Maximum Weight 150 lbs 70 lbs 150 lbs 2000+ lbs 70 lbs

Combined Length+Girth 165" 130" 165" 300" 108"

Maximum Length² 108" 108" 108" 119" 34"

Maximum Girth 130" 130" 130" 48"x40"⁴ 17x17"⁵

Oversize 1 Any package measuring greater than 84" up to 108", weighing less than 30lbs will be billed at 30lbs.

Oversize 2-UPS Package measuring greater than 109" up to 130", weighing less than 70lbs will be billed at 70lbs.

Oversize 2-FedEx Package measuring greater than 109" up to130", weighing less than 50lbs will be billed at 50lbs.

Oversize 3 Any package measuring greater than 130" but less than 165", weighing less than 90lbs will be billed at 90lbs.

Some size configurations result in the same shipping costs regardless of the actual weight, as shown for items 4 through 6 of the shipping matrix. In example 8 of the matrix, no matter if the shipping weight varies from 2 to 70 pounds, the cost of this oversize 3 rated package remains the same. If the size/weight restrictions sound confusing they are. The easiest way to estimate your shipping cost is plugging the package size and weight numbers into the shipper’s site calculators and let them do the work. Go to their website and look for the rate tab. Quickly calculate your UPS shipping cost and transit time at wwwapps.ups.com/calTimeCost?loc=en_US. Use www.ups.com/maps?loc=en_US to make a national map showing delivery in days for UPS shipments originating from your Zip code. Use the FedEx cost estimator at www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en. One important thing is when filling in the form for rate quotes, take care to enter the concise information, like choice of service, residential delivery, package drop-off, package size, ect., because it is easy to accept a default that may result in an incorrect quote.

Both UPS and FedEx automatically protect each domestic package against loss or damage up to a value of $100. Now for the bad news, both shippers impose severe limits on insuring artwork beyond $100. FedEx Ground limits its liability with regard to a higher value declared at time of tender as per the restrictions posted at www.fedex.com/us/services/ground/termsandconditions/liabilitylimits.html?link=4. Packages containing all or part of the following items are limited to a maximum declared value of $100: Artwork, including any work created or developed by the application of skill, taste or creative talent for sale, display or collection. This includes, but is not limited to, items (and their parts) such as paintings, drawings, vases, tapestries, limited-edition prints, fine art, statuary, sculpture, collector's items, customized or personalized musical instruments, jewelry, including, but not limited to, costume jewelry, watches and their parts, mount gems or stones (precious or semiprecious), industrial diamonds, and jewelry made of precious metal. With the above exceptions noted, FedEx charges $2.50 for insuring a declared value of $100.01 to $500, and $0.50 per $100 of declared value in excess of $500. On Fed Ex Freight shipments a $0.50 charge is assessed for every $100 of declared value in excess of $100 or $1.00 per pound, whichever is greater.

The exceptions defined for UPS Excess Value Insurance are noted at www.upscapital.com/solutions/excess_value.html. Though artwork is not specifically excluded, the UPS Excess Value Insurance does not cover or insure against "articles of unusual value." In a call to UPS Capital Insurance Agency toll free at 1-877-242-7930, the ambiguous definition of an uninsurable item of unusual value was described as being one of a kind artwork that could not be reproduced. An arbitrary number of five copies is given as the quantity which substantiates that an item can be reproduced and thus verified as insurable in case of loss. So when insuring an item up to $50,000 it would be good to know if you have made five like it over the years. On declared value for a UPS shipment in excess of $100, an insurance premium of $0.35 is assessed for each additional $100 of coverage or fraction there of. There is an additional limitation of insurance for packages left at a drop box of only $500 minus $100, and a limit of $5000 less $100 for internet account only shipments, so it is better to drop your shipment off at a manned site in order to qualify for higher limits. If a customer has a business address you are usually spared the $1.75 UPS or $2 FedEx residential surcharge by having the work delivered there, as well as it being easier for the package to be signed for at the place a person works. Of course once the package is signed for by "anyone" at a business address, that business is liable for getting the package to the customer, and it is important that you make your customer aware of the consequences. Unless you pay extra for restricted delivery, once anyone signs for a package at a business address, liability for that package ends and you have no right to file a claim if it doesn’t reach the customer’s desk.

You may find it both less expensive and easier to ship via Fed Ex Ground or UPS rather than by US priority mail www.usps.com (800-275-8777), on items as light as two pounds. Security requirements have made it more difficult to ship via Priority Mail. You can no longer drop a package into the bin at the post office or have your local postman pick it up on his route unless the shipment weighs less than one pound. Anything over a pound must now be hand delivered to the postal counter, inspected, weighed and stamped, and that means standing in line. US postal shipping rates are higher for most shipping over 2 pounds. Insurance coverage is also a big factor. For Priority Mail and First Class Mail, postal insurance runs $1.30 for up to $50 of insurance, $2.20 for $50.01 to $100, and over $100.01 it costs $2.20 plus $1.00 for each extra $100 up to $5000, but with a $500 limit on jewelry. The highest degree of security in shipping is obtained with US Registered mail. Each postal worker who handles a registered parcel must sign for it, with the packages kept in locked bags. If a registered package is lost, the postal worker who last signed for it looses his job. Registered mail, though secure, does not automatically include insurance. The cost of shipping postage and declared value insurance is charged in addition to the registered mail service. That can add up, especially on heavier or high limit packages. But in cases of very high value, registered mail will provide insurance coverage for precious fabricated items like jewelry and rare one of a kind artwork up to $50,000. Registered mail requires all seams of the package to be secured with a special gummed paper tape; no plastic, masking, or duct tape allowed. Make sure the postmaster "bumps" all the corners with a postmark and stamps your registered receipt.

If you want postal insurance you have to stand in line and fill out forms. But once you establish an account with Fed Ex or UPS, you won’t have to wait in line or manually complete forms again. You just drop your shipment at a drop off site using your own computer generated shipping labels. I recommend utilizing a manned drop-off site, and even there your package may not be scanned until the driver later arrives, so you may wish to evaluate how secure the receiving and storage area is. Using any computer with Internet access you can login to your personal online shipping account and quickly print up your shipping labels with automatic billing to your credit card. Both FedEx and UPS keep your customer profiles in an online database so you can access your customers’ address and phone data with a keystroke. This comes in handy when you do repeat business. UPS offers downloadable software for installing a customer database on your own computer. Both shippers allow you to modify your own online profile so that your shipping page automatically assigns your shipping preferences, such as type of service, packaging, and tracking notification. Plus you can enter customer addresses online for address verification, assign customer reference or order codes, and get quick courtesy quotes so you know ahead of time what it will cost for different levels of service and insurance. You may request e-mail alerts for both yourself and your customer on the progress of the shipping, and both you and your customer can access instant online tracking of your shipment, all of which can be done from any computer for no extra charge whether you ship one package, a dozen, or a hundred a month. If you are a member of Costco, or have a merchant American Express account you may qualify for discounts with Fed Ex. You need to call FedEx at 800-463-3339 to provide a credit card for billing to set up an online shipping account at www.fedex.com. You can log on to www.UPS.com to establish a UPS account without even calling (or call 1-800-PICK-UPS). After a brief ten-minute online workout setting up your account profile, you are put in control of your own shipping operation for life.

Human nature involves a certain inertial resistance to change. It might take a little experimentation and investment in developing shipping procedures, especially for larger work, but once you work out the kinks you will have a very positive service to offer your customers. Make your customers aware that you will take care of them, insuring that delivering your work into their home is part of the personal service you offer as an artist. Don’t hesitate to charge the customer, especially on heavier or bulkier shipments for this service. If the order is considered an out of state sale, the customer may be saving the cost of shipping by not having to pay sales tax. As long as the charge is reasonable, they will be grateful for your shipping. Again it is not a price issue, it is a time and trouble avoidance issue for the customer, with you providing a service that fairgoers prefer not to deal with while on vacation.

Getting back to that 2-D artist set up next to me at the Naples event. He had wholeheartedly agreed that posting "YES WE SHIP TO CHICAGO" was a great idea considering his works were large. He expressed surprise at how affluent the midwestern fairgoers were appreciating the fact they were more likely to buy his work. He seemed headed in the right direction as far as willingness to please his customers making it easier for them to obtain his work. About two hours later I heard him pitching a sale and leaned through my side curtains to see how he was doing. A couple from Illinois was hoping to buy a moderate piece, about 2 by 3 feet, but they were considerably worried about taking it on the plane. The artist kept insisting "It is no problem, you can take this on the plane, …even if it doesn’t fit in the overhead bin they will find a place for it, …you can just ask the stewardess so they can put it with the suits where they hang them up, …no it is not that hard to carry. You can manage, I have carried these on a plane myself." Not a word was uttered offering to ship the work quelling the customers’ objections. I don’t know who won the argument. I went back to dealing with my customers thinking about that old saying "You can lead an artist to water but you can’t make him drink!"

Good Luck,

Carl Buehler

*Rates based on package dropped at local ground shipper center, except for freight items in excess of 150 pounds, which require shipper pickup. Delivery is to a residential address in 3 to 4 business days for Fed Ex, and 4-day guaranteed UPS delivery. Sample shipping weights are for comparison purposes only and reflect approximations for artwork and different density packing materials to secure shipped work. Add cost of box/packaging materials to ground shipping rates to obtain overall cost. All shipments include shipper’s standard $100 insured coverage. Due to varying limitations and exclusions on declared value, cost of Excess Value insurance is not quoted. An extreme variety of shipping containers are available with certain combinations of dimensions affecting oversize surcharges. Contact shippers for advice.

 See the July 2004 issue of Sunshine Artist for the full article and shipping matrix.