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With the ease of selling articles online, today, you may be wondering how to ship: • Oil paintings • Prints • Posters • Paintings You can find companies that will do the entire job for you, from pick-up to delivery. But the cost can be extremely high and once you have added this to the shipping and handling costs of your items. Either your profits will be gone or the cost of the items will be so high that customers will take their business elsewhere. With a little ingenuity, you can safely ship all of your packages cheaply and safely.

Start With the Right Shipping Company

Go online or start with your phone book. There are shipping companies just waiting to work with you. First, contact the companies either by phone or in person. If you can't get in touch with a "real" person in the first few tries, go elsewhere. If they really care about your business they will have a representative on hand to work with you. If the company is so big they can't be bothered to provide a real person to answer your questions, take your business elsewhere. Have a List of Questions Ready to Ask: • The price of shipping per pound/ounce? • The cost of insurance per $25 increments in value? • Extra costs for fragile products? • Extra costs for exact or estimated delivery dates guaranteed? • Pick-up of packages offered? • Discounts on bulk or large orders? • Any special offers or limits that you need to be aware of? • Does the company offer references? Once you have the answers, you will find it is quite easy to make an informed decision.

Have the Right Packaging Materials on Hand

You can provide them with packaging material recycling and help both businesses save money and resources. Look for the following items in large and small quantities: • Bubble-wrap in all sizes -- you can never have too much of this shipping staple • Boxes - with lids for shipping delicate or expensive items • Boxes - with flaps that can be closed-up and taped • Boxes - that can be cut-down or even turned inside-out and custom folded to unusual sizes. • Packaging tape, packaging tape and more packaging tape -- This is another item you can never have too much of. • Styrofoam peanuts

Packaging Fragile Items

Package it more than once. Start with finding a suitable container that is roughly twice the size as the article. Wrap the item in soft material such as cloth, paper or bubble-wrap. Carefully place it in the box or container with more paper or Styrofoam gently placed around the item. For large items or unusual sizes, this is when using broken-down boxes to create a new size comes in handy. Tape this first container shut. Wrap it thoroughly in bubble-wrap that is at least one inch thick for small items and up to 3 inches thick for larger items. Tape this securely together. Now place the wrapped container in a new container. Add enough Styrofoam peanuts to cushion it on all six sides, close the second container and give it one more wrap of bubble-wrap.

Proper Shipping

If the package is going a long distance or overseas, actually place it in a third container labeled for shipping. If done correctly, the package may seem large, but not heavy enough to send shipping costs over-budget. Wooden crates are the main reason that shipping costs can be astronomical. But they're often totally unnecessary. If you follow these directions, you can easily learn how to ship in a manner that is safe and economical.

If you are buying or shipping neon signs, you need to make sure that the signs are not damaged at any point during transit. Neon signs are notoriously fragile. They can easily break when not packed properly, rendering the item useless when it arrives at your door. It is absolutely important to pack signs carefully. Broken signs are more likely too difficult and too costly to repair. Here are a few tips on how to ship neon signs.

How You Should Ship Neon Signs

Neon signage, whether mounted or un-mounted, needs a special packing container made of foam or cardboard. The idea is to pack the sign inside a material that will absorb all kinds of external forces while keeping the sign intact. Loose packing material should not come in contact with the neon tubes. This avoids the application of uneven pressure on the tubes while in transit. You can use rigid, non-expanding packing foam carved out to accommodate the shape of a sign, especially if you are shipping bare tubes. A cheaper alternative would be to use newspapers crumpled together and packed tightly around the sign. You have an easier job if you are shipping a mounted sign that is enclosed in a glass, wood, or metal frame. The frame can easily help absorb external forces and prevent any breakage. If signs are mounted, you can also place them inside a box and keep everything snug by inserting pieces of foam or crumpled newspaper. Signs are typically double-boxed with bubble wrap or crumpled newspapers in between boxes to ensure safety. Avoid using packing peanuts since these are loose and will not secure the sign as well as a packing foam or crumpled newsprint will. Finally, mark the outside of the box with the word FRAGILE. Also use an arrow pointing to the right side to assist shippers in proper handling.

Factors to Consider When Shipping Neon Signs

There are a number of factors to consider when shipping glass signs, such as: • Whether the signs are mounted or un-mounted • The size • Shape and complexity of the design • The total weight of the sign • The total value of the sign. All these will affect shipping costs and the value of insurance that you may need to take out. Another consideration is the shipping distance. The farther you are from the seller, the more expensive the shipping cost will be. Another factor is the number of signs you need to ship. Most signs need to be packed individually which could mean that you will need to ship a couple of boxes if you are shipping more than one sign. Shipping neon signs requires careful packing to ensure that the item gets to its destination in one piece. These signs are more expensive to repair than to replace, and they are not cheap. It is therefore important that you learn how to properly package your signs so that they are safe and snug during transit. If you are a seller, you reduce the risk of paying for replacements. If you are a buyer, choose the carrier with a good track record in handling fragile items.