Artwork Transport for Auction Houses and Salerooms
The hammer falls, and the countdown begins. Lots must be delivered to successful bidders who, more often than not, bid on the strength of a catalogue and a condition report alone. A single sale means shipping very different pieces to scattered destinations. And unsold lots must be returned to their consignors. This post-sale phase directly engages your responsibility as an operator: a lot that arrives damaged, or held up in customs, comes back to your house before it comes back to the carrier.
Moviiu combines the hands-on expertise of the Horus Group, an international network of fine art carriers, with a fully digital platform built to keep pace with your sales.
Why do auction houses need dedicated logistics?
In your business, the buyer is often remote, sometimes on another continent, and delivery is their first physical contact with the lot. Everything promised in the catalogue is checked the moment the crate is opened.
Meeting that standard relies on three inseparable skills: packing without altering, tracking every movement, and crossing borders without delays.
On top of that come constraints that neither galleries nor private collectors face:
The pace of lot collection
As long as a piece stays in storage, it takes up space and delays payment to the consignor.
Customs complexity
Import, export, ATA carnets, certificates and export licences for cultural goods: every destination has its own rules.
A single catalogue, many types of objects
A painting, a bronze, a lot of jewellery and an antique binding call for four distinct protection protocols.
Flawless transport
Whatever the payment method, on delivery or when the lot leaves your storage, the transport must be impeccable.
To meet these demands, we rely on the 17 specialist companies of the Horus Group around the world. You hand over the technical side, and your buyers receive a delivery worthy of what they have just acquired.
One provider for a wide range of needs
A catalogue is anything but uniform. Painting, bronze, jewellery, antique bindings: each category has its own vulnerabilities and its own protocol. We cover them all, so you don’t have to split a single sale between several providers.
Canvases and works on paper
Interleaving with Tyvek®, neutral, breathable and non-abrasive, or with Melinex® when the surface is not fully stable.
Glazed frames
Low-tack technical tape applied to the glass, holding shards in place if it breaks without leaving residue on the frame.
Sculptures and 3D objects
Reinforced perimeter bracing and a protective crate, sized to absorb vibrations in transit.
Books, objects and display pieces
Reinforced triple-wall cardboard box lined with high-density foam, made to the measurements entered when you request your quote.
One contact, one interface, one invoice: your post-sale stops being a puzzle.
Two levels of service depending on the lot
1. The “All-Inclusive” Service: our technicians handle everything
For most auction houses with significant volume, this is the solution to favour, especially for high-value pieces, fragile or bulky objects, and the most demanding buyers.
- White-glove collection: Fine art technicians collect the lot from your saleroom or storage once the purchase has been paid.
- Dedicated packing: Packing is designed piece by piece, up to wooden crates built to museum specifications.
- Full management: We run the transport, handle import and export formalities, and hand the piece over in person, with installation or hanging on site if the buyer wishes.
PS: Specific collection rates can be negotiated based on your volume. Ask the sales representative for your region.
2. The “Self-Service” Mode: digital speed for your everyday lots
Designed for auction houses with low volume, or in regions served by very few specialist carriers.
- Instant pricing: The price is displayed in real time based on the dimensions entered, with no need to create an account first.
- A kit delivered on site: You receive Moviiu secure packaging at your premises, designed to protect artworks.
- Guided preparation: Your teams pack the lot by following our video tutorials, then hand the parcel over to our partner network.
- Continuous tracking: Shipment progress can be checked at any time from your professional account.
What logistics designed for post-sale changes
A buyer kept informed without you having to do it
As soon as the lot is collected, you and the buyer receive a notification with the tracking number and can follow the shipment in real time. The buyer is then told the delivery date and time slot. It is immediately reassuring for someone waiting for an object they have never held.
All documents in one place
Quotes, paid invoices, customs files and delivery receipts remain available from your account, making it easier to reconcile them with your sale invoices.
Scheduling that adapts to the unexpected
Delivery address changed, collection postponed while a payment clears, an order to adjust: our team reschedules. As long as the custom packaging has not been produced, cancellation is fully refunded.
APIs available for auction houses wishing to set them up
Who pays? Models adapted to the way you work
Every auction house handles its post-sale differently. We offer three financial and logistics integration options to fit your organisation:
You pay for the transport
The account is in your name. You centralise orders, pass on or include the costs in your sale invoices, and pay us directly.
You include quotes in your offers
You generate instant quotes before or right after the sale, then share them directly with your buyers using our shareable links. The buyer approves and pays for the service at the same time as their lot.
You simply recommend the service
You make our tool available to your clients (through a dedicated link or an API integration). The buyer manages their quote, schedules delivery and pays Moviiu directly, on their own.
A point to watch: the declared value.
It must match the hammer price shown on the sale invoice, including all of the auction house’s fees and excluding duties and taxes. An undervalued declaration limits compensation in the event of a claim. An overvalued one needlessly increases the duties and taxes charged to the buyer at destination.
Case studies: two common scenarios
Paris ➔ Geneva
Requirement: A large-format old master painting, sold to a Swiss buyer.
Moviiu logistics solution: All-Inclusive Service: collection by fine art technicians at the saleroom, Tyvek® protection and dedicated crate, secure transport, EU export and Swiss import formalities, delivery to the room and hanging on site.
Lyon ➔ New York
Requirement: A lot of standard-format prints, paid online the day after the sale by an American collector.
Moviiu logistics solution: Self-Service Mode: reinforced packing kit delivered to your premises, packed by your teams following our tutorials, proforma invoice, import customs clearance and door-to-door delivery.
Ad valorem insurance
Cover with no excess
The lot can be insured from the moment it is collected under Moviiu’s ad valorem insurance, at a rate of 1% of the declared value, with a minimum of €20, and no excess in the event of damage. The ceiling is €100,000 for artworks and €25,000 for jewellery, which covers most jewellery and watch sales.
Cover requires the lot to travel in Moviiu secure packaging: a piece shipped in your own crate cannot be insured by us.
Above these ceilings, write to us at info@moviiu.com: each case is reviewed individually to build a suitable extension of cover.
If damage is found on opening, send us the file within 72 hours with photos of the condition report. Claims are processed within 15 days.
Creating a transport order: how it works
It takes less than two minutes, with no commitment:
1. Addresses
Collection point, whether the saleroom, a storage facility or a depot, and the buyer’s address.
2. The lot
Type of piece, overall dimensions including the frame, estimated weight, hammer price.
3. Service level
Self-Service or All-Inclusive, and the level of cover chosen.
4. Confirmation
Electronic signature, then immediate generation of the shipping documents.
Need a quote for several lots from the same sale, or a grouped shipment to multiple destinations? Our experts reply within 24 hours at info@moviiu.com.
Entrust your post-sale to an operator who knows the ways of the art market.
The flexibility of an online tool, backed by the strength of an international network.