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How to Pack Bone China & Glass Safely For Shipment

How to Pack Bone China & Glass Safely For Shipment

Buying antique and vintage treasures is something that we at the Treasure Chest do on an ongoing basis, either to increase our stock items or to replace some that for a variety of reasons need replacing.

The sad thing is when sellers fail to secure and pack the items that we have purchased correctly, meaning that we get left with broken items we have paid for - including expensive courier delivery costs - items we can't use and on which we have wasted our hard earned money.

Unfortunately, it has happened to us on a regular basis.

The reality is that often a seller is just happy to get the payment, but wants to save a buck on protective packaging materials to assure its safe delivery. The result is that we get faced with the awful sound of broken china. There's been many times when we just burst into tears because of this.

Having received one broken item again, we decided to write this blog post so that we can educate sellers on how to correctly package glass and china ready for courier or postal delivery.

 1 packing china

 

While newspaper can be great for packing out corners of boxes, it should NEVER be used as the only protection, it offers little in the way of cushioning as the box gets tossed around on mail carrier vehicles and PO conveyor belts.

Imagine first, the journey....your box may be dropped by a careless postie, tumbled down PO chutes, get hooked up on corners of conveyor belts and may have 20 kg boxes of books stacked on top of yours in a delivery truck. Fragile stickers mean nothing to the heavy beating any box can and WILL sustain in everyday shipping methods. If your box survives this process, then spare another thought for how the carrier may throw your item onto a porch at the other end. Not one person in the parcel journey will care. But you should and we do!

Now... please, just wrap the items puchased in the correct manner, so as to prevent us (and many of your other clients) from receiving broken items! We are even willing to pay extra for the correct packaging if needed. After all we want the item to reach us safely.

Packing China Plates and Servers

 

2 packing china

 

While paper plates or any other hard type paper or board may seem like a good idea as packaging material for plates, any trip on a bumpy road could have been all it took for these plates to impact each other and break. The risk that they will brake even before they made it to the post office or to the courier is another sad reality.

The correct way to pack plates, is to apply a layer or two of tissue paper (or even a 3 ply paper serviette, or kitchen roll paper) to delicate bone china, so any bubble wrap won't sweat in the box and damage gilt edges or hand-painted surfaces. Then place at least a double layer of bubble wrap between each plate, so even if the box is jolted, the pieces will never come in contact with each other. Now wrap around the outside of that.

 3 packing china

Packing Tea and Coffee Pots as well Tea Cups (and any other types of Pots, Ginger Jars, etc)

Wrap handles and spouts with extra padding, then give at least three layers to encapsulate your pieces. Never leave a lid inside a pot, wrap it separately. Always make sure that no china item can touch and damage another piece, even if it encounters a rough trip, or a fall.

Make sure that you fill the inside of the pot (vessel) with bubble wrap as well.

 

4 packing china

 

Partition the box with corrugated cardboard. Stuff packing paper/bubble wrap inside the glassware’s opening as well for extra protection. Fill empty spaces with protective cushioning – Once you’ve inserted each individual piece of glassware inside of a partition, fill in the surrounding space with extra cushioning to prevent items from shifting while on the road.

 5 packing china

 

Making Sure that the Box is Travel Safe

6 packing china

 

First thing you must do, is add a protective layer at the bottom of the box – Before you begin packing any chinaware, first line the bottom of your corrugated boxes with a layer of protective cushioning.

  • Larger items are packed first – Place larger, heavier china plates and dishware on the bottom of each box. Having these first tier items on the bottom will prevent them from crushing your smaller items.
  • Then place medium items on top of large items– Once heavier pieces are placed inside of a box. Begin stacking medium-weight china on top. Each item in the second tier should also be surrounded by padding and cushioning. These items may include small bowls and salad plates. Lightweight items are packed last –
  • Third tier items should consist of your lightweight china, such as saucers, tea cups or flatware. Once packed inside the box securely, you should surround any void or empty space with extra padding, such as blankets or packing paper.

Always double box the china treasures, it is well worth it and only adds a small amount of extra weight. Most breakages are due to impacting the side of a box during transit. Double-boxing is a must! Use plenty of packing peanuts! They are your friend here! Leave enough space all the way around your inner box.

And the last thing you must do, is to secure boxes with packing tape. Make sure that all openings are closed and taped up to prevent items from falling out of the boxes during transport.

Final Word

The reality is that so many beautiful pieces have been lost forever since online selling has become so popular. So wrap it with love and care and be confident that your item will make it to its destination in wonderful shape!

 

 

 

 

 

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