Hey gang, I would like to send some vintage drinking glassware or other glass stuff to my best friend's father for Father's Day. How can I effectively pack the glasses so they won't break during transit? And please be specific because I have never done this before. Also, who is the best shipper to use, especially for Florida? I usually send everything via USPS Priority shipping. Here's the general idea I have:

+ put paper inside each glass and double or triple wrap each glass with paper
+ put packing peanuts and even more paper inside the box to hold the glasses in place

Do I use a box with a lot of room or should it be only 1 or 2 inches of space on each side from the glasses, etc?

I haven't bought the pieces yet but I'm considering it because a place called Mr. Pink [mrpinkinc.com] in NYC is closing at the end of July and everything is 50% off. I passed by there last night and saw the owner outside. They have tons of vintage glassware that a lot of you guys grew up with and are known internationally. It's a small business with a lot of customer loyalty.

If the glass shipping seems feasible, I'll stop by there today to select some cool pieces for my friend's dad. The glass and a $50 Whole Foods gift certificate would complete the present.

---

trisho.
----------------
Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

Use a slightly larger box and pack as you describe or use bubble wrap.

It's purely a gamble withany shipping company beause it comes down to individuals who handle your item.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Maybe visit a local package store (liquor store) and see if they have some old boxes lying around with the cardboard inserts used to separate bottles. You may have to cut the box down or you may be able to just use the separators. I suppose you could even duplicate the method yourself. Of course, the size of your glassware and how many of them you're shipping will dictate a lot.

Ignore the fan in the pic below. It was the best I could find quickly.

Put paper inside each glass. Wrap each glass in bubble wrap. Put all glasses in a box using crumpled newspaper to keep the glasses from moving around. If you really want to be cautious, put said box in a bigger box, cushioning it with bubble wrap, foam peanuts or crumpled paper. Using a thick cardboard box should help prevent damage due to punctures.

Paging Martha!
I don't know that she reads this forum but I do know she uses a Mac laptop.

I can offer no help ... we broke a few of our glasses and china during our move

---

SoCal for now.

I wouldn't use peanuts.
From Google.:
How to Pack Glasses & Stemware
It's best to pack stemware in cell boxes, sold by supply stores and movers. These boxes protect your glasses, saving you money in replacement costs.

Supplies needed:
Packing paper
Tissue paper
Dish pack / cell boxes
Packing tape
Instructions:
For stemware, begin by wrapping the stem with a piece of tissue paper.
Loosely wrap each glass with a layer of tissue paper and lightly stuff crumpled tissue paper inside the bulb to reinforce the glass’ sides.
With packing paper, wrap the glasses a second time more tightly.
Place each glass on its base in separate cells. Lightly pad any empty spots in each cell with tissue paper.
Once the box is full, cushion the top of the box with tissue paper. Be careful not to overstuff it and add pressure on your glasses and stemware.
Close the box, and check that nothing rattles inside. If anything is loose, add more padding.
Tape the packed box closed, label it “FRAGILE” and note which side is up.

BGnR

---

"Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto! You're beautiful!"
"If we dig precious things from the land, we will invite disaster."
"Near the day of Purification, there will be cobwebs spun back and forth in the sky."
"A container of ashes might one day be thrown from the sky, which could burn the land and boil the oceans."

It doesn't sound like Trish is talking about stemware, and shipping is a bit different that packing for moving.
I would go with crumpled paper inside and fine (small-bubble) bubblewrap on the outside of each, seperated by larger bubblewrap, as much taping-in-place as possible.
I agree that peanuts would not be very useful for this type of thing.

i'd double box - pack them as best you can from the suggestions above and then put the box in a slightly larger box with a layer of bubble wrap (at least) in between.

i've learned this the hard way.

---

Very good advice from everyone. Thanks so much! I'm going to make a stop by there tomorrow afternoon and Whole Foods as well.

Do any of the NYC forum members have a favorite shipping station in town to recommend?

---

trisho.
----------------
Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

I moved 22 times in 17 years and never had a broken glass. Always packed them in boxes with separators (get some wine boxes from your local liquor store). Stuff each glass with paper, wrap entire glass in paper so that it fits snuggly into each cell (pad the cell vertically with more paper if necessary). Then pack this entire box into another sturdy carton with bubble paper to keep the "master pack" box from moving around.

---

If you don't stand for something, you'll probably fall for anything.t

Make sure you have a *strong* outer box. I've known people who've used a "worn" box that is just inadequate from the get-go.

Also, when the contents are packed tight, any compression of the shipping box goes to the contents.

Cell boxes are a great idea, and though it's more work, double boxing is worthwhile. Crumpled newspaper is great- you can "tune" the packing and it doesn't shift.

---

I am that Masked Man.

All you can do, is all you can do.

There’s trouble — it's time to play the sound of my people.

Your boos mean nothing to me, I've seen what you cheer for.

Insisting on your rights without acknowledging your responsibilities isn’t freedom, it’s adolescence.

I've been to the edge of the map, and there be monsters.

We are a government of laws, not men.

Everybody counts or nobody counts.

When a good man is hurt,
all who would be called good
must suffer with him.

You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead.

There is no safety for honest men except
by believing all possible evil of evil men.

We don’t do focus groups. They just ensure that you don’t offend anyone, and produce bland inoffensive products. —Sir Jonathan Ive

An armed society is a polite society.
And hope is a lousy defense.

You make me pull, I'll put you down.

I *love* SIGs. It's Glocks I hate.

Quote
swampy
I moved 22 times in 17 years...

Holy Cow, may I ask why? are you running away form someone?

EDIT: that's about 9 months between moves, are you running away as soon as the child is born?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2008 12:12PM by space-time.