Think inside the box

[offcntr]

I was asked about shipping a casserole by two sisters at Clayfolk, so I promised I'd reprint this guide. From offcenter.biz, December of 2009.

But how will I get it there?

It's a common lament we hear this time of year. Someone's found the perfect present for Uncle Fred (or more often, Mom) in Minneapolis. But how to get it there?

Well, the answer seems obvious. Mail it. Ship it. Box it up and send it away. But that's the real question. How to box it so it arrives in as many (or few) pieces as it started in? Here are a few tips:

Space is your friend. The object of packing is to ensure that shock or impact from outside the package is absorbed before it reaches the object inside. To this end, 2-4 inches of non-compressible packing should surround your pot on all sides.

Sadly, the best non-compressible packing is still styrofoam peanuts. I get them recycled whenever I can. (Cornstarch peanuts work too, but keep them dry. They shrink when wet. Mice will also eat them—and pee in the bag—so don't store them in the garage.) Air pillows work all right, but you'll still need peanuts to fill in gaps—leave no empty spaces. I shipped with honest-to-goodness popped corn one year. It worked all right, but compresses and settles more, and I burned out the air-popper in the process. Crumpled newspaper or excelsior does not work. It compacts in shipping, leaving your pot free to bounce around the box and do itself an injury.

If you have more than one piece of pottery in the box, make sure they can't bump against each other. I usually make separators from scrap cardboard to keep each piece in its own little pen. Lids should be packed separate from their pots, or else wrapped in thin foam or bubble wrap and taped in place, so they can't bang against their base and break.

Two boxes are better than one. For all but the smallest of pots, I recommend double boxing for shipping. Pick a second box about four inches bigger in all dimensions than the first. Fill the space in between with more packing materials.

There's no need to wrap the box. My Grandma always wrapped her packages with brown kraft paper and twine. This isn't necessary, and can be a problem if the wrapper (with its mailing label) tears during shipping. If there's no blank spot to write the address, secure an address label with box tape right onto the box.

If you're like me, you'll use recycled boxes scrounged from somewhere. Just make sure to obliterate any previous addresses, logos, etc. If you're shipping with UPS or FedEx, you'll also want to black out any barcodes, even manufacturer's codes. And if you're re-using a USPS Priority Mail box, the Post Office will charge you priority rates for it. (Note: The Post Office also won't let you use boxes that formerly held hazardous stuff that they won't normally accept.) (This would be the exception to the "no need to wrap" rule.)

Actually, I'll let you in on my secret box recycle trick: If you have a hot glue gun, flatten the box and carefully peel up the flap on the glued edge. Turn the box inside out and reglue the flap, then fold and tape the box. Presto! A pretty new box with all the logos, barcodes or hazardous
stickers on the inside.

To "Fragile" or not to "Fragile." While I have no evidence to support the rumor that shippers see "Fragile" stickers as a challenge, or worse, a bulls-eye, I suspect that they don't do much good, either. A potter friend who used to work holiday rush for UPS once told me, "When you've got 20 minutes to unload a 30-foot truck, you treat all the boxes the same. You can't slow down and carefully unload the box with the 'fragile' stickers."

So count on your packing, not on the kindness of strangers.

Where to ship? Your call. Parcel Post is cheaper, but UPS includes the first $100 insured in the price. I generally trust my packing and go with my friends at the River Road Post Office.

If all else fails, let a pro do it. Your local mail center or UPS store will pack and ship it for you. Heck, we might even do it ourselves if you talk nice to us. Or bring cookies.