Shipping Stuff I've Learned

Shipping! Most of the items I ship out are fragile.  That means using lots of bubble wrap, packing peanuts, newspaper, and whatever other "cushiony" things I can find!

Order your priority boxes now!

 I've been packin' and a-shippin' since 2008 so I've learned a few things!

One of my most expensive lessons was that if you're shipping to one of the zones farthest from you, and it's a large item and or heavy, us parcel post rather than priority mail.  The post office will charge a crazy extra amount for an oversized box. I can remember a few times that I was actually giving away them item I sold, since the shipping came out to far more than I had expected.  Parcel post will not charge an extra amount for an oversized box, and it's definitely less expensive for heavier items.

Cute but heavy vintage Pyrex bowls

 This super cute but super heavy set of primary color vintage Pyrex bowls are an example of something that you would definitely want to ship parcel post!

Not too heavy pretty bowl from my China Shop

 A pretty serving bowl like this one can ship priority mail.  In cases of items that weigh 3 lbs or less, I have found that the difference in the cost for parcel post and priority is very little, so I would definitely ship priority in these cases.

I take advantage of the free priority boxes that you can purchase at www.usps.com.  Remember though, they are a bit more flimsy than regular shipping boxes, so in the case of more fragile items, I would either use extra cushion, or use one of my purchased Uline boxes. I've actually just found a source for free boxes (don't want to give it away), but I will be stalking them on the day they get most deliveries!

Retro Shiny Brites

  Why oh why did my picture come out like this?! Anyways, for super fragile items, such as these cute retro Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments, I double box them.  This set happens to include the original Shiny Brite box, so that's easy!  I would add tissue to each of the spots around the ornaments, bubble wrap the heck out of this box, and then place it in another box.

So there's a few tips, I hope they help you!  If you have shipping or packing questions, I'm happy to help!

Happy Holidays---yep...they're here!

Jen