How to Pack and Send Auction Items By Freight to Hungary
Hungary has a long history of fine art, craftsmanship, and architecture. There’s a great deal of demand for paintings, furniture, and more from cultural centers like Budapest. But, as anyone dealing in international auctions for antiques knows, that heritage has cultivated a lucrative demand within Hungary for the finest items from abroad.
Auction winners quite often leave Houston sellers with a tough challenge: how do you pack and send freight items safely from Texas to Budapest?
Don’t worry. It’s been done, and in the right hands, it’s been done exceptionally well. Here are some tips to get you into a foolproof auction house shipping routine for your Hungarian customers:
Approach Each Item From A Unique Angle
Antique auction house shipping is not the kind of process you try to streamline with a one-size-fits-all approach! Whether you handle it yourself or use a full service pack and send freight company specializing in antiques, the process must be tailored to the item.
As an example, check out the process Island Ship Center came up with to pack and send freight items like this gorgeous Kittinger table from New York to Budapest. They’re not based out of Houston (although there are similarly skilled full service international shippers based out of here), but they perfectly document what it takes to prepare a large, fragile item to safely make the trip from the US to Hungary.
The process they used — and what you’ll similarly find among fully-trained and certified freight shippers — involves wrapping the table in synthetic wrapping, adding styrofoam corners for extra impact absorption, and sourcing a heat-treated palette to meet EU standards intended to prevent insects from crossing the ocean along with the intended shipment.
In a nutshell, consult an experienced freight shipper and pin down the exact materials you’ll need for your item, whether it’s a painting, furniture, sculpture, or any other item your auction house buyers are ready to bid on.
Before the Auction, Know Your Restricted Items
Auction house shipping best practices start with who you know you can sell to beforehand. Every country has some notable quirks when it comes to which items they do and don’t allow in as exports. Hungary, however, is particularly open these days, with the vast majority of exports allowed without need to apply for a license, as per the U.S. embassy.
Current restrictions to Hungary are largely the result of larger restrictions from the European Union. For auction house shipping, a handful of these general restrictions may be notable, including:
- Wood items that haven’t been fumigated
- Counterfeit or Pirated Goods – make sure all items sold at your auctions are legitimate!
Finding the Right International Freight Shipper
You should have a hands-on role in shipping your delicate antiques and other auction items. But the actual packing and shipping process should be handled by a professional.
Try to find a Houston shipper with experience in shipping antiques. The needs of an auctioneer require a different touch as contrasted with freight shippers that largely deal in textiles.
If you have any further questions about auction house shipping from Houston to Hungary, please contact us to learn more!
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