“Every lamp I create is one of a kind.” Sahra Z. creates stunning stained glass artwork in her Eastern MA home. Her studio is filled with lamps, windows, picture frames, and keepsake boxes – all crafted from fragile glass. “If this lamp doesn’t make it to the customer safely, that’s it – it’s gone! It’s a disaster. I can’t just pick another one of the shelf and replace it.”
Shipping her wares has been a big challenge for Sahra. “Until I started regularly shipping fragile items, I never knew how roughly packages were handled. Now I’ve seen pictures of boxes that were dropped, crushed – even kicked!”
Eastern MA: Shipping Fragile Items
“If I could give one piece of advice to other business owners/artists like me, it would be this. Don’t try to pack and ship your items yourself. Find a company that specializes in shipping artwork. They have all the right packing materials and they know how to protect your merchandise.” Sahra’s lamps are now shipping in custom built crates, using the latest foam in place technology. “This foam is actually formed around the lamp, like a soft, protective shell. Everything’s cradled and secure from the moment it reaches the shop until the customer receives it.”
Since Sahra started using a professional packing and shipping company to send her artwork to her customers, she’s had no reports of broken or damaged lamps. “That’s great news, because you never want to disappoint a customer. You just don’t.” The ability to ship lamps and other artwork safely has opened up new sales avenues for Sahra as well. “There are juried shows I’ve considered participating in, but they’re all really far from here. And I don’t have a large car, so I didn’t know how I’d transport all of my inventory.” Shipping larger pieces directly to the show site provides this small business owner with the flexibility she needs to grow her business. “Sometimes you have to be willing to do things a little differently,” she said. “And if that’s what it takes to get me in front of more customers? So be it!”
