How to reduce fine art shipping costs

If you are wondering how to reduce fine art shipping costs, this article is for you! And trust us, cutting costs in your small business and creating a process that will cost you less money over time does not have to take a lot of time – or even a lot of effort. In many cases, it’s about making smarter decisions when deciding where to put your small business funds. Of course, hiring professional packing services will greatly help you save money when dealing with fine art. Still, if you need to know more, read on to learn what are the best ways to do this!

Here are some ways to reduce fine art shipping costs

Use more technology

When talking about ways to reduce fine art shipping costs, it may seem obvious to use digital services. But when you need to ship art, you need to know that technology allows us to save money and improve our business in a way that wasn’t even possible five years ago. From teleconferencing and online payment services, to open source software and remote desktop applications, there are many ways you can reduce the cost of doing business with technology. The same applies to your business needs. For example, you can cut on phone bills by simply renting self-storage Columbus Ohio online. 

Three things to think about when shipping fine arts

Once you are ready to ship artwork, there are 3 major things to think about:

1. Size or dimensions and weight
2. The condition of the art piece
3. Distance from your gallery or home to its destination

The dimension will surely impact the price of the shipping along with the packaging material. Try to think your best on how you can reduce the size (by removing the frame for example), or the weight (with lighter packaging) of your artwork. Secondly, art that requires conservation is more expensive to ship. It requires special conditions for traveling and thus more money. And lastly, the destination where you ship your artwork should be known in advance. You certainly don’t want to ship your item to a place where nobody will pick it up and then pay penalties for additional shipping.

Cut unnecessary costs

When looking for other ways to reduce fine art shipping costs, it doesn’t all have to be about shipping. You can also cut on some costs that you don’t need in your business. For example, you can cut out your landline phone. Traditional telephone lines can be expensive and sometimes unnecessary business expenses. Small business owners who choose to use mobile phones and virtual phone lines instead of the traditional landline can reduce their business expenses.

Go paperless

In the business of selling art online and shipping that same art across the world, it may seem like you do really need a lot of paper. And the cost of paper, ink, and postage may seem minimal on time, but it can add up to a big business expense. In this way switching to a digital invoice and payment system, and filing all the important paperwork on your computer instead of a file cabinet, can help you reduce some of the most common expenses.

Choosing a shipping method may save you more money

When you want to ship art, consider the following factors that may increase the price of shipping:

• What your chosen relocation company specializes in
• International customs and fees that can impact the price
• Insurance during transportation or transit

In this way, it’s not always the smartest idea to ship with the most recognizable shipping company, but the one that specializes in shipping art pieces. Also, always inquire about the prices and custom fees that can increase the price of shipping. Besides that, see what are the insurance options when shipping art. You don’t want to lose or damage valuable art if you choose the wrong moving company.

Create and maintain a business budget

Budgeting goes hand in hand with reducing fine art shipping costs because it is impossible to make smart financial decisions without a clear idea of the money that comes in and out of your business every month. The business budget you use on a daily basis can become a powerful tool for effectively reducing your shipping expenses. For example, if you are looking for climate-controlled storage units Pickerington Ohio for your art, you need to know how long do you need units for. This can be extremely useful when shipping abroad.

Explore an alternative place of business

Another great way to reduce cost comes with a physical place of business that can be enormous… And in many cases for art, this is inevitable. However, if you are in a changeable situation, you may be able to dramatically reduce your business expenses by downsizing your retail location, exploring a collaboration arrangement, or even turning your business into a home-based business.

Buy quality packaging material

Buying brand new, quality packaging material may seem like a huge business expense. However, in the long run, you can reduce costs by packing art in quality material rather than the cheap one. This will impact on the quality of shipping, thus reducing loss and damages in the long run.

Each of these ways can help you reduce fine art shipping costs by focusing on making an alternative decision that can save you money. If you are able to adopt the business expenses mindset, many of these smart decisions will become natural to you and will eventually fit into all your business decisions, helping you reduce your business expenses every day.