Shipping my Artwork within the UK

Getting accepted into an exhibition is always exciting – until I remember sometimes I have to ship work if it is long distance or I am unable to meet the drop off date.  Finding boxes, choosing a courier, and filling in all the forms can feel like such a faff.

Back in April 2025, I sent two sculptures to Great Finborough.  I remember spending ages comparing couriers through Parcel Compare www.parcelcompare.com and eventually settling on UPS www.ups.com.  They were great – reliable and fairly priced, though oddly, it cost me more to get the sculptures returned.  I made my own boxes out of recycled cardboard, which turned out to be far too much effort for what it saved. However, my sculpture boxes may need to be made by me.

So, when I needed to send a painting to Halifax recently, I wanted things to be easier – especially for the gallery to send back afterwards.  I looked into DHL www.dhl.com , but their boxes were too standard and their delivery options a bit limited.

Then I found Art Packaging www.artpackaging.co.uk in Coventry – and what a difference! Their website was useful, but the best part was actually being able to talk to a real person.  The lovely man I spoke to was so helpful and patient.  I’ll definitely use them again.

This time I sent the painting with DPD local www.dpdlocal.co.uk , and they collected it straight from my home.  Everything went smoothly, though I do wish you could talk to a human rather than a chatbot!

Next on my list is to check out DX www.dklogistics.com, Parcel Force www.parcelforce.com and Royal Mail www.royalmail.com , and  www.packsend.co.uk .It’s always better to be prepared before the next exhibition panic sets in.

Notes to self:

• Don’t make boxes from scratch again – buy proper art packaging.

• Measure box and weight before checking courier costs and return costs.

• Photograph package before shipping.

• Speaking to an actual person makes all the difference.

Shipping art will probably never be glamorous, but I’m slowly learning how to make it a little less stressful.