Shipping a Framed Picture, an Antique, or the Family Heirloom

Short answer: a framed picture, a piece of china or a grandfather’s clock can travel by parcel if it is packed to the carrier’s published standard, and that standard is more than a layer of bubble wrap. FedEx’s own packing guide calls for masking tape across the glass, three inches of cushioning on every side, and a second box around the first. The value gets declared before the label prints, not after something breaks. And some pieces should not go in a parcel at all.

Between now and the end of the year, this counter sees a lot of these: an estate being divided among siblings in three states, a painting bought at a fall festival going home to a buyer in Colorado, the china that has been in the same cabinet since 1962 heading to a granddaughter’s first apartment. Here is what the carrier says and what we do.

What the carrier’s guide actually says

FedEx publishes a packing guide, and its section on unique items is specific about artwork: “Apply masking tape in a criss-cross pattern on the glass surface to prevent glass from splintering.” If the glass cracks in transit, the tape holds the shards together instead of letting them slide across the print. The same guide notes that masking tape is never used to seal the box itself; that is what pressure-sensitive packing tape is for.

For anything breakable, FedEx’s advice runs like this:

• Double-box it. “Double-box fragile items within a larger box and include 3 inches of cushioning in and around the interior box.”
• Wrap each piece on its own. “Wrap fragile products individually in a minimum 3 inch thickness of air-cellular cushioning material,” then fill every void with loose fill so nothing shifts.
• Center it. The product sits in the middle of the box with cushioning on all sides, and the box is “sturdy enough to support your product’s weight and large enough to accommodate cushioning material.”
• Seal it in an H. Tape down the center seam and both edges, top and bottom.
• Label the largest surface.

Three inches on every side of an inner box, then an inner box inside an outer box: that is why a properly packed 16-by-20 frame ships in a box that looks too big for it. The box is not too big. The bare frame in a box that fits is what breaks.

What breaks, and why

The damaged fragile pieces we see usually share one of three problems. Not enough cushioning between the item and the wall of the box, so a drop transferred straight through. Pieces packed together so they hit each other, which is how a set of plates becomes a set of chips. Or glass left bare, so one crack became a shower of splinters across the face of the picture.

A frame with a hanging wire attached is a fourth one that surprises people. The wire and the hooks press into the back of the frame under load; take the wire off and pack it separately.

For a mirror or a large piece of framed glass, the honest answer is sometimes to ship the frame and the art and let the glass be replaced at the destination. Ask us before you pack it. Glass is usually easier to replace locally than to ship safely.

Declared value, before the label prints

The carrier’s liability on a package is limited, and raising it means declaring a value when the shipment is created. FedEx’s artwork page is candid about the ceiling: it recommends shipping artwork “that has a lower maximum declared value and limit of liability of no greater than $1,000,” and points anyone shipping pieces valued above $500 toward its purpose-built art boxes. A piece worth more than the carrier will stand behind is a piece to think hard about before it leaves your hands.

Declaring a value also requires being able to show it. A receipt, an appraisal, a sales listing or an insurance schedule is what a claim is built on. Photograph the piece before it is wrapped, photograph the packing as it goes in, and keep both. If a claim is ever filed, it is filed with the carrier, judged against the carrier’s packing standards, and paid by the carrier under its terms. We help you gather the documentation and read the claim form; the decision is theirs. The tracking-says-delivered article covers the filing windows, which are shorter than most people expect.

When it is not a parcel

A parcel has limits, and a big antique hits them fast. A dresser, a dining table, a large mirror or anything over the carriers’ size and weight ceilings goes on a pallet as freight, where it gets crated and strapped instead of boxed. The per-package surcharges that started this fall make the line between parcel and freight matter more than usual, and the surcharge article explains which box dimensions trigger them.

For anything that has survived a hundred years, the calculation is different from a new purchase. A crate on a pallet is built for exactly that kind of piece. If the piece cannot be replaced, that is usually the trip worth paying for.

What we do at the counter

We custom-pack fragile pieces here: foam, bubble wrap, peanuts and boxes built to size on site when a stock box does not fit. When we pack it, we pack it to the standard above. If you would rather pack it yourself, bring it in unsealed so we can look at the cushioning before it goes; a box we cannot see inside is a box we cannot vouch for.

The five packing mistakes is the short list of what we fix most often. The one that applies most to heirlooms is the box that fits too well.

Bring this

1. The piece, unwrapped or in your own wrap, so we can see what we are packing.
2. Its value and how you know it: receipt, appraisal, listing, or a photo of a comparable sale.
3. The recipient’s full address and phone number.
4. Any hardware removed, like a hanging wire or a clock pendulum, in a labeled bag.

The Shipping Place is at 9311 FM 1488 Road, Suite 30, Magnolia, open Monday through Friday 9 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 4. If the piece is large, awkward or irreplaceable, call 936-444-9711 first and describe it. Ten minutes on the phone usually settles whether it is a box, a crate, or a drive.