TYVEK is the new silk tissue paper

Well... almost but not quite :)

Jazz musicians won't use Tyvek for sound effects and children won't probably make Christmas decorations of it – this remains the silk tissue paper's teritory.

Whereas it looks as unspeactacular, as shown in the picture, Tyvek, the new, stronger, „synthetic paper” is widely and succesfu implemented as packing material for art works, often instead of silk tissue. 

My first encounter with Tyvek was, however, not of art-handling nature at all! Very robust Tyvek envelopes, which don't tear or get humid, were used by one of my former employers to safely distribute their voluminous, heavy product catalogues. Tyvek envelopes are great – that's probably the reason they cost almost 1 EUR per item... :)

Other, much more creative ways to use Tyvek can be seen here, as well as in many films on youtube, presenting what can be made of this "super material".

Nevertheless, if you are just in need of a wrapping for your art work, and not of a tent/wallet/sleepig bag or beads, Tyvek will serve you equally well!

A 20m roll costs about 90 EUR – it is really expensive, but look at the features! (The manufacturer, DuPont, doesn't unfortunately reward me for all the nice things I'm writing here about this product – but they really should :))

Tyvek is dust-tight, water resistant, breatable and ph neutral – a perfect wrappig for fragile art works, that need to be protected not only from mechanical damages but also are sensitive to humidity and susceptible to chemical reactions. It is very thin and pliable, so even small items of irregular shapes items can be tightly wrapped.

It doesn't tear and – if cut with a sharp knife – doesn't even unravel. Doesn't get damaged while removing adhesive tapes and – if needed – can be reused.

We use Tyvek most often to pack paintings with thick impast, collages, sculptures with fragile surfaces and also put it in between sheets, if (occurs very rarely) we transport unframed drawings or loose pages of manuscripts.

„Tyvek frees you from worry!” claims the website of the manufacturer. But despite its many advantages, Tyvek remains expensive and doesn't protect well against major mechanical shocks. This is why, it is in most cases only an underlayer, before the art work is crated or packed in bubble foil.

Remember to recycle your used Tyvek or to give it to a poor artist who may need it :) 

A warning light for Dan Flavin and Jenny Holzer

No matter, if by Jenny Holzer, Dan Flavin, Ferdinand Kriwet or Otto Piene – from the custom's point of view, most art works containing light bulbs or neon tubes are considered to be „just lamps”. A similar phenomenon may take place e.g. in case of wool works by Rosemarie Trockel, which happen to be seen as „just carpets”. Let alone ready mades by Duchamp and Warhol.

"But why would that actually matter at all? The authorities are just ignorant, that's it",  one could say. 

Well, in case of an outgoing shipment, where no charges apply for the exporter, it actually doesn't make any difference at all. 

The 'fun' starts while importing :)

There are basically two kinds of import fees in the EU: the import VAT (in Germany 7% or 19%) and customs duties. Both based on what customs tariff number (the so called Harmonized System Code) imported goods are assign to.

Luckily, according to the UNESCO Florence Agreement of 1950, art works are not subject to customs duties at all. 

As for the import VAT, in Germany the lower 7% tax rate applies only to original, unique art works, but e.g. not to photographs or c-prints. All kinds of ready mades, simple compositions made of ordinary objects, audio-video or light installations etc. are likely to be classified not as original art works but as material/components they are made of. As such they become subject to the 19% tax rate and customs duties (if applicable).

That is why the customs tariff classification used for an import clearance may significantly affect your finances.

Let's deal with this issue using the example of neons and works like ones by Otto Piene. I believe every art handling agent would first try to declare them as art unique installations  = art works (HS Code / customs tariff 9703) which makes the most sense.

1. Permanent import
   - If the HS code 9703 is accepted, the importer pays the import VAT of 7% and no customs duties apply.
   - If not – the works have to be declared as „lamps” (one of the 9405 HS codes – e.g. „electric lights and lighting fitings” or „illuminated sign, illuminated nameplates” ) for which the import VAT of 19% and additionally customs duties of 2,7% apply! 

1. Temporary import
   - If the HS code 9703 is accepted, there are no fees or complications at all, provided that the importer is entitled to temporarily import art works free of import tax deposit.
   - If not – the temporary admission (TA) is opened after the customs corrected the 9703 HS Code „sculptures and installations” to 9405 „lamps”. No import tax deposit applies but the potential customs duties have to be deposited on the customs' bank account. Only after the transfer has been received, the shipment can be handed over to the importer. * This does not apply to state institutions whose finances are conrolled by the governemnt anyways.

As you see, a customs tariff /HS Code can make a great difference, if imported works are valuable !!! 
One of my clients, currently preparing a large exhibition of famous light installations has to – surprise surprise – deposit ca. 50.000,00 EUR of potential customs duties. Not amusing at all! 

Below some advice that can hopefully help you to avoid such frustrating situations.

HINTS:

• If you're awaiting a shipment containing art works that can be seen as „ordinary objects”, prior to the arrival (or even better prior to the departure), consult the HS code / customs tariff you're planning to use in the clearance with your agent or with the customs directly. Maybe there are no reasons to worry.
• In case it is highly probable that your Duchamp's „Fountain” will be classified as „household articles and toilet articles, of ceramics other than porcelain” :) I would advise amending the proforma invoice and declaring such an object as e.g. „ A ceramic pissoir, an element of an artistic installation by Marcel Duchamp, material value: 500,00 EUR”. If it is seen as „just a pissoir”, then its value should actually be one of „just a pissoir” as well. No bulbs but the same principle :)
  CAUTION: Of course this can be tried ONLY in case of temporary imports (to avoid the deposit), in case of a purchase it would be a severe tax evasion !!
  Such amendments should of course be done in best case before the shipment departs and surely not as a correction of an already submitted proforma! Worth a try, though as always – the final decision is up to the customer officer in charge!
• If a potentially problematic art work is a part of a larger shipment that you need to receive ASAP, ask your agent to clear it separately. In the time, when you'll be dealing with discussions, amendments, deposit transfers etc. the rest of the works can be cleared and delievered to you.
• You have a right to enter an objection against the customs' decision, classifying an art work as an ordinary object and making you pay or deposit customs duties. In such a case you need to obtain an opinion of an officially recognized expert (usually from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry) – if he or she claims the object an art work, the customs will return your deposit and/or customs fees.

• Even though it makes little sense, to enter an objection against the customs' decision, you actually first have to pay the duties. Especially in case of a temporary admission the customs wouldn't make the TA doc available until your payment has been booked – at the same time, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry requires a copy to deal with your objection and application for an expert opinion.  
  Yes, it is terrible indeed :(

RECAP: Be very careful while shipping light installations and ready mades – they can not only break but also cost you dearly!!

Art movers: the guys allowed to touch Mona Lisa

Art handlers / art movers / art packers  are a special kind of grey eminence: everybody sees them but barely anyone pays much attention, although this is them who ACTUALLY DO THE JOB. 

They are the very few guys allowed to touch, pack, transport and install art works. Even though most of them have an academic or artistic background, registrars and conservators sadly tend to see them as blue collar workers and treat in a patronizing manner. 

Please kindly note that while dressed in sweatshirts with company logos, work trousers and safety steel-toe boots absolutely nobody looks like an intellectual, forget a sexy one :)

Art handlers can be divided into two cathegories:

1. Old troupers, who have been doing this for the living for the past 25 years and had in their hands more artworks than any museum employee. Besides, they can park a 18t truck with a jumbo trailer backwards, have been everywhere, have seen everything. Nothing and nobody can surprise or impress them – they regularely through the Tuileries, hang paintings in the president's cabinett and deliver art works to celebrities' villas, as well as to medieval castles towering on steep rocks. That is why it is better NOT to tell them how they should do their job, especially, if you're a beginning registrar and have never moved an art work with your own hands but just read at the university a lot about how it (theoretically) should be done. Trust these guys - they know what and why they're doing.

2. Relatively young, often upcoming artists, who know how to handle art from their own artistic practice and do the art packer's job for some extra income. As they rarely posses a license to drive a > 3,5t truck, their activity is mostly limited to one city and their experience, for obvious reasons, lesser than of old bulls. On the other hand, coming from the art world, they have a good overview over values of transported art works, as well as the awareness of the millieu-conditioned importance of customers and artists, which makes them possibly to more a appealing company for the served clients.

A good art mover is worth his weight in gold and luckily there are clients who appreciate their work: we repeatedly receive requests from artists or museum couriers to send a particular driver to handle their work or loan. 

PS.1.  If you happened to have seen some art-handling scenes, in the movies like "The Best Offer" or in the latest season of "Ray Donovan", just please forget them. Art handlers do wear white gloves but not a suit or elegant shoes (for safety reasons), auction lots are transported safely and according to buyers' wishes, and a fine art truck cannot be stolen and hidden just so, as it is usually equipped with a satellite tracking system.

PS.2. "Mona Lisa" is so small and rarely moved that propably  Louvre conservators can handle her on their own, so an art mover who actually had the painting in his hands may consider himself lucky and honored :) 

Shipping invoices: proforma and commercial. Guidelines.

For every export shipment, meaning a transport to a non-EU country, a shipping invoice, or a similar relevant document like an exhibition loan agreement, is a must. Remember that also tranports to some territories, like Vatican, Gibraltar or Faroe Islands also require a customs clearance.

It is the base for any customs declaration and although it may seem not to be a big deal, obtaining a correct shipping invoice from a client is one of the main challenges of my job ...especially when tax-evasion or money laundering tricks are attempted :) Fortunately it occurs very rarely but - just in case - please be aware that a "pimped" invoice is usually disguised by agents and the customs at the first glance!

Due these facts, I created an instruction sheet on "how to prepare a correct shipping invoice"....and when my clients turn out not to be good students and don't observe the guidelines, I charge them extra for amendments :) !!!


There are basically three kinds of export shipments:

PERMANENT: occurs when you sold an art work, received the payment, it doesn't belong to you anymore, so you don't expect or need it to return from abroad. In this case it is crucial that your agent uses the actual commercial invoice (the one that you client received and paid) for the customs declaration. Afterwards you should receive the proof of export (POE, in German: Ausgangsvermerk) containing a description of the art work as given on the invoice, and naming the number of the invoice. You'll need it for your tax declaration! More about that to follow soon in a separate post.
Other cases of permanent export which don't involve selling/purchasing and can be cleared basing on a proforma: donations, samples, gifts, moving.

TEMPORARY: you are sending an art work as a loan to an exhibition or to a gallery for sales on commission, so you expect it to return or hope that it sells abroad :) but if it doesn't, you'll need it to be re-imported free of import tax. In this case it is important that the proforma invoice enables the customs to doubtlessly identify the shipped art work. They have to be sure that the one returning is the same one that left the EU for a temporary stay abroad.

RE-EXPORT: the art work is on temporary admission but is leaving the EU again. In some cases a commercial invoice can be used here but in the remaining >90% you'll need a proforma that corresponds with the TA doc. The value of the shipped work, however, does not have to be the same! The customs, luckily, are aware of the fact that the value of an art work is very speculative and may dramatically change within a year or two.

Below you'll find enumeratoin of information that needs to be included in both types of invoices - hopefully it will help you to create correct documents :)!

Please note: both kinds of shipping invoices are to be issued without VAT!!!


PROFORMA
- Consigner - the one who will be receiving the art work back
- Consignee
- Number, not obligatory but helpful (the customs at Frankfurt airport REALLY love it)
- Date
- Color image of the shipped work, if for a temporary movement
- Description of the work consisting of:

• artist’s name 
• title 
• year of creation (obligatory - otherwise the customs reject a declaration)
• inventory number, if given
• technique /medium
• dimensions, if available
• value and currency 

If instead a loan agreement is used, it still has to contain all above components and additionally it should be signed at least by the lender!


COMMERCIAL INVOICE 

- Seller
- Buyer
- Delivery address, if other than the buyer
- Invoice number (absolutely obligatory, otherwise obviously "pimped")
- Date
- Terms of delivery, if it is supposed to be 100% correct :)
- Description of the sold work consisting of:

• artist’s name 
• title 
• year of creation (obligatory - otherwise the customs reject the declaration)
• inventory number, if given 
• medium / technique
• dimensions, if available 
• value and currency 
• total, after reductions ect.

Now you know everything - good luck in creating beautiful shipping docs :) !

What makes a truck a fine art truck?

An averarge citizen (like me :) sees trucks as large or small, white or not, box truck or flat bed. 

It took quite a while till I could recognise a fine art truck myself!

Demand for fine art trucks is quite low, there are usually only a few companies per country who need such vehicles, thus they are mostly tailor made and as such accordingly expensive. 

Here you can find a nicely illustrated article on this subject by our Scandinavian partner agent MTAB. And below a more detailed list of characteristics that make a fine art truck and how they guarantee security in terms of climate conditions, vibrations and theft:

• It is always a box truck, with proper walls and roof, with no windows or textile elements outside. It is both for isolation and security. There is also usually a separate key for the box and often a tail lift, vertically folded at the truck's back,  that has to be lowered before the box-door becomes accessible at all.
• The inside of a truck-box is air conditioned. You can recognise it by large air conditioners that are placed above the driver's cabin or in the very back on the box inside (see the pics). Not only antique objects, but also contemporary photographs are very fragile to high temperatures.
• The inside of a truck-box is adapted for transports of fragile objects: walls are often clad with carpet-like textile and equipped with many metal eyes , which are used to securely fix crates onboard with transport belts. Besides, there are small holes in the floor and the ceiling for vertical metal poles, with which transported objects can be additionally prevented from moving back and forth, in case binding to the walls is considered insufficient, e.g. if a crate is very large or very heavy. 
• A fine art truck has a tail lift / lifting platform. It is a very important element of equippment, which guarantees that transported objects stay in an upright position while loading/ unloading, with possibly few turbulences. From time to time a client or lender asks us, if the truck we planned for a pick-up has a tail lift. All of our truck of course do, but it means that there are shipping companies, who try to ship art works without. What may surprise you while aquiring estimates for transports of very heavy objects is, that an agent may refuse to do it or send a huge truck for a collection just one small crate. It is due to the fact that standard tail lifts can elevate max 750 kg at a time (smaller trucks only ca. 400 kg) and breaks easily down, if overloaded.

• 
  A fine-truck has an air suspension. This means it is equipped with pneumatic springs, which can be seen behind the wheels, usually in form of black air bags. This comes in handy during transports of glass or ceramic objects or collections/deliveries in hitorical city centres, where streets are often cobbled.  (The image comes from Wikipedia, there is also an article about air suspension, should you be interested in more details)

Apart from the ones above, there are some further typical fine art truck gadgets: 

• Extra courier seat, for couriers who personally accompany transports of loans
• GPS tracking system. All our trucks have built in chips that allow traffic managers to check online in real time, where the truck exactly is and with what speed it is moving. Maybe you happen to have seen the 4^th season of „Ray Donovan”. His partners steal a truck full of precious art works and blackmail a Russian gangster by hiding it. In real life, succesfully hiding a truck with a GPS chip would be pretty difficult :) 

• An ignition interlock device or breath alcohol ignition interlock device (IID and BAIID) – it is basically a built-in breathaliser whose test you have to pass before starting the engine. Meant for bus drivers, in case of fine art trucks it is actually a cherry on top of the cake. Still, it is nice to assure clients and lenders that their art works are SO well taken care of that if a driver has one beer to much in the evening, he will be automatically prevented from moving the truck next morning.  
• Alarm – every truck usually have an alarm.... but we all also know how inefficient alarms are, as far as theft prevention goes.

...and several other things which are generally good to know about trucks :)

• Already mentioned in the post about dimensions: remember that even really large fine art trucks have limited capacities, as their maximal dimensions are strictly regulated by the law. Consequently, objects higher than ca. 2,80 m usually have to be transported in a jumbo trailer with a lowered suspension and objects both wider and longer than 1,22 m cannot be placed one along another in a truck (max width 2,45 m), which as you can imagine, multiplies the shipping costs.
• It is hopefully obvious: 3,5t, 5,5t, 12t, 18t is the number of tonnes means the maximum allowed gross weight of a truck. Not its payload :) Example: our 12t truck weights empty already 9,5 t. Its maximally allowed payload is thus 2,5t. Consequently, to transport 6t of marbel sculptures, I had to calculate 3 separate rides, even though in terms of volume they would all fit in in one turn. I am sure there are shippers who would quote and execute it as a single ride – please note that it is illegal and dangerous, as such an overloaded truck is more difficult to steer and has a much longer braking distance!

• 
  The maximum speed is often limited by a built-in velocity blocker (e.g. 120 km/h for up to 3,5t; 90 km/h for up to 7,5 t and 80 km/h for all heavier – allowed speed limits differ though). This means that you cannot apply Google maps to calculate driving times! Unfortunately there are some registrars / lenders who eagerly forget laws of physics and the law in general, while planning collection and delivery, and react with fury or accusations of unprofessionalism, when our trucks don't rush through Europe with 150 km/h :)

Hopefully it is now clearer for you, why transports with fine art trucks must be more expensive and why they take much longer than Google maps say :) 

Hidden costs II - how to read a fine art shipment estimate with understanding

In the former post I was giving you advice on how to enquire an estimate, so that your agent can calculate the costs as accurately as possible and what factors can significantly influence the final charges. 

Today we'll be dealing with the second part of this topic: how to correctly read a fine art shipment estimate and understand what actually means what.There are some insider expressions used in estimates that for less experienced clients may be misleading -  the explanations below. 

Good luck with tracing the hidden costs in your estimates - hope it will save you some unpleasant surprises :) 

„all charges net”

• even if it is not explicitly mentioned, assume that the charges you receive are estimated net. To agents and the vast majority of their clients the VAT is irrelevant, as they are either entitled to VAT deduction or based in another country. If you need the VAT and the gross total to be indicated on the requested estimate, let your agent know. Please note that if the invoice's payer is a private person based in an EU country, they will be charged a gross total, according to VAT rates valid in the agent's country! (see also my post about the VAT)

„if nedeed”/ „if requested”

• read the estimate carefully and see, if all services you needed are included AND if there are no services added that you didn't ask for (like supervision, climate controlled crate etc.). Some services are offered „if nedeed”/ „if requested” and their prices have to be added or substracted to the total. Do not be surprised, if your final invoice is suddenly much higher, after you asked „the nice art moving gentlemen”, if they could unpack your new art work and take the crate back, cause you do not need it anymore. Whereas „the nice art movers” are usually nice indeed :) and obliged to deliver parcels to where the client wishes, please note that unless indicated, estimates usually do not include unpacking, installing and crate disposal. It is because most of our clients do it themselves. Besides, environmentally friendly disposal of used crates it not cheap (!) and crates can be re-used, if a work of art travels to a fair or an exhibition anyway.

„if necessary” / „if required”

• there are some services that may turn our necessary after the project has already started. It may e.g. include an extra customs inspection, which is almost never the case, but the customs are entitled to require it anytime they wish. As you can imagine, is quite time consuming to bring a crated art work to the customs office, unpack, let it be inspected, pack and bring back. Therefore, the phrase „if necesary” gives agents, who are obliged to execute this action but have no influence on wheter it occurs or no, the possibility to invoice their extra efforts.

"on hourly basis", "by consumption", "by effort" etc.

• some services, like packing, loading, unloading, warehouse handling etc. are offered on hourly basis, by consumption, by effort etc. If the information you provided while enquiring the estimate was exact and your agent is reliable, there should be not much dicrepancies. It may seem like such open, unspecific expressions leave a lot of room for manipulation or amendments; well...they do. But they have to! It happens frequently that a client, eagerly accepting an estimate, „forgets” to mention that e.g. they live in a street that is not accessible for cars this week, in the second couryard, in the third floor and the elevator has just broken down. Or the painting he/she has just finished yesterday is not dry yet and needs to be packed in a much more sophisticated way than originally planned. In such a cases, the time and effort originally calculated for this client increase rapidly and have to be invoiced, especially if it causes delays by other clients. If you are comparing several estimates, try to find a „common denominator”, like the price for an art mover / hour or for a roll of bubble wrapp. You can also simply ask for their price list of packing materials – it will tell you a lot and make it possible to check, if your invoice is issued honestly and correctly.

„insurance not included”

• this is a phrase which often outrages new clients:„It is brazen of you! Do you know how much this work of art is worth!? (Here comes usually quite a small amount, as owners of really valuable art works are more familiar with the market... :) Who is going to pay, if it gets damaged during the shipment? Are you not insured? Is it legal at all?” Of course, the goods transported by us are insured, as it is legally required. However, the maximum liability according to German law (§ 451e HGB ) is 620,00 EUR / cbm. Not too much, if you claim that this damaged piece of paper with 3 dots in pencil used to be actually worth 2 Million EUR :) As determining the value of an art work is highly subjective and speculative, and its material costs are in most cases objectively lower than these of crates and frames :), our clients are kindly requested to care for a suitable insurance policy themselves or ask us to arrange it for them. Insurance polices' prices are based on the declared values, destination and technique (glass and ceramics are much more expensive) and are usually well affordable.

"Total till JFK" / "delivery Madrid Int." / "delivery sea port Sydney" / "DDU Zurich" etc.

• Make sure that the estimate you receive for a shipment to a non-EU country also includes import customs clearance in the country of destination and, applicable by shipments via sea and air freight, sea/airport handling and final delivery costs. These costs are usually included in a separate quote by a local partner of your agent, are forwarded 1:1 to the client and they may be subject to a prepayment provision (see below). I have experienced many clients who were surprised by the fact that a shipment doesn't end upon landing and has also a „second part” in the country of destination. Even by road, if a shipment involves non-EU countries, goods may be delivered by the same agent who collected them in the EU, but have to be customs cleared, which inevitably requires a foreign agent to be engaged! In German we have a nice word for it: Nachlauf :)

"MPF not included" / "import charges to be determined" / "bond fees based of value" etc.

• Please note that estimates usually do not include the import VAT (nor American MPF) – it has to be paid by the buyer / final consignee and agents have no influence on its amount. The percentage of the declared value or information on how it is going to be accessed, should be though included in an estimate. Please do not assume that the import VAT is already included, if it is not explicitily stated on the estimate → leads to inevitable disappoinments :)

"provision on initial costs" / "provision on prepayment"/ "money transaction costs" etc.

• these costs apply when your agent has to prepay some charges before they can be invoiced to you. For example, when import fees have to be paid immediately or during import shipments. Let's imagine, you commissioned your agent to bring 5 large paintings from Tokyo via air freight. Your agent, if not located in Japan, has to organize this shipment in coordination with their local, Tokyo based partner, who will collect the works, construct a crate, prepare all the paperwork and ship them to the requested airport abroad. Your agent will shortly receive an invoice for these services and, as the commissioner, will be obliged to settle this bill, regardless of when (and if at all) you will pay for the whole shipment. As a reward for this risk and for „lending” you this amount of money for some time, as well as to cover costs of international money transactions and currency exchange charges, a provision of several percent of the transaction's value applies , usually between 3% and 10 %. If you are befriended with your agent, you can ask them to arrange for direct invoicing between you and their foreign partner agent – that will save you the prepayment provision but you'll have to cover money transaction costs yourself. 

Hidden costs I - How to cleverly enquire a fine art shipment estimate

It has already happened to each of us – we enquired an estimate for a certain service, we received an estimate and still the final invoice turned out to be an unpleasant surprise. 

First rule, which is valid for all business branches: always compare the invoice with the estimate! If the total differs, it may not always mean that the vendor is trying to cheat on you. It may just be a miscommunication between the person who prepared the estimate and the one who issued the invoice. Or possibly there have been extra circumstandes. But in many cases the reason is the discrepancy between what each of you meant and what the other party of the transaction understood.

I would like to give you some hints on how to enquire estimates for fine art shipments in order to avoid dissapoinments upon receiving the final invoce. Or at least to have a solid base for a succesful reclamation :) 

• Before sending, think your enquiry over and decide what kind of service do you really need? If you are not sure, what the possible options are, ask your agent for advice.
• Always communicate in writing. Even, if some arrangements have to be talked over on the phone, write a short „to-sum-up” email – for the record. It may save you a lot of money, in case something goes wrong on the agent's side.
• Ask for itemised charges so that you exactly know what services are offered according to the estimate. Please note that there are some charges that cannot be 100 % reliably estimated, but the more exact the information you deliver, the more precise the enquired estimate should be. If it already occured that you were surprised by your agent's final charges, insist on getting the details of your enquiry (like dimensions, package, weights, deadlines etc.) noted directly in the estimate. It leaves less space for manipulation.
• Provide your agent with all the relevant details about art works, conditions and circumstances of the shipment. If anything changes, inform them immerdiately and ask for a revised estimate. Again, it leaves less space for manipulation while invoicing. There are of course unlucky coincidences and unexpected changes, but the lack of proper information, like wrong dimensions (!!!), is the most common reason for extra charges, so be careful and precise - it does matter!

Here examples of some less obvious situations, in which I had to bill extra charges to a client:

• A painting that our art movers came to collect from an artist's studio was still wet. They spent an extra half an hour building a provisory shadow box around it. Then, a transport frame had to be constructed, which significantly increased the volume of this art work and consequently also the air freight charges.
• An art work was to be collected from a backyard but the gate was too low for a truck to drive through. Art movers had to carry the collected art works or roll them on skates for several hundred meters. Extra time, extra effort.
• A client enquired an estimate for an export shipment of several art works not mentioning that some of them were bonded. Bonded items require a separate customs clearance, a transit paper and most often an on-site inspection at a customs office. This means ca. 300-400 EUR extra right away.
• A client enquired an estimate for an export shipment of several art works not mentioning that not all of them are being shipped by the same consignor. For each consignor a separate customs clearance has to be submitted, and thus my charges for customs clearance multiplied.
• A client enquired an estimate for a consolidated transport and then demanded a delivery on a certain day. Consolidaded transports are offered when one or several clients already cover most of the costs for a ride to a certain destination, and the one who pays the most, can determine the delivery date. That means, if you are not the one who pays the most, you have to wait for a suitable opportunity or look for another option.
• Our client was the loaner of an art work and the invoice payer but the lender was the one determining the terms. It turned out upon collection that the art work definitely needed to be packed in a more sophisticated way than enquired and estimated. The object was one of Tomas Saraceno's spider web works – an extremely fragile one: just a spider web span on a branch of a tree. The lender demanded a customised crate, cushioned with dark foam, so that the whitish web could be easily seen while handling. Whereas we found this requirement fully justified, the loaner absolutely refused to pay for the requested crate, accusing our art movers of being „unable to properly do their job” by means of soft-packing materials. It took forever to find a compromise and needless to say, our charges rose.
  This is a very common case among museum shipments. Often these are lenders, who demand expensive, exaggerated and often simply redundant solutions but in the example above it was our client, who neglected checking the details with the lender and then acted unfair towards all parties involved. Again – simply lack of accurate information.

As you see – precise information is crucial for us, agents, to prepare reliable charges, which can be invoiced 1 to 1 when the project is over. The next post will be about reading estimates with understanding and recognising hidden costs! XXX