Shipping artwork

[Nina]

Today I was at the post office to ship some more things, and I noticed something that gave me an idea. I have been shipping all my drawings in Priority Mail flat rate envelopes and they seem to have been working out fine for that purpose. But at the post office I saw  these mailing tubes and thought maybe I could start using those and it would be a little cheaper to ship. I don't think they are flat rate so I might try them if my customers don't mind their drawings being rolled up and placed in a tube. I bought a large band poster last month and it came in a tube just like the ones the post office has, maybe this is a better way to ship art. What do you guys think? Any opinions?

[Debbie C.]

hi nina -- if you go to the US Post Office site --- USPS.com  and sign up with them and go to shipping boxes and you can get the express - flat rate - and prority boxes free

[Debbie C.]

oh and the don't have the tube ones on there but they have a prority express one thats long and folds out into a traangle -- that should work really well for your drawings -- sign up under you art or taxi business - and they even ship them free to your house

[Nina]

Thanks for the link Debbie, I'm now registered on there and picking out my boxes lol. Have you ever ordered boxes on there?

[Debbie C.]

yes - i've gotten alot of boxes from them that way -- you can even order free labels and tape - i use them alot in the spring and early summer when we are selling hatching eggs

[Nina]

awesome..I ordered a bunch of labels and different boxes, as well as those triangle boxes, they look good for shipping art. I just wanted to make sure it was all free, because it almost seemed too good to be true.

[Debbie C.]

yeah i couldn't believe it was free too - i thought for sure when you went to check out there would be a total for shipping -- but i guess they really want you to use the post office for shipping stuff and they make sure of it by giving you the stuff to ship it in 

[Jknuth]

Nina
Do you use a fixative spray on your graphite drawings?'If so tubes may work but I would still lay a sheet of velum on the image side of the artwork before you roll it.
Personally I prefer flat storage and shipping but in some cases this isn't practical.
 

[Nina]

Jknuth, Yes I use workable fixatif while I work on the drawing, and then when it is done I spray it with a Krylon clear coat spray to set it.

[Jknuth]

Good, then you should be ok if you need to roll it. I would instruct who ever you sell it to to unroll it as soon as they received it and to lay it flat. perhaps if they need to store it to store it between 2 sheets of foam core with velum.
when drawing paper curls for to long it gets very tricky to get it flat again and then to frame it.
Ive shipped watercolors rolled before as well as large pastels. so you should be ok.