Packing Ceramics for Shipping

Most of us at some point will have to ship a ceramic piece, whether it be for a gallery, online customer, or Aunt Bernadette's birthday. After spending hours making a beautiful cup, plate, sculpture, etc., the last thing we want is to hear that the precious cargo arrived in shards! Amaco published this great video that covers the basics of packing pots for shipping:

A Few More Tips

• When packing multiple pots, it is best to provide an inner box for each individual piece. If you are shipping multiples of a similar shape and size, sometimes you can get away with just generously bubble-wrapping each individual piece and then stacking them together in the inner box.
• Not sure if you packed it well enough? Imagine lifting the box to eye level and dropping it onto the hard floor. Does the thought make you nervous? Then you probably didn't pack it well enough. Shipping companies like UPS and US Post recommend ensuring your package can safely drop from a 5-6 foot height without damage (because their sorting facilities do just that!). Your instincts will tell you if you need to add more padding.
• Give it a shake! You don't want to hear anything rattling around in there. If you do, open the box and add more padding. If the contents are loose enough to jostle around, they will be more prone to damage during shipping.
• Reinforce heavy boxes with fiber tape, especially around vulnerable areas like corners.
• The most successful packing jobs include multiple types of materials (bubble wrap, styrofoam, packing peanuts, etc)