Fragile Courier for Artwork, Antiques & High-Value Goods
Whatever can’t be replaced, from paintings and antiques to servers and prototypes, travels alone on its own dedicated vehicle, handled once at collection and once at delivery.
- Fully insured
- DBS-checked drivers
- 4.9 rating
Get a Quote in Minutes
Tell us what’s moving and roughly where it’s headed. We reply fast, day or night.
What’s included in our fragile courier service?
A dedicated vehicle and driver working your job alone, with collection typically inside 30 to 60 minutes of booking. Your consignment travels direct from A to B, with no depots, no co-loading and no other stops along the way. You’ll get proactive updates by phone or text, photo or signature proof of delivery, and one fixed price agreed before we move. We’re on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, across London and the rest of the UK.
Some things simply can’t be replaced. Our fragile courier service exists for exactly those items: artwork, antiques, ceramics, musical instruments, laboratory kit, IT hardware, prototypes and anything else where a knock, a drop or a rushed handover isn’t an option. Book us and your item travels alone on a dedicated vehicle, packed once at collection and unpacked once at delivery, with the same driver from door to door.
Why We Only Handle Your Item Once
Most damage in transit doesn’t happen on the motorway. It happens at the sorting stage: conveyor belts, stacked cages and a culture of loading fast rather than loading carefully. A dedicated vehicle takes every one of those handovers out of the journey. Add removal blankets, ratchet straps and corner protection, plus a driver who watched your item being loaded, and the risk drops sharply. That’s why galleries, auction houses and IT teams choose a dedicated courier over a parcel network for anything that actually matters.
What We Move
- Art and antiques: paintings, sculpture and furniture moving between galleries, auction houses, restorers and private homes.
- IT and electronics: servers, racking, broadcast equipment and medical devices, handled with anti-static wrap and shock awareness.
- Instruments: everything from a violin to a full studio console, cased or wrapped in blankets.
- Prototypes and one-offs: engineering samples and pre-production units, often moving under an NDA.
- Glass, ceramics and lighting: packed loads carried flat, braced and never stacked.
Bulkier antiques and crated sculpture usually travel in our LWB van, which gives enough clear floor space to keep a piece flat and unstacked for the whole journey.
Keeping High-Value Consignments Secure
Discretion comes as standard. We can collect and deliver without markings on the vehicle, hand over only to a named recipient with ID checked at the door, and sign an NDA wherever one’s needed, so there’s a documented chain of custody the whole way through. That matters more than most people realise: UK tradespeople reported 85 tool thefts a day from vans in 2025, worth almost £19 million between them, according to Freedom of Information data covering dozens of police forces (InsightDIY). Freight crime tells a similar story: NaVCIS recorded roughly nine cargo thefts a day from HGVs in 2025, and most happened at unattended parking spots and service stations rather than on the move (Fleet News). A dedicated vehicle that runs straight from your door to the recipient’s, with no unscheduled stops, closes off exactly that opportunity. Goods-in-transit cover applies to every job, and we’ll arrange increased cover above the standard limit once you tell us what your consignment is worth.
Who Trusts Us With Fragile & High-Value Loads
Auction houses and galleries across Central London use us for pieces heading to sale or restoration, often against a same-day deadline before a viewing.
Engineering and manufacturing teams send prototypes and pre-production samples under NDA between design studios and test facilities; it’s the same discretion sectors like manufacturing rely on for anything commercially sensitive.
Print and events companies use us for AV kit and stand pieces that can’t miss a build slot, which is why this service works alongside our events courier service for exhibitions and trade shows.
IT teams in Manchester call us when a server or a rack of broadcast kit has to move fast without a single knock.
Hospitals and clinics rely on the same careful single-handling for delicate medical devices and diagnostic equipment, the same standard our medical courier service applies to patient-critical loads.
Wherever you’re based, from Birmingham workshops to private homes across the country, the same fixed-price, dedicated-vehicle approach applies.
Something Irreplaceable Needs Moving?
Skip the small talk. A controller can quote this job on one phone call and have a driver on the way within minutes.
Fragile Courier FAQs
How much does a fragile or high-value item courier cost?
There’s no fixed rate, because pricing depends on the size, weight, distance and declared value of what’s moving. Expect to pay more than a standard next-day parcel service, since you’re booking a dedicated vehicle and driver rather than sharing space with other deliveries. Tell us what’s moving and where, and we’ll give you one fixed, all-inclusive price before you book.
What happens if my item arrives damaged?
Every job travels with goods-in-transit cover and photographed proof of condition at collection, so if something goes wrong we can settle it quickly and fairly. Check the item before you sign for it, and refuse delivery if the packaging shows clear damage. Tell us the same day and we’ll open a claim straight away.
What insurance cover applies to valuable items?
Goods-in-transit cover up to £10,000 applies as standard on every job. For anything worth more, tell us the value when you book and we’ll arrange increased cover before collection, confirmed to you in writing.
Do you pack items for us?
We carry blankets, straps and corner protection to secure your item for the road, and can arrange packing for many pieces on request. For anything irreplaceable, such as fine art or antiques, we’d always recommend packing by you or a specialist before we collect.
Can one driver safely move heavy or awkward fragile items?
Not always, and we won’t let one improvise with something irreplaceable. Large artwork, marble, safes and anything awkward to lift gets a two-person crew, quoted upfront so there’s no surprise on the day.
Can you keep a high-value consignment confidential?
Yes. We can collect and deliver using an unmarked vehicle, hand over only to a named recipient with ID checked, and sign an NDA on request. Discreet handling like this is routine for us, not a special favour.
Do you provide packing materials for fragile items?
We carry blankets, straps and corner protection for every job and can source specialist packing by arrangement, though anything irreplaceable is best packed by you or a conservator before we arrive.
What happens if an item is worth more than your standard cover?
Tell us the value when you book. We will confirm increased cover in writing before the driver sets off, so there is no ambiguity about what is protected.
Can you collect from a gallery or auction house outside normal opening hours?
Yes. We run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can arrange access with a keyholder or security desk in advance if the collection falls outside standard hours.
Do you deliver to the room, or just the entrance?
Standard delivery is to the ground-floor entrance. Room-of-choice and upper-floor delivery can be arranged at booking with the right crew and equipment.
“A pair of 19th-century mirrors from a Kensington auction house to a client in Bath — blanket-wrapped, braced, photographed at both ends. Perfect condition, perfect service.”
— Interior designer, London
Which Vehicle Will Your Job Need?
Every job travels on a dedicated vehicle sized to the load, so you are never paying for space you do not use. If you are unsure which applies, describe the items when you call and we will advise.
| Vehicle | Typical capacity | Typically carries |
|---|---|---|
| Small van | 400kg | Boxed goods, documents, small parts |
| SWB van | 800kg / 1 pallet | Cartons, cases, single pallet loads |
| LWB van | 1,200kg / 3 pallets | Longer items up to 4m, multiple pallets |
| Luton with tail lift | 1,000kg / 5 pallets | Heavy or bulky loads with no forklift at either end |
Something Fragile That Can’t Wait?
No call centres and no queues, just the team who’ll actually handle your delivery. Fixed quotes in minutes, with collection inside the hour.