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Shipping antiques to Canada

Last update: 14/04/2021

Antiques are collectible items with high value owing to their considerable old age and rarity in the market. If you are looking to start collecting antiques or you have some that you will like to sell either offline or online, it is important that you learn how to ship antiques from UK to Canada, be it removals to Ottawa from UK or other locations in the world. Here, we are going to give you a detailed steps on how to ship antiques. These steps exhaust the question and any concern on how to ship antiques. So, if you want to get some advice on shipping antiques to Canada, you should go through these steps given here.

As mentioned above, antiques are highly valuable collectible items such as artworks and furniture pieces of considerable age. However, they do not have the same market value. Some antiques and collectibles are more valuable than the others. If you are a professional antique, definitely, you should know the value of the antiques or collectible that you want to ship. But if you are still new in the business, it is advisable that you first evaluate your item to determine the value.

You should look for somebody to appraise the antique for you. You may want to know why you should first appraise an item before shipping antique furniture to Canada, UK to Quebec shipping or other towns. This is very necessary because knowing the value of your antique will help you to know the type of insurance and amount of insurance cover that you should buy for the item. Besides, knowing the value of your item will also help you to decide whether to use professional packing service or to do the packing by yourself.

Choose a company that offers antiques shipping services

Shipping antique furniture to CanadaWhen you are choosing an international shipping company offering transportation of antiques to Canada, there are a number of factors that you should put into consideration such as how fast you want it to be delivered, the amount that you are willing to pay, the value of your item, and the likes. The above factors will determine to a greater extent the type of services you will need. If the items that you are shipping are of great value, then you should hire door-to-door service. This means that the items will be picked up from your home and delivered directly to the home of the recipient.

It is important that you choose a UK to Canada antique shipping company that specialises in shipping antiques and collectibles. A company may have experience with the shipping of other items and not collectibles and antiques. So, when you want to hire a shipping company, ensure that the company you want to hire their services specialises in shipping antiques from UK to Canada, be it Montreal, Vancouver and other places or at least has expertise in transporting items overseas.

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Packing antiques for shippings

Antiques are of great value and thus packing antiques in a congested and cluttered space can be very risky. Before you start packing your antiques, it is advisable that you set up your workspace. Get rid of any unwanted items from your packing space. Depending on the size of the antique, suitable areas to use as your workspace include your garage, living room, spare room, table top and the likes. The area to be used as your packing space should be spacious enough and allow you some movements.

You will be able to move the antique up and down without having any obstacle. When you choose a packing space, then you have to add some padding to it. Cover the floor or the table top with thick blanket to give it a cushioning effect. If the floor is already rugged or carpeted, you can use it like that but you have to remove any unwanted material from the floor. Before you begin to pack your antique, it is advisable that you take photos of the item from all angles no matter the condition of the item.

If there are any damages or scratches on the item, you should pay particular attentions to the spots. At each particular stage during the packing process, you have to take photos as well. The photos are eloquent evidences of the condition of the item before it is shipped. If it is damaged in anyway, you will provide the photos to the insurance company as evidence when you submit your claim. But if you have no photos, you have nothing to back up your claims.

Getting packing materials to protect antiques

Having taken photos of the items and setting up your packing area, the next thing that you should do is to gather the packing material before you begin to do the packing by yourself. Go through the packing requirements of your international mover and make sure that you satisfy all of them. If you buy your insurance from another insurance provider, you should also ensure that you meet up with the requirements of the shipping company regarding wrapping materials to be used when packing antiques. In generally, the packing material should be new and of great quality. Here are the packing materials you will require for the packing of antiques:

  • bubble wrap
  • packing tape
  • cid free tissue paper
  • packing peanuts or any other suitable void fill
  • cardboard box

You should not pick any cardboard box you like. Single walled boxes are commonly used for the shipping of lightweight or moderate weight items with poundage that is not more than 40 pounds. Any antique that weighs more than 40 pounds should be packed with double walled box or crated if it is very heavy and bulky. Fragile antiques should also be packed with doubled walled boxes.

How to pack antiques?

Sending antiquesThe packing of the antique is an important step in the shipping process of an antique and thus should not be joked with. It is important that you do the wrapping and packing very well to give the package added protection. If you cannot wrap and package it properly, you should hire our efficient antiques packing services. Here are some steps you can follow in order to wrap your antique or any other collectible.

Use acid free tissue paper to wrap your antique severally. You should ensure that the entire surface of the antique is covered with the acid tissue paper. It is important that you make use of acid-free tissue paper. If you use any other tissue that is not acid free, you may end up damaging the surface of your item. After wrapping with acid free tissue paper, you have to wrap it again with bubble wrap. Make sure that you wrap it right round severally until you are no longer able to feel what is wrapped. If the items are two, wrap the second antique in the same manner you did with the first antique.

Get the shipping box and put at least two to three inches heap of void fill in the box. Put the wrapped antique inside there in an upright position. If they are two antiques, cover the first one with void fill of at least 2 inches to form a second layer where you will place the second antique.

Fill up empty spaces with void fill. Make sure that the box is filled to the brim in excess so that when it is covered and sealed, the void fill will settle down and secure the items inside tightly. If you have the invoice or packing slip, then you have to put it on top before covering the box. Cover and seal up the seams of the box very well. Label the box very well indicating the shipping and receiving addresses. If you are not sure how to pack antiques then you can opt-for full shipping soluutions including packing service.Contact us and get full advice on moving furniture to Canada.

Standard principles when protecting antiques for shipment

If you are doing the packing by yourself, there are some acceptable packing standards that you should keep to. Here are some standard packing principles that you should abide by.

If you are sending boxes to Canada you should give the antique inside the shipping box at least 2 inches of padding right round. If the antique is very fragile and heavy, then you have to increase the padding.

The corrugated box to be used for packing the item should be a new one properly rated and suited for the type of item you are packing it with. Every box has its rating stamped on it. Items that do not weigh more than 40 pounds can be packed with single walled boxes unless they are extremely bulky. Very bulky items and heavy items that weigh more than 40 pounds should be packed with double walled box. If they are very heavy or highly valuable, then it is advisable to put then in a wood crate. There should be no space in the box for the item to move about. Before you seal the box, make sure that you settle the void fill. Make sure that all the seams are sealed.

Insuring your antiques shipment to Canada

The importance of covering your antique with insurance cannot be overemphasised especially if the item is of great value or highly fragile. If you buy insurance for your antiques, you will be compensated if the item is not delivered safely. Remember that no matter how proficient a shipping company is, if you hiring shipping container to Calgary or other locations, there are certain situations that they cannot handle. Sometimes, some of the unfortunate incidences are unavoidable. Antiques insurance services are provided by most movers offering antiques delivery to Canada from the UK to their clients that buy their postage.

Sending antiques to Canada from UK

After packing and buying a sufficient insurance cover for your item, what is left is for you to ship the item. At this stage, it is believed that you have gotten a reliable antique shipping company to provide the shipping services. But if you have not, make sure that you find a reliable one that will provide quality service. Do not forget about comparing antique shipping costs to Canada. Go through the requirements of the moving company all over again to ensure that you meet all of them before handing the item over for shipping antiques from UK to Canada. If you hire door-to-door service, schedule the collection date with the shipping carrier. On the appointed date, the company representative will come to your home to pick up the item. Make sure that you are around at the stipulated time. Always call the company to remind them of or confirm the scheduled date. We cover th entire Canada, so whether you are planning removals to Kitchener or other locations, we are ready to help.

If you don't want to waste your time searching for the best antiques moving services or if you want to ensure that you get reliable and quality services, you should consider using our services. We have been into this business for years and have been delivering reliable and quality antique shipping services from UK to Canada by air or sea. If we are able to satisfy our previous customers, we will also satisfy you. Check our records and you will see for yourself that we are equal to the task. It does not matter the part of the world that you want to ship your antique to, we will take it there for you. We work with reliable agents who are registered members of professional association. So, you should trust and rely on our services. Contact our Canada immigration support team, if you have any question related to moving overseas from UK, taking money to Canada, etc.

If you require other type of services, please contact us to check our scope of the services. We do furniture moving, pet transport to Canada from UK as well as heavy machinery transport.