I have some advice for anyone who is about to ship something breakable. I would highly recommend investing or recyclying some bubble wrap and packing peanuts for added cushion on these types of items. Newspaper does not offer enough padding and give for when the box is tossed around by the handlers at the various shipping companies.

First, wrap the item gently in bubble wrap and then secure with a piece of tape. I would not pull the wrapping taught around the item as this puts tension or stress on the weakest parts of the item.

Second, place some packing peanuts in the bottom of the box, then place your item inside making sure there is room at the top of the box betweeen it and the lid. Then fill around the sides and top. Then close the box top. If you have to press down to get the lid to be flat then re-open the box and remove a few peanuts so as not to put more tension on the item inside. Then close the lid, if it lays flat then proceed to sealing the box.

Please mark the outside of the box as fragile on the top, bottom and all of the sides so the carriers and handlers will know not to handle it roughly.

If you are sending multiple items in one box then please box each item individually and then pack into one larger box using all the packing methods I described above. Double boxing gives added structural support inside the larger box and will aid your item in travelling safely to it's final destination.

Here you see an item that I received from one seller who packed a vintage gravy boat in shredded newspaper and bubble wrap. The newspaper had all settled down to the bottom of the box. They also wrapped the gravy boat too tight. The wrapping stretched taught across the underplate and was secured tight on the top of the boat.

This was the resulting damage from the stress of the wrap on the underplate. It was broken in several places and damaged beyond repair. It was very disappointing to have such a nice piece destroyed like this. The seller had very good intentions and had no way of knowing that their packing attempts would result so badly but none the less this is the result.

Now, I would also recommend using a new box. Each time I have received damaged items they were sent in re-used/recycled boxes that were a little on the soft side. I also recommend sending them USPS Priority or UPS 3 Day Ground service so they are not handled for a prolonged amount of time. USPS Parcel Post items seem to incur the most damage in my opinion. If there is an option on which method the seller offers I always choose Priority or UPS Ground over Parcel Post for more fragile items.

The Post Office offers free boxes for Priority Mailing. I highly recommend visiting their website and ordering some of these in various sizes. There are shoe box sizes, along with mailing tubes, and a small and large version of the flat rate boxes. They are free and will deliver them right to your door at no cost to you. I believe the more options you offer the customer the happier they will be when they receive their item quickly and in good condition.

I hope you find these packaging tips helpful.