Anyone have tips on shipping mugs?

Hey guys, I'm not sure if this is the right section for this, so if it isn't, please move it. I'm shipping a mug for the first time tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had tips on how to package it so it won't break, chip or crack.

Thanks!

-Ratz

Here's how the pros (Tiki Farm and Munktiki) do it: Wrap the mug in corrogated cardboard or put in a corrogated carboard box that is a snug, but not tight, fit. Then surround that with lots of foam packing peanuts(preferably the biodegradable kind). There should be at least 2.0-2.5 inches of packing peanuts between all sides of the external box and the carboard wrap or box inside. If you don't have a snug-fitting box or cardboard to wrap the mug in, two layers of the large bubble wrap, or 3-4 layers of the smaller bubble wrap should do the trick. And please purchase shipping insurance, just in case!

just wrap it in bubblewrap and place it in a box with about 2" worth of space or more around the mug. fill the box with foam peanuts or crumbled newspaper all around the mug. (lay down a shallow bed of peanuts or paper first then place the mug on top of it). Do not over crumple the paper. the trick is to crumble loosely, this is what gives the paper "give" and helps protect your item. if you crumble the paper too tightly, you might as well tie a brick to your mug.

finally, close up the box and give it a shake or 2 (i'm not kidding). If you can still hear the mug moving, it's not packed well enough. if you shake the box and don't hear the item moving around at all, you're good to go and the item will arrive unharmed no matter how many post office gorrillas toss it around.

good luck.

Alright, thanks for the help guys :D

My experience shipping ceramics was that if it wasn't 'double boxed' they wouldn't insure it. Or they wouldn't reimburse if it got broken..calling it improper packing. The rules were 2" min. between first box and second box. This space was filled with peanuts. Also 2" between object and first box also filled with peanuts. That being said you can probably get away with a couple of layers of the big bubble around the mug, wrap that in cardboard on all sides and call it a box, the then place it in the actual box with at least 2" of space around it on all sides and fill it pretty tight with peanuts..not mashed down, just really full. Shaking is a good idea. This worked for me with smaller objects. Nothing ever got broken. It won't work with larger stuff. You gotta have the double boxing if something does happen to collect on it.

Good luck!

What about cost wise? I've heard something about an eBay shoebox or something for flat rate of $8.00??

USPS has two sizes of flat rate boxes. Rather small mugs will fit in the "shoe box" size, but larger ones will not fit with enough cushioning around the mug.

Cost wise got prohibitive with shipping, and I tried to deliver larger work while I was on the road. There are minimum costs related to size, which greatly increased the cost for big stuff. With smaller work, since the weight and size was much less, the double boxing didn't make it too bad. The flat rate will work as long as you can provide the above mentioned packaging. There may be more current information out there now, it's been awhile for me.

[ Edited by: Robin 2007-09-07 10:33 ]

The interior dimensions of the "shoe box" are 11"x8.5"x5.5". Even with only 1.5" of packing peanuts around all sides, that would mean your mug (plus carboard or bubble wrap) would need to be 2.5" or less in diameter at it's widest point. Very few mugs (not including shots) fit those restrictions.

Anyone have tips on shipping mugs?

Just ship them all to me...

-CMC