shipping dishes

[keziak]

I am experimenting with trying to sell dishes and I am anxious to get it right in terms of packing them to ship. I am wondering if any of you pros were ever told you overdid it with packing? Maybe meaning the boxes then weighed too much? 

[kensgiftshop]

I'm no pro, but was never told I over did it on packaging.

[lisa5768]

@keziak 

I have sold lots of dishes, both individual and in sets of up to 12. Dishes can be packed with lots of padding and still break due to shock when dropped if they are not packed properly. I put pieces of small bubble wrap or 1/8 thick foam between each plate and stack them together. Here is the key part, you need to compress the entire stack together so they become one large block so the dishes do not rattle or move when dropped.

I cut the bubbles a bit larger so there are corners sticking out at least an inch from the edge of the plates and then tape (and compress) using the corners to keep the tape off the plates. I then wrap the entire stack in larger bubbles and then fill the rest of the box with packing peanuts. I have shipped hundreds of plates this way and have (knock on wood) not had any breakage. I started using this method of packing many years ago after I had one plate in the middle of a stack break. This also works for bowls as well.

[keziak]

this is what I'm doing but I wonder if I am going to be less competitive if my boxes end up being bigger than other sellers'. I am more concerned about getting it right though. I'm just starting out. I've only shipped two packages so far. I haven't heard back about anything breaking, whew. 

This is way more time consuming than shipping books but I'm  hoping will give me extra items to sell. 

[simba6]

You will never know if you over packed, only if you under did it.   Large sets mean lots of weight. Packing means large box.  That means very high shipping charges.   Would not be the packing that made up the weight.  Bubble wrap is very good and is light.

[keziak]

I have a local source for big rolls of bubble wrap that are so cheap I cannot fathom how the woman selling it makes any money. Maybe one of those situations when "don't ask".  I also have lots of new, not reused, boxes. So I feel ready! just not so confident. 

A million years ago I bought Depression glass on ebay. I ordered some peach lustre dishes and when I opened the box I found them all shattered. No packing materials at all. Obviously I would never do that but it made a lasting impression. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I shipped a lot of dishes before dimensional weight got smaller and more expensive.

I always double boxed with three or four inches of popcorn between the inner box containing the plates and their bubble wrap and the outer box.

I would sometimes get complaints about the popcorn from buyers who saw no reason for it, but also knew nothing about how packages get damaged.

I was not shipping cheap sets of china.

[lisa5768]

Yes, packing fragile items is WAYYY more time consuming to make sure they arrive safely.  As long as your items are competitively priced don't worry about the shipping/item ratio. Buyers looking for replacement or fill in pieces are more interested in them arriving safely. Good luck with your new category.

[mybigsale]

---

@keziak wrote:

I am experimenting with trying to sell dishes and I am anxious to get it right in terms of packing them to ship. I am wondering if any of you pros were ever told you overdid it with packing? Maybe meaning the boxes then weighed too much? 

---

Yes, I have (rarely) been criticized for overpackaging breakables. It was a lowball offer, then trying to lower the price even more on shipping. 99.99% are thankful for safe delivery of large cookie jars, piggy banks, dishes etc.

Ultimately, the seller is responsible for safe delivery of an item. My breakables go double boxed and can survive little drops and rolls. Want me to possibly under-pack your shipment for less? Please request cancel for a full refund.

[fm2000]

You might not be overpacking, your competition might be underpacking, don't assume your competition knows better than you. If in doubt, overpack. If the dishes are broken, you not only risk being out what you made on the sale, but also risk having to pay to have the broken dishes returned to you, as well as possible negative feedback (and potentially stress causing drama to go with it.)

I used to sell lots of dishes years ago, but don't bother anymore unless something is really valuable, most are just not worth it anymore. Dishes can be big time and packaging material vampires. They can be  over a cubic foot packaged properly, incurring hefty additional shipping charges. If they are broken, all of the major shippers will almost always reject insurance claims, even if they are packaged properly. Just a big headache to deal with.

[suzysemporium]

I always over pack everything from toys to dishes. I never got a complaint, but have gotten great packing compliments. My daughter early on when I was trying to decide whether or not to put an extra layer of bubble wrap on a item. She told me it is better to be safe than sorry. I kept to that ever since.  

[keziak]

I may decide the same thing if my experiment doesn't pan out. 

[fern*wood]

Why dishes?  Of all the items you could have tried, why that?

[keziak]

I'm running lots of experiments based on what I have been able to get inexpensively that seem might be worth a shot. I got a ton of craft paints for example, been gradually selling those. A ton of sewing patterns I got for a song. Anime, manga, magazines, craft stuff, audiobooks, DVDs/blu-rays/videos. I've already sold some of these categories. Basically on top of books. 

My problem is that I get worn out from all the scouting, mailing and listing here and on Amazon.  I get up way before dawn to get in my swim then it's a race to get everything done until I run out of time and energy. Normally I stop at 8:30pm.  And it's not gardening season on top of everything! I'm getting older, should be slowing down not ramping up. If the experiments don't work out I will probably just give up and go part time and try to have a life. 

[yuzuha]

---

@fm2000 wrote:

I used to sell lots of dishes years ago, but don't bother anymore unless something is really valuable, most are just not worth it anymore. Dishes can be big time and packaging material vampires. They can be  over a cubic foot packaged properly, incurring hefty additional shipping charges. If they are broken, all of the major shippers will almost always reject insurance claims, even if they are packaged properly. Just a big headache to deal with.

---

Yup, I've moved away from selling fragile items in general simply because they use so much packing material and are such a time-suck to pack compared to non-fragile stuff. It's just not worth it most of the time unless (like you said) it's something really valuable.