Please read this carefully...
There's an old rule: "You can have it good, fast, or cheap: pick two!"
That applies to packing and shipping of antiquities,
where the following applies:
Compromise = Consternation = Complaints = Claims
We do not personally pack any items for shipment. We use only commercial packaging firms for our packing and shipping, including The UPS Store in various locations across the country. Using our instructions and their experience, they do a professional job, ensuring that our items arrive safely as you will see in the notes people send to us. These commercial packers also provide a second "layer" of insurance covering the packing job. Take a look at the steps in the process as you look over the shoulder of a packager at one of the most experienced clock-packers in the United States.
We do not collect shipping-related expenses in advance. Instead, our packer will call you for a credit card number when the shipment is ready to go, and you pay them directly. If you require a shipping quote in advance, please let us know, otherwise, we will deliver the clock to the packer and they will contact you after the packing is completed and the clock is ready to ship. Don't forget to discuss insurance. Make sure you have more, not less! All UPS-packed clocks are double-boxed as you can see in the example linked above (unless they are very large, in which case they are moved by one of our blanket-wrap specialty movers, or crated if they are being shipped internationally). All smaller packages (clock size less than 48") are shipped via UPS ground service unless you specify otherwise. Understandably, UPS Stores will not ship via FedEx.
Our packers try and keep the outer boxes under the UPS oversize constraints. However, when it comes to packing a clock cheaply or safely, our packers will always pick the latter. It's about that simple. A 48" Vienna regulator, for example, will often require an outer box that puts the shipment in the "oversize" category, depending, of course, on the ability to remove the crown and bottom finial(s). Shippers charge dearly for these large boxes as they take up space that could be consumed by other, often heavier cargo. If your clock can shipped to a business address instead of a residence it will be slightly less expensive. Please let the packer know if this is an option you'd like to take. Blanket-wrap moving is likely a better solution for larger wall and all floor-standing clocks.
All clock weights are packed, and sometimes even shipped, separately. Where appropriate a movement might be removed from the clock, packed and shipped separately. It's easy to put back in... even for the non- technically inclined (like us)! Equal care in packing and shipping will be given to your new mechanical music device, the larger of which will be crated.
Blanket-wrap moving is used for larger wall clocks and tallcase clocks. Please refer to this page for more information and photos.
International Shipments: If your item requires crating, we will assist the crater to make shipping arrangements at the best possible price for you.
All items are insured, no exceptions. That only makes common sense and guards the sanity of us both!
Our cost for packing, insurance, and shipping is your cost; we make a little profit on each item, none on the shipping-related costs. We look out for your best interests in both selecting items to represent, and in selecting quality packers. Bottom line: you win!