How much time does it really take to properly pack and ship artwork?

Proper packing and shipping is extremely time-consuming if done right—it can take two to three hours per piece to pack something the way you’d want to receive it yourself. This is part of the hidden logistics work in an art business that most people don’t consider. They think artists just pick up brushes and create, but there’s extensive behind-the-scenes work. This time investment is why many successful artists eventually need to systematize their fulfillment process or consider whether they want to handle it in-house versus using fulfillment services for certain products. The quality of your packing reflects your professionalism and protects your reputation, so it’s worth doing right, but recognize it’s a significant time cost in your business.

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Asked by an artist underestimating the logistics of order fulfillment · Answered by Miro Kenarov · art-marketing-podcast · 2023-05-10