The Framers Forum

What methods of postage do people recommend for shipping frames?

Any info would be good. We usually use TNT, and don't normally have any problems.

We're about to go live with an ecommerce website, which is mainly for the sales of memorabilia. So we want to see if there's any particularly picture framer friendly shipping services, and would welcome any recommendations regarding the actual cartons / boxes used, or a supplier.

Thanks!

If it's valuable stuff you want to get there in one piece, I can reccomend these guys....

http://www.aardvarkartservices.com/

All the usual parcel companies have a no compensation policy for anything related to the picture framing industry... The trick is to wrap it very well. I can now send glass in my frames ... even as a 26 x 36" frame
I have used UPS, City-Link, TNT but now using Yodel... cheapest for a non account 24hr delivery, or so I've found so far.

If you send enough then there maybe even cheaper ways and perhaps you can negotiate insurance.

Thanks guys!

TNT, so far have been pretty good, and costing £10.19 to basically send anything from a small A4 frame upto full sized framed shirts... The only drama we've had, once a shirt became detached from the back board, but no broken glass.

The reason i'm after any info that anyone has, is if we're selling more and posting more (fingers crossed!), then the odds are getting worse.

I think i've found a company who can custom make us our postal boxes at something like £3 each (name slips my mind, details are at work if anyone wants them...), but then there's the additional cost of foam corners... tape... bubble wrap blah blah. Before we know it, the customer is going to be paying £20 p&p on an autographed photo... or not maybe at that cost!

I have a packaging cost built into my pricing to cover the corners, tape etc...

I don't use boxes due to the differing sizes I send but use a 900 x 1800 sheet of double wall board and 'make' a box around it to keep it snug...with foam corners and plenty of bubble wrap. So far so good!

£10.19 is expensive... Yodel are £6.20 + Vat at the moment and thats 24hrs

Odds are, I guess, are against you if you send more... just don't leave anything to chance, that extra 10mins on a parcel could be the difference of replacing it which will cost more than a little extra packaging.

Cheapest way to send picture frames out is UK mail only £4.00 Next Day, Beat that

Is that as an account customer?

I just did a quote of the last parcel I sent... a 6kg 20x30 frame and it was £8.49 +vat ...Yodel was £6.20+vat.

Yodel are the cheapest for me for the odd frame I send out, maybe around 5 a month on average.
Aardvark look amazing and one of my artists uses them regularly but you pay for the privilege.
I have had one broken glass with Yodel, but with RM previously I was getting all kinds of breakages and dents and scores.