Shipping antiques Europe-USA
 

Hi everybody. I need to ship a beautiful piece of furniture of the end of the 1800 from Italy to the United States, and I really don't know where to start from. I know I could easily go ask some shipping company, but I would like to get suggestions and learn about your own experiences on the subject, especially in terms of time, money, favorite companies, and whatever dos and donts you can think of.
Thank you very much
Viola

For a safe shipment I would choose air freight. KLM is good. For less money find a freight forwarder and ship it by ship. Your goods are at risk in the USA Customs house so claim them as soon as you can.

If you just bought this I would assume that whoever sold it could reco a good shipper. IMHO if it's really valuable you should use a shipper that specializes in antiques and provides full insurance. Also, they will know the appropriate paperwork for legal export from Italy and import into the US.

Is it a family heirloom that you are having shipped to you or something you bought and paid for?

If it's the latter, I wouldn't necessarily trust the vendor to get the best and most secure deal for you, although he or she should be willing to handle all the paperwork once you've chosen the shipper. Do you have any friends in Italy who could help you find an antiques shipper?

If you are trying to get a family heirloom safely shipped to you from Italy, you might want to start by having a conversation with the best antiques dealer closest to where you live and offer to pay them to help you, provided they have some experience with Italy.

Thank you for your suggestions. It is indeed a family heirloom. I did not think about contacting a local antiques dealer. There are a few that are quite famous so I might try these first. @Spaarne: thanks for the hint on the US Customs house!