How to ship glass and ceramic pieces?

I'd like to start listing EAPG pieces I have, plus other glass and ceramic items. The ceramics range from delicate porcelain to heavy pottery. Other than very small items, I have very little experience shipping glass or ceramics and it makes me a bit nervous.

I'd love some advice on these issues, which might be helpful for others, too, in the future...

1. Are the squarish Priority Mail boxes strong enough or is it better to use your own boxes?

2. If you use your own boxes, what sizes do you keep in stock?

3. When do you double box, when don't you bother?

4. When double-boxing, is 2" between the boxes on all sides the best way to do it?

5. How do you do the interior packaging... materials, thickness, etc.?

Thanks!

 

Goodness - this could take awhile.
1. Yes - on the small and large size. The medium size, which is shaped like a shoebox, is worthless IMHO.
2. I keep the small and large post office mailing boxes. I also save pretty much any other mailing box that crosses my path. When I need boxes larger than the large post office mailing box I buy the boxes at Walmart. I like their 12" x 12" x 10 1/2" size. If it needs a box larger than that things seem to get more complicated. The post office (for reasons I can't begin to understand) now charges not just the weight but the weight in comparison to the size. If you try and ship a lighter weight object in a large box you could be charged an extra fee (sometimes as much as $19.50). Really pi@@es my off.
3. I always, always, double-box glass, china, and pottery. I just sent a wooden pitcher and I double-boxed that. Whenever I don't double-box I get problems. Books are my only exception.
4 and 5. I build nests of newspaper. Crumpled newspaper underneath, on all four sides, and the top. If your interior box is of good quality than I skimp maybe a half-inch on the 2" rule. I get three newspapers a day so materials aren't generally a problem.

 

Pat,
In most cases the regular square priority boxes work really well for glass. they are very strong. Avoid the shoebox size, they are weak. As for shipping glass here is what I do I put a layer of packing peanuts on the bottom for the box and put a piece of newspaper over that. I wrap the piece generously in bubble wrap, then again with a layer of newspaper over that. Put the item in the box,making sure that there is room between the item and the box walls(including the top of the box). Then I take another sheet of newspaper and crumple it up and put it between the sides of the box and the item, enough to keep the item from sliding around. and then finish with more peanuts. Do not overdo the peanuts, you want the item snug but not tight. You should be able to close the box and shake it and not feel any movement inside.

 

One other tip I use a lot. I pick up flats for free at auctions and at Sam's club. They can make a nice "false floor" on the bottom of your mailing box. If the flat is too big just rip it in half and slide the halves together. It puts a little bounce under your interior box to help cushion a drop. Unfortunately no matter how hard you try and how good you pack you will lose items. I had one box recently that looked like it had been speared by a forklift. Nothing could have survived that. In case of breakage ask your buyer to send pictures. You'll need them for your claim.
Don

 

Hi,
Been shipping glass and ceramics for years. I HATE HATE boxes full of foam peanuts. When you open the box they fly everywhere. If using foam peanuts I place all the foam into plastic bags so when you open the box they do not fly everywhere. If something is very fragile I use insulation foam from the big box stores. I take half a box, wrap the item in plastic wrap, spray the foam into the box, lay the item into the foam and wait for it to dry and set up, then take it (the foam) out of the box and spray more foam into the box and place the item upside down ino the foam, when it is dry I remove the item, take off the plastic wrap and wrap in tissue paper and lay it into the impression add the top of the foam to the box. Then ship it. Never lost anything doing that. If using a double box I wrap the item in tissue and fill the box with foam peanuts tied into plastic bags, until it does not move. Then I use the next size box and put empty 20 oz water bottles into the four corners plus ones on the top and bottom and four sides tape it up and off it goes. The empty water bottles weigh next to nothing. Never lost anything since doing that. If wrapping something into bubble wrap used rubber bands to hold it together. Taping it over and over again will cause problems in unwrapping. Just my own thoughts on over taping.
greg

 

Love to see a picture of the final setup, GG
What size item would you use that for?

 

Great tips, everyone... thanks for such detailed info. It really helped me picture packing items up!

Would a heavy piece of pottery need any special packaging beyond what's already been mentioned? What if you're shipping more than one piece at a time... what's the best way to keep items separate without having to use a huge box?

Don, by "flats" do you mean sheets of corrugated cardboard?

Greg, I love the idea of forming foam to fit a piece. What brand(s) do you use? How costly does it usually get? Also, does the foam have a chemical smell? I'm sensitive to many chemicals and have to be careful. I'd also love to see a photo of the final setup!

 

Hi Pat - I'll try and do step by step photos tomorrow using an EAPG spooner. It's supposed to rain here all day anyway!
Don

 

Thanks, Don.

 

what's the best way to keep items separate without having to use a huge box?

The way they pack wine bottles.....
Insert some inserts , and section off each item in the box.

 

Greg is you have time I would love a step by step also

 

I mostly ship glassware so here is my method.

I wrap the item in tissue paper (the kind that you would put in a gift box). I get a lot of tissue paper from my local 99 cents store and keep it in stock.

After that I wrap the item bubble wrap heavily.
Then I add my packing peanuts liberally to the bottom of the box, add the bubble wrapped item then add more packing peanuts on the sides and top and I do the shake test. If I don't hear anything moving around, that is fine. If I do hear movement I either add more peanuts or some newspaper filler.
On the very top, I add one thin layer of bubble wrap atop the peanuts and I add my packing slip with my business card and a thank you note.

I use mostly the priority boxes for shipping. I don't consider myself a crafty person so cutting boxes apart to be the right size is not my forte. If the box I need doesn't fit into a normal priority box, when I am at the market I scan the aisles to see
if there are any suitable boxes that are the right size and clean. I never list anything till I know I have the right box to ship it in.

I can't recall every double boxing anything thus far.

I also use scan me stickers on my boxes. I put one on the bottom and one on the top of the box near the bar code as a reminder to hopefully get it scanned upon delivery.
I got the stickers on ebay.

Hope that helps some.

 

Our company packer likes to use brown "wadding" that comes in I think 4' x 50' rolls. It is like a multi-layered crepe paper. He also uses plain newsprint we get in bundles of 3' x 3' sheets. We have other stuff for heavier items but this is what he would use for fragiles. We buy from a firm formerly called Victory Packaging that has many distro points-we have to pick up because they don't ship for less than $500. order and our orders are usually at their minimum sale of $150.

 

Hi Pat - here we go! This is where the magic happens - my basement.


The first photo shows the post office supplies I order - Priority Mail Box -7 (12" x 12" x 8"); Priority Mail Box - 4 (7" x 7" x 6"); and Priority Mail Stickers - Label 107 (Roll of 250). I use the stickers if I use a regular cardboard box.



The next photos show what I meant by using a flat as a false bottom. The false bottom provides a little bounce in case the item is dropped.



Next is the double-boxing procedure. I wrap the item in butcher paper (left over from my own antique purchases); place a small flat inside the box, place a small piece of bubble wrap (also left over from my own purchases) inside the new flat; and put the item inside. Then fill in with newspaper.



Then put a second small flat on top to finish the double boxing. Fill the top with more newspaper and you're good to go.



I hit the maximum number of photos and I've got to leave for a doctor's appointment. I've got a couple of more photos showing figurines that I'll put up when I get home.
Don

 

Komo, thanks for the great idea about inserts for separate items.

Pearls, thanks for the step-by-step. Tissue from a 99 cent store is a great idea.... in the past I've bought it on sale right after Christmas at stores like CVS, but forgot to do it this year.

Spring, thanks for sharing what you use. I've seen the wadding on packaging supply sites, but not in person. Is it as heavy as paper?

Don, wow, thanks for the great photos. I like the false bottom idea plus your way of sizing the inner "box" to the item.

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The ideas shared here have been so helpful that I'm wondering if we should ask the mods to pin this thread to the top of this section for reference?

 

Welcome Pat.....we could always bump this tread from time to time....

 

Pat, I used to always get my tissue paper at CVS too right after Christmas but the past few years they only stocked red or green tissue paper and not any white.
And the after holiday discount at CVS was not as good as the price and quantity in the 99 cent store either.

 

??? Have I been reborn???

 

Pearls, ah, so I didn't miss anything not checking at CVS this year.

 

Hi Pat - below are rest of the pictures. I just substituted two Lefton figurines for the spooner. You'll see that I'm using cardboard to separate the figurines. All of the suggestions above are useful and I plan to incorporate some of them myself. As for very large and/or very heavy items - I usually sell those through my booth but I'm thinking of trying to list some as local pickup only to see what happens. If this doesn't answer your questions just let me know. Best of luck to you if you do decide to sell.
Don