Art and Antique Handling Invoicing App (2026)
Art handling is billed as crew hours plus custom crating plus installation, to galleries, collectors, and estates who expect condition reports as a matter of course. ShowTheReceipts ($15/mo) saves crating, handling, and installation rates, keeps condition photos and notes attached per piece, and invoices galleries and estates on net terms with the inventory itemized.
How we picked
Entry-plan prices as published in 2026, taken from each vendor's own pricing page or a recent third-party summary. Judged on the handler's workflow — per-piece inventory and condition records, crating and installation lines, and gallery or estate invoicing on net terms — not on museum collection management, loan agreements, or customs and freight forwarding.
| Software | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| ShowTheReceipts That's us | $15/mo | Art handlers: per-piece condition records, crating and installation lines, gallery net-terms invoicing |
| Invoice2go | $9.99/mo+ | Basic mobile invoicing |
| Wave | Free / $16/mo | Free invoicing with light bookkeeping |
| HoneyBook | $29/mo+ | Proposal-and-contract flows for client service businesses |
| Kickserv Flex | $19/mo | Budget scheduling with invoicing |
The documentation is the profession
Anyone can carry a painting. What a client is really buying is that you recorded its condition before you touched it, and that the record exists if a claim ever gets made.
Handlers who treat condition reports as optional are competing with movers. Handlers who produce them as standard aren’t really competing with anyone.
1. ShowTheReceipts — $15/mo
Per-piece inventory with condition photos and notes, crating and installation lines, gallery and estate invoicing on net terms.
2. Invoice2go — $9.99/mo+
Basic mobile invoicing without per-piece records.
3. Wave — Free / $16/mo
Free invoices plus light bookkeeping.
4. HoneyBook — $29/mo+
Proposals and contracts for client service businesses.
5. Kickserv Flex — $19/mo
Budget scheduling with invoicing.
The lines an art handling quote needs
- Condition reporting — per piece, at both ends
- Handling crew — per person-hour, two-person minimum
- Soft packing — glassine, foam, cardboard corners
- Custom crating — per crate, by size and construction
- Transport — climate-controlled where required
- Installation — hanging, mounting, hardware, laser leveling
- Storage — climate-controlled, per month
- Rigging — for oversized or heavy works
- Deinstallation — often a separate engagement
Crates are an asset the client keeps
A well-built travel crate gets used again and again. Price it like a product, not like packaging — collectors and galleries expect to own them and are happy to pay for one that’s built properly.
Install is a separate skill and a separate line
Hanging a heavy work securely, level, at the right height, into the right substrate is genuinely different work from transporting it. Bill it separately — it’s often the part a client values most, since it’s the part they see every day.
Frequently asked questions
How should art handling be priced?
Crew hours for handling and transport, custom crating per piece by size and complexity, and installation as its own line. It's a labor-and-materials business, not a per-mile one — the value is in careful handling, not in the drive.
What is a condition report and do I need one?
A per-piece record of existing damage, photographed, at pickup and delivery. Galleries and collectors expect it as standard, insurers require it for claims, and it's the only thing that resolves the question of when a chip appeared. Never move valuable work without one.
Should crating be its own line?
Yes, per piece. A custom travel crate for an oversized canvas is materials and hours of build time that have nothing to do with the move itself — and clients frequently want crates retained for future transport, which makes them an asset they're buying.
How do I invoice a gallery versus a private collector?
The gallery needs an itemized invoice on net terms against a job or exhibition reference. The private collector usually pays on completion. Same work, and asking which you're dealing with at booking prevents most payment delay in this niche.