Packing and shipping your items carefully is always a priority when you run a retail or ecommerce shop, but fragile items require even more care. When you’re shipping jewelry, glassware, ceramics, or electronics, there are special precautions you need to take to ensure they arrive safely and in one piece.
You might be holding your breath just thinking about it. We’re here to help put your mind at ease. In this post, we’ll go over some materials and tips for packing and shipping fragile items with care.
Key packaging materials for fragile items
You’ll want to ensure the basics of packing and shipping your items, of course. But beyond your standard shipping box and tape, you’ll need a good amount of filler materials to ensure your items don’t slide around in transit.
Let’s look at some helpful filler materials you can use.
Bubble wrap & pouches
For fragile items with a unique shape, bubble wrap will be your best friend. Wrap it and tape it around mugs and other ceramics to create a buffer. For smaller items or flat items, self-sealing bubble pouches are another great option.
Air pillows
When you need to fill space between items, air pillows are perfect. They’re light and won’t add weight to your package, just protection against breakage.
Packing paper
If you’re not keen on using plastic to wrap items, you can also use packing paper. It has the same protective properties as bubble wrap, and you can ball it up to use as cushioning between items as well.
Packing peanuts
Packing peanuts. You might have a love/hate relationship with these little guys. They can be pesky. However, there is a way you can use them without creating a mess for you or the recipient – you can put them in plastic bags to form cushioning to go around your fragile items. Also, there are environmentally friendly packing peanuts available now, made of corn or potato starch.
Foam inserts
Foam inserts can help you use the double-wall method, lining the inserts along the walls of the box. Or you can use them to stack items on top of each other safely.
Packaging tips for different fragile items
Even with the right packing materials, different types of fragile items will require different packing techniques.
Let’s look at some tips to get all your items perfectly packaged.
Tips for packing electronics
When shipping electronics, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind:
- Use anti-static materials
- Check the most up to date regulations for shipping electronics by air or ground and be sure to follow them all
- For example, there are very specific regulations around the shipping of lithium batteries
- Invest in custom shipping boxes that are made to fit the exact dimensions of laptops, keyboards, and other common equipment
- Consider shipping insurance for these high-value items
Tips for packing artwork and frames
For shipping artwork and frames, here are a few things you can do:
- Use cardboard corner protectors for paintings and frames
- Custom wrap round items with corrugated carton paper over bubble wrap for ultimate security
- If you’re shipping to a gallery, let them know ahead of time how you’ll be packing your pieces, so the staff knows how to unpack them and potentially reuse the packaging materials
Tips for packing glassware and ceramics
When you’re shipping dishes, mugs, or other glassware and ceramics, these tips will help:
- Place tissue paper or packing paper inside mugs to protect the interiors
- Consider a box with partitions between each glass or mug
- Foam inserts can add extra cushion to the top and sides of the box for more security
Tips for packing jewelry
Here are a few ways to help ensure jewelry stays safe in transit:
- Use small jewelry boxes with inserts that hold jewelry in place
- This is another category of items you’ll want to consider shipping insurance for before mailing
- Bubble mailers are ideal for jewelry because they provide cushioning on all sides and don’t require extra filler materials like a standard shipping box would
Sealing and shipping tips for fragile items
Once you’ve got your boxes packed securely, the next step is to ensure you’ve got them taped up tightly with the right kind of labeling.
Packing tape: You’ll want to make sure you’re using heavy duty packing tape to seal your boxes, and taping them up without leaving any gaps.
Special labels: Labeling your packages with “Fragile” or “This Side Up” stickers will help keep them safe during handling. You can buy these labels by the roll, so you have enough for all your shipments.
Find everything you need to pack and ship fragile items at Quill
Hopefully this post helped you see that you don’t have to hold your breath waiting to see if your fragile items arrive safely. With the right materials and strategic packing, you can rest easy. At Quill, we’ve got you covered with all the packing and shipping supplies your business will need this holiday season and beyond.
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