posted on May 14, 2002 05:02:05 AM
I have been selling pottery/glassware for a friend for about a month or so. Everything was fine at first - I take 25%, everyone was happy. This week I have had a Red Wing Pottery ashtray break in shipment. (shipped in bubble wrap, peanuts and an oversized priority box). Today I'm notified that 1 of 2 of the viking birds that were shipped in the same shipment broke in shipping. These are very fragile - they have a long skinny glass tail. I bubble wrapped them, double boxed them and used peanuts. My husband doesn't want to sell for her anymore - says it's too much trouble. The problem is we also sell for her husband (we sell electronics for him and they bring in good money, so I hate to cut him off). Is UPS a better way to ship breakables? We don't use any other shipping method except USPS and UPS - I hate to bring in another company just for her. It's hard enough to use those 2. Not to mention when I told my friend that the ashtray broke in shipment she was almost in tears (I'm not going to tell her about the birds). Any suggestions? Is there a better way to package these?
Sounds like you are doing everything you can to safeguard the breakables.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT use UPS! They break just about everything (and I'm not talking about breakables!). Stick with good old USPS, insure the items, pack as well as you can and hope for the best.
posted on May 14, 2002 08:46:16 AM
One thing that a lot of sellers make the mistake of doing when sending fragiles (myself included) is to overstuff the box. When sending something very delicate and fragile, I always make sure to leave some space at the top of the box so the peanuts and the item have some space to shift around. If you pack the peanuts all the way to the top, then all it takes is a very minor impact, or even just a package stacked on top, to snap the glassware in the box.
When dealing with heavier glass objects, a common problem is that they'll sink to the bottom, which means there's no cushioning when somebody drops it onto a hard surface. For heavier items, I always insert a base layer of spongy foam, so if it sinks to the bottom, it'll still have a nice bouncy layer to absorb impacts. For large heavy items, I'll pad all sides of the box with foam, then fill the interior with peanuts (and bubble wrap is always a given).
Also, always insure any high-risk breakable. All my auctions say that insurance is optional and the bidder's responsibility, but if I'm sending a delicate piece (especially of higher value), I'll spring for it myself.
posted on May 14, 2002 09:16:17 AM
another idea i learn from my vendor is to use toilet paper to wrap around delicate area like beak,tail or any pointed area sticking out .
posted on May 14, 2002 12:52:33 PM
UPS is the way to go. I have had 3 claims out of hundreds of packages and all 3 claims were paid within 10 days. These claims were paid with no argument, no jumping through hoops, no long forms and they accept a printout of the auction and they also refund shipping charges.
posted on May 14, 2002 01:24:25 PM
I have sent delicate china and glassware to England, Japan and a lot to the U.S. The only breakages I have had were on 2 heavy pottery pieces for some reason. I go to my local large appliance store, and ask if I can take the large syrofoam sheets out of the dumpster. I cut these, and line the boxes, (a messy job, but it works!), I then use crumpled paper around the bubble wrapped item. So far I have found it very successful.
posted on May 15, 2002 02:34:58 PM
I went to Big Lots last week and bought a paper shreader for $17. I then shread the daily newspapers. This makes for very effective (and cheap!) packing material!
posted on May 15, 2002 03:09:54 PM
One of the problems with shipping several delicate items in one box is "migration".
Let me explain.
Item A, an ash tray, is wrapped in bubbles and placed in box. Item B, a champagne flute is also wrapped in bubble and placed in box at other end. Voids are filled with peanuts. Box is placed inside second box and shipped.
Items arrive broken. What happened? Migration.
As the package left your house on the truck, it began. The ash tray which was at the top of the box was heavy, and moved towards the botttom as the truck jiggled its way through its route. At the end of the trip the two items were at the bottom of the box, touching though seperated by the bubbles.
Placed on conveyor belts, the box tumbled as it was sorted and eventually the ash tray hit the lip of the champagne flute and disaster resulted. There was enough force, even with the bubblewrap.
Or think how billiard balls act. The two items are together at the bottom, a sharp blow to the ash tray section of the box and same result.
How to fix. First be sure you use quality bubble wrap, not the cheap crap that Staples and others sell. Look for the registered trademark of Bubble Wrap from sealed air, It is made the right way, with bubbles that are truly strong. amd lots of air so they don't deflate under use as others do.
Then, if you follow UPS guidelines, you will have several layers - up to 4" of bubbles on each item, and separate them by placing eacj in its own box or wrapping in corrugated fluted paper so they are kept away from each other.
The problem comes down to mixing differing density items in the same box. Even with the suggestions above, it is never a good idea.
I know this is detailed to the extreme, but when it comes to packing, there is a lot that can be done to avoid the rough handling the package is going to get.
posted on May 16, 2002 03:34:44 PM
We wrap in bubble wrap, and use peanuts to fill the void. If we are shipping mulitple items in one box, we use large soft foam pieces inbetween the two items.
posted on May 17, 2002 06:46:46 PM
A suggestion for your packing. When you pack your fragile items, put in a layer of p-nuts, then put in a layer of newspaper, the some more p-nuts & your item. Do the same on top of the item. Be sure to overfill the box, so that it is really tight. I ship lots of china & glassware, & found this works very well. What is happening, is the heavier item is shifting in the p-nuts & then gets broken. By packing like this, it can't shift up or down. It works for me.
posted on May 17, 2002 07:24:43 PM
I've stopped using peanuts and now am using bubble wrap and carpet pad. After a few broken shipments I've found this works well. I start with a box that has a minimum of 4 inches of space from the edge of the item to the inside of the box. First I wrap 4 layers of bubble wrap around the object. I then finish with orange carpet pad (the cheap kind) until the item will slip into the box loose with say 1/4" space around the edges. The cost of a few yards of carpet pad is cheaper and much easier to handle than peanuts. Since switching to this method I haven't had a single broken piece. As for a shipper I like USPS (free boxes) and have had better results with them.
