you're sending a document to a country within/outside the European Union, no customs invoice is needed.
Please note that not all goods can be shipped to every country. You can find a list of goods that cannot be sent via ParcelParcel on this page.
Do I need to create a customs invoice myself?
If you're sending a shipment to/from a country outside the European Union, it's mandatory to include a customs invoice with the shipment. We provide free support in creating a customs invoice.
You can easily generate a customs invoice through our shipping platform. The customs invoice will be automatically generated based on the content you specified during your booking.
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You can import just as easily as export via ParcelParcel.
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You can find a list of goods that cannot be shipped via ParcelParcel on this page.
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