Hello everyone, just wanting some advice about how to package fragile items for posting. I will hopefully soon be listing personalised framed items in my shop and I’m a bit worried about how to package them so the glass in the frames don’t get broken during transit. How do you package your fragile items and do you ever have any problems with things getting broken?
Thanks in advance
If it’s a framed piece I always cut a piece of foam that sits directly on the glass. (so that it’s smaller than the frame) I then wrap the whole thing in bubble wrap and several layers of packaging paper. I then fix a hard cardboard sheet to either side of the framed piece so that it’s larger than it and fasten it all down with parcel tape.
I’ve then posted with Parcel Force and never had any problems with them getting their in one piece.
I still post framed things if people ask but my art once framed and packaged comes out rather large so costs a fortune to post. So I have tried to avoid it where possible.
Good luck!
1 Like
I don’t post big glass objects but do post smaller glass items. Ive found buying bubble wrap form garden centres is a heck of a lot cheaper than buying from shops. Also you can buy a paper shredder and shred up all the annoying leaflets you get through the door and any daily paper you get. Just a couple of ways to keep the cost down.
Everything I post is glass / delicate.
Most of my smaller suncatchers go into plastic boxes with lids (eer microwave / takeaway type but obviously new and not ex-curry 
) so nice and rigid …
but even so I smother the glass in bubble wrap inside the box and the box then goes into a padded envelope.
My bigger pieces don’t have boxes but see-through wallets and I use compressed foam wrap for these inside the wallet and then big bubble wrap round the wallet. Then lots of brown parcel tape, then a piece of card either side then more brown parcel tape - tape has very good bounce properties . That goes into a padded envelope.
I frequently drop my parcels at the post office and never bat an eyelid.
The idea is to make them ‘sorting office football game’ proof.
I NEVER mark them as fragile on the recommendation of my postie - as those are the ones selected for the football games !
Hope this helps - bubble wrap, brown tape, cardboard are my best friends.
1 Like
I used to sell framed prints and managed to send all but one without breaking any glass so here’s my method!
I wrapped the frame in tissue then bubble wrap. The frame then went in a box surrounded by scrunched up newspaper or magazines. If you packaged too tightly (I once and only once tried polystyrene panels) they were too rigid. You have to think if a box gets dropped is there cushioning inside which allows the frame to move slightly. If not it will break or the glass will shatter.
Hope that helps!
Emma
Thank you so much guys, will definitely be stocking up on parcel tape, bubble wrap and cardboard! Glad you mentioned about not marking the parcels as fragile Joy, I always do that when I’m sending things but won’t be doing from now on!
Thanks again 
I use fragile labels on all sides of my parcels so if it’s anywhere in a pile with any side facing out a fragile label can be seen and, touch wood, no problems. I remember someone saying when this post office footie has been bought up before, if the parcel did arrive with your customer broken and it didn’t have any fragile labels on it looks like you haven’t taken any care over the packaging.
You just have to make sure you wrap fragile things assuming it’ll be knocked, dropped or handled roughly at some point, and making sure it’ll survive that.
Jo
Edit - Sorry Joy, just noticed I replied to you, I meant to reply to @ForEvaYours. It’s getting late, time to get off the laptop I think 
No problem, I reply to myself sometimes ! xx
I dont know how big the items are but pre madeboxes actually work out not too expensive if brought in bulk. there will be others but i just happened to have this seller saved in my ebay favs. I use premade square boxes for my piggy banks.
Then yeah as others say lots of bubble wrap.