In giving Fitz and Floyd Ceramic items as a gift, I have noticed, on occasion, how difficult people find it to safely remove it from its packaging. Being a fitz & floyd seller on Ebay for quite awhile, I have had to open packaging from the shipper, open the item boxes, and safely remove many ceramic items to inspect them, then safely and securely repackage them, and STURDILY reship them, so I have some experience along these lines to share. I also want my buyers to be happy with their purchase, and not suffer any damage due to improper unpackaging of contents. Most buyers will know of course to carefully cut off any tape from the shipping carton, so as not to damage the inner packaging, but as these items come packaged in shipping peanuts, and/or plenty of protective bubble wrap, this would rarely be a problem, still be careful, as keeping the item box in good condition is essential if you ever may want to capitalize on resale value. Quite often the more popular items once they are retired, will increase in value; or at the very least you will be able to recapture your initial investment, providing of course the item has been cared for...this may one day be important... Once the item box has been removed from the shipping carton, stand it upright, and carefully open the flap, to first examine its syrofoam "nest". If you have difficulty opening the flap, try a butter knife to gently free the part that catches---usually the slits on the sides of the flaps.. Some of the nests have little indents on the sides where fingers can fit to gently lift the nested item (if it is relatively small and light"); some dont. If the nest is still sticking to the side of the box, turn it on its side and try that way using minimal pressure, so as not to crumple the styro... if it is still stubborn and you want to preserve the box intact, unflap the bottom and gently push the nest through the open tunnel you have created. This almost always works, but if the nest is still stubborn, you may want to, again with a butter knife or any knife that will work, find where the original item box has been glued together, on the side , and gently loosen that flap part from its glue. A good way to store the box is to "flatten" it. ONCE THE NEST IS REMOVED, STAND IT UPRIGHT THE SAME WAY IT HAS BEEN SHIPPED. Most of the time the nest will be taped around its seam, and again, with a sharp instrument carefully cut through the tape at the seam, or just peel it away...tho this can sometimes cause the styro to flake away as it sticks to the tape. Remove the top piece of styro first, and you will see how to remove the item itself. Most of the times the item is enclosed in a plastic bag, if I see one without, I usually enclose the item in one, upon repackaging as this protects the ceramic from unecessary styro "dust". It is usually best to lift the item from its bottom nest using the top edges of the plastic bag, BE GENTlE!, and with very large items, use your other hand to support the item at its heaviest part usually the base---- or under the belly of an animal figurine for example. NEVER NEVER LIFT OUT BY THE TOP as with many of the more elaborate pieces, accessory pieces are glued to the main piece, and can break off. Some packaging can become very complex, with foam cubes and cardboard tubes being used to keep the item in position. Many salt and peppers, sugar and creamers and tureens, will have smaller parts packaged within the cardboard tubes, or spoons and ladles nested on the top piece of the syrofoam nest right under a thinner layer of protective styro. So always use common sense and care in removal. Some few, but usually very expensive items come with cardboard flaps on all six sides onto which styro cubes are glued to protect multi- dimensional and delicate items during shipping, KUDDOS to Fitz and Floyd to their mostly careful pre-packagin.... Some of these constructs are held together with a cradle of string and a warning label will give you specific instructions. I usually will lift by the string, until I can assess how securely the construct is being held together, place on a large flat surface, and careully untie the package, letting the flaps fall away from the item, which they will generally do. You can then safely remove the item, and remove its plastic bag, to inspect. Some items, my sitting Nativity Camel for example, dont have the strings. After inspecting from the top, and reclosing, I will gently lay the box on its side, open the bottom flap and bend all flaps away from the styro base turning the box right side up so as to support the styro base against a large flat surface, and lift the outer box up and away from the packaged item, again, the cardboard flaps will fall away, or you can gently disassemble them. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THAT THE MOST DELICATE AND/OR EASILY BREAKABLE PARTS ARE AT THE TOP OF THE PACKAGE, SO NEVER LIFT OUT A LARGE ITEM BY THE TOP without first supporting it at the bottom. Speaking for myself ----Please visit my store, Wildwood Pacifica Gift Gallery-----If your item should arrive damaged and the item has been damaged in shipping, please contact the shipper, as safe shipping is their responsibility. If the item itself is defective, please contact me or your immediately as there is a relatively small window in which to guarantee a replacement object. As I personally inspect most (but not all*) items this should rarely be the case. *For items I cannot personally inspect due to the nature of the shipping---- return or exchange instructions will be noted in the listing itself, but again I will need to be notified ASAP. I have had a few instances of this being done, and always customers have been happy with the outcome. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, be sure to enjoy your purchase, and with careful handling and wise purchasing it will give you pleasure and a sure return on investment for years to come! TO see MY fitz and floyd listings----Please visit my store, Wildwood Pacifica Gift Gallery