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International: +1 (516) 355-5300International Piano Moving Experts
The Art of Transporting A Piano
If you own a piano and landed onto this page while searching for overseas piano moving services, then trust us, we know exactly how important that big treasure asset is for you. We call piano moving an art because we believe that piano is more than just an instrument. Every owner has a unique sentiment attached to it and we understand and take care of these sentiments like our own. From the understanding of techniques to move different kinds of pianos to wrapping them, from protectively shipping them to successfully making them reach the overseas destination, our piano moving specialists are precisely artistic masters in doing it all, without a dent.
Piano Moving Services – Safe Transport of Your Prized Instrument to Its New Destination
International Sea & Air Shipping are pioneers in piano moving services and have been catering our customers with personalized moving services for 75 years. Be it a short travel or a long tour, domestic or international destination, we offer an extensive support, carefully monitored and expert supervised delivery of your prestigious piano.
IMPORTANT: New Federal Regulations prohibit the import and export of pianos, so we remove ivory keys before packing and moving. Proposed rules allow an “antique” exemption for pianos over 100 years old, but proving age and recent ivory repairs disqualifies exemption.
We recommend you to speak to our expert before scheduling the piano shipping service.
We’re The International Piano Moving Specialist
Our Expertise is Our Strength: We are a one-of-a-kind overseas piano moving company who has not only gained experience in the industry over the past seven decades and also mastered the expertise of moving a variety of pianos safely and successfully. We understand that there are a lot more handling concerns while moving an antique piano and more focus is to be laid on the packaging of digital pianos. Likewise, upright pianos, grand pianos and player pianos require a differentiated approach when moving them. Therefore, our expertise is vast and we apply strategic planning based upon the kind of asset we are moving.
Our Equipment are Our Asset: For an asset to be moved safely and quickly, the use of the right equipment becomes mandatory. We have invested heavily in state-of-the-art equipment that is specifically designed for moving pianos. From custom-build crates, dollies and ramps, air-ride equipped vehicles, piano moving boards to climate-controlled storage facilities – our equipment is our asset to business and it allows us to provide our customers with the highest level of satisfactory services.
Our Emotional Care is Our Exclusivity: We recognize the emotional attachment that our customers have with their pianos and for this reason we strive to provide emotional care that sets us apart from other moving companies. We ensure to keep a transparent conversation, maintain respectful handling, try our best to accommodate special requests and provide reassurance and support till the end of the service.
Our Employees are Our Pride: Our team is the backbone of our business. When we hire our servicemen for you, we consider more than just their experience. We ensure that we get on board friendly and professional servicemen, who are highly trained, give keen attention to details and have strong moral conducts. We believe that only with the right team on board, we can win the hearts of our customers.
How We Carry Our Piano Moving Services?
Our piano moving services involve a series of steps and verified procedures. All the materials of packaging and equipment used in the process are thoroughly examined and executed only upon approval of higher authorities.A safe trip is assured, as your precious cargo is secured within one of our fleet vehicles. Your piano will be carefully packaged and carried, with no detail spared.
Here is a step-by-step process of piano shipping by the team of International Sea & Air Shipping:
Assessment and Planning (Pre-Moving Survey): The condition of the piano is assessed and all complexities such as area of the doorway, stairway, best route to the destination, handling of the package and more are logically planned and executed.
Packing: We ensure that we use high-quality packing materials and custom-build crates for extra protection during the piano shipping services. We also focus keenly on seasonal packing to keep the object protected from the harshness of the prevailing weather.
Loading and Transportation: Our drivers are trained and advised to conduct a smooth and stable ride. A team of servicemen are present with the object to ensure safety and at the same time the tracking is monitored by the backend team.
Delivery and Unpacking: We unload and unpack the piano using specialized equipment, ensuring that no damage or dent is caused during the process.
Final Inspection: After the piano is placed in the new destination, our team member in charge for inspection thoroughly checks the object and declares a successful closure of the service.
Our Case Study: We shipped a 7ft grand piano from Central London to Connecticut…
We shipped a 7ft grand piano from central London via NYC to Connecticut, which involved a very intricate and complicated move of an extremely heavy piano down a flight of narrow stairs in London – removing a window and bannister and then reassembling everything. And when we completed our service, here’s what our happy customer said:
“The agent movers in London were extremely professional and did an outstanding job. After pickup and crating, I was given regular updates on the progress of the vessel that shipped the piano to the USA, and assistance with the customs clearance when it arrived. Finally, the local movers who delivered the piano to CT were courteous, on-time and extremely careful. Highly recommended for any overseas move”.
FAQ’s
One of the first steps in shipping a piano is to find someone who will ship it. If you’ve found a company that has the capabilities to ship your piano overseas, they may or may not be a freight forwarder.
The freight forwarder consolidates the items for shipment into containers and will deal with the steamship line. The company will pick up your items and deliver them to the freight forwarder who will tell you what steamship line your goods will take, where they will leave from, dates of departure and arrival and the container number.
Some foreign piano manufacturers will wrap their pianos in airtight plastic to prevent them being exposed to excess humidity during transit. Find out if the company you hire will perform a similar service during transit.
The cost of international shipping of pianos or similar instruments primarily depends on its weight or in some cases, its volume. As pianos are heavy objects, mostly the pricing is calculated based upon the volume.
The price will vary depending upon the type of the piano, the distance of the new destination, import duties and taxes involved in the process and more.
It is important to note that when you are trying to ship a piano overseas, it will be padded and placed on a skidboard. The skidboard will be bolted to a platform and packed with stiff material to prevent movement during transit. The crate will be labeled and loaded onto a truck for transport to the freighter.
Insurance – It is always recommended that you purchase insurance on the replacement value of the item at the destination.
Ivory Ban – Shipping a piano with real ivory key tops internationally may cause issues with customs. Nations may remove the ivory as a condition of passage due to the ban on ivory production and sale. If the piano is over 100 years old, proper documentation may allow it to pass through customs. If the piano is less than 100 years old, replace ivory with plastic key tops before shipment or don’t move the piano. Recover keys before the move to avoid damage during customs inspection.