I'm so tempted to purchase this cup by Naomi Cleary mainly for one reason* - to see how she packages it for shipping. I am new to this online selling and I would love to see how other artists package their pots. How do you ship your pots? Bubble wrap, packing peanuts, corrugated cardboard shavings... ? Where's the best place to buy the supplies?Advice on any aspects of shipping would be greatly appreciated!
*Of course this isn't the only reason... she's having a SUPER SALE on some pots and this one is lovely, and much closer to my budget of zero than most other artists I admire.
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The best is a local place where you can pick it up...freecycle and u-line are all good... I stuff with peanuts,wrap with bubble wrap... then tightly wrap with this plastic/saran wrap stuff on a roll from staples and the float in peanuts with 1 1/2 to 2" around it... and sometimes I double box and often tape all edged of the box...phew. And ship priority USPS and 99% of the time I'm fine.
Hey Judi, thanks for the tip! I think I have the saran wrap stuff you're talking about... I love it! I'd like to think the people on the other end would re-use my bubble wrap since I don't muck it up with tape.
I love Naomi's work!
I recently purchased a mug online from a ceramic artist and was very disappointed to find it smashed to smithereens when I opened the box. He refunded my money, but I would have rather had the mug. He had wrapped the mug in bubble wrap and newspaper.
Definitely wrap single items in 1" bubble wrap, then place in box with at least 2" of Styro foam (or eco-peanuts search online) peanuts all around - in fact over stuff with peanuts. If it's a fragile or larger item, double box. I ship via USPS and Fedex Ground.
I've let enough people know that I ship items and I haven't had to buy peanuts, boxes or bubble wrap in 2 years. People are so happy to give it away and not put it in the landfill.
I've learned to always double box as in canada you can't get insurance on shipping ceramics unless you go with UPS and they pack it themselves, which of course is an additional expense. I've received pieces simply wrapped in bubble wrap and a cardboard box that have survived, but i've been a bit surprised honestly. Rather than styrofoam i use cut up bits of packing foam. I hate the static of peanuts, they get everywhere (plus i work at a gallery and the preparators hate peanuts, they figure if you have to use them at least make bags of peanuts to wedge around your work rather than let them be lose in the box.) As for the foam i use i get it from a sewing/fabric store in huge vacumn compressed bags for next to nothing. Hope that helps.
Thank you Cynthia & Carole for your advice :) I've found that a Vitamin Cottage just a few blocks away is a decent source for free boxes when I'm in a pinch.
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