Received this parcel on 3/12/2010 dropped at the door....

There are 5 Melba Draft horses in this box...

This is what I've been getting lately. And it's not just the post office doing it. In one week I've had 5 damaged parcels. Most are due to insufficient packing... a post office term they write on your claim. Also, let me say... I've never been able to get a successful claim thru the PO...in all these years.

So, this page is going to spell out what a regular ol' seller needs to do to give it fighting chance to get to its new home in one piece.

	Here's our demo model.
	Ceramic pieces don't just need protection and support on the outside... when a jolt or drop happens the shock travels thru the void areas as well. You need to gently support...GENTLY, not tightly wrapped...tension breaks them even before they get can get finished boxing! Plain old toilet paper works well, and most of us have it... I would assume. Take a WAD of TP and place it between the inner front and inner back legs.
	Wind the tail of TP around the legs to secure. Another loose wad goes between the front and back at the belly... Fill the belly area with loose TP and wind around. NO TENSION!!!! Eartips need a wad, so make a wad to helmet his head, wind around the jaw. Tails if loose or away from the body, need the same treatment. Any voids should be filled with TP.
	A roll of TP per horse is about right. It should look like a mummy at this point.
	Next, bubblewrap .Bubble part goes on the inside next to the horse.
	What works best is to use a strip front to back, then another around the middle, belly to belly wise. Do not use tape machines to tape wrap down, as that can cause tension across the bubblewrap and snap a leg. Just tear off a piece of tape and secure it, not tightly, but just enough to make secure.
	Box... first inner box should be at least.... at LEAST, 2" clearance on all sides, and depth as well. Cardboard boxes, when pushed from opposite corner, rack and make a diamonal shape, which is why you double box, or use a double wall thickness box. So a horse bubble that is 12" cube, would have a 16 x 16 x 16" inner box. At this point, you could use foam peanuts, or crumpled newspaper balls. I like a mixture of both, as the newspaper won't let the inner object settle thru the peanuts and hit a side. A UPS claim agent once told me they prefered people use the newspaper as well. Also, do not overfill/underfill with movable inner filling. Peanuts can put pressure on the bubble as well, but too little will let the bubble move around and settle to the bottom of the box. Loose crunched newspaper "balls" keep the bubble off the sides, bottoms, and top.
	Second box should have at least a 1" clearance on all sides, as you can stuff peanuts or other filler around. Put a small layer on the bottom of the empty box, place the inner box, and fill voids with peanuts, newspaper balls of other material you have. With shipping weights climbing, the syrofoam peanuts are the lightest and have the most filler value. A good idea if you are going to do much shipping, is to dedicate a drawstring trash bag for the packing you receive things in. Before sealing the carton closed, it's a good idea to put a copy of who it's from and who it's going to, or copy of the shipping invoice if you are a regular seller. Outer packing list envelopes get torn off completely, and if someone opens it, at least they know where it is supposed to go. Or you can just write on the outer box with a marking pen, which is also easy. On my international shipping now, since I've had so much trouble receiving mine, I am signing my signature across the inner box tape, so if tampered with, the receiver can automatically tell.

I hope this tutorial has helped explain the perils of shipping, and how best to avoid bad results. Even with the best protection, there is still some that get damaged thru shock of handling, with no visable signs. We jsut have to protect as best we can, say a prayer, and send them on their way. Best of luck!

If this was helpful, let me know.