“Mom’s downsizing. That means this entire collection needs to go.” Margaret is standing in front of a wall sized book case filled with glassware. “Some of it is going to her children and grandchildren. Other pieces need to be sold. I’ve got to ship all of it, and I want the process to be simple, easy, and affordable. What can you tell me?”
Margaret came to us because we’re the South Shore shipping experts. Fragile items need to be packaged according to industry best practices to ensure that they reach their destination unbroken. In the case of glassware, you don’t want to depend on air pillows, styrofoam peanuts or other traditional packing materials. While these packing materials are fine for more durable objects, they just don’t provide adequate protection for fragile glassware. Instead, you want to take advantage of an innovative system like Foam In Place technology, where a special hardened Styrofoam-like shell is formed around the fragile glassware. Then it is protected against drops, knocks, shocks, and moisture.
Another best practice to follow when shipping fragile items is the use of the proper shipping boxes. All shipping boxes should be new and properly sized. Only new shipping boxes have sufficient rigidity and strength to protect fragile items throughout the shipping process. Boxes that have been previously used have lost essential rigidity and can collapse when asked to support heavier boxes. When this collapse happens, the contents of the box are crushed: not great news if you prefer your glassware unbroken.
Properly sized shipping boxes are large enough to completely contain the fragile item and an optimal amount of packing material. Boxes that are too small obviously don’t provide adequate protection; boxes that are too large allow items to shift and slide inside it, which can lead to breakage. At Boston Pack and Ship, we have a wide range of shipping box sizes available and can custom build shipping boxes as needed.
Find out more by visiting our shop!