How to best pack OR ship these items?
July 21, 2019 4:10 PM Subscribe
1. Delicate electronics (speakers, mic, webcam)
2. Medium sized bottles (glass & plastic) of perfume & other cosmetic liquids
(no original packaging for anything)
Moving cross-country and trying to figure out how to get these things to new place without breaking, spilling, or losing them!
My choices are shipping (via fedex/usps/ups) or packing in checked luggage on the plane. But in both cases I'd like tips for how to protect the items.
What has worked for you?
Moving cross-country and trying to figure out how to get these things to new place without breaking, spilling, or losing them!
My choices are shipping (via fedex/usps/ups) or packing in checked luggage on the plane. But in both cases I'd like tips for how to protect the items.
What has worked for you?
When shipping breakable stuff (like glass), it's usually a good idea to double-box. First wrap the item(s) in bubble wrap, then put it/them in box a little bigger than the object(s). Put crumpled newspaper or packing peanuts around the items until the box is tightly filled. (If you have more than one item, wrap each one in bubble wrap separately before you put them in the box.) Seal it, then put that box in another box with a layer of peanuts between them and ship it. It takes up space, but I've never had anything break and I've shipped a lot of ceramics and glass. For taking on the plane, I successfully took a bottle of whiskey to Japan in a checked bag, bubble wrapped in a box with clothes wrapped around the box in a suitcase. BTW, I found out the hard way that UPS will not ship liquor boxes--I had to buy another plain box from them and triple box it!
posted by pangolin party at 6:12 PM on July 21, 2019
posted by pangolin party at 6:12 PM on July 21, 2019
The most important thing is to isolate and cushion everything. Anything you want nearly full control over (and have room for), pack in your luggage. Small liquids like perfumes, I'd pack in a plastic ziplock (to hopefully contain any spills or breakage). Make sure you squeeze the air out. Then, wrap that ziplock in some of your clothes, maybe a t-shirt. And pack that t-shirt in the center of your bag. Do not let it get close to any of the sides, including top and bottom. The luggage handlers toss stuff around and you want to make sure that each bottle can't knock against anything hard, including another bottle.
Use the same methodology for shipping. Make sure the items are situated in the middle of the box -- both horizontally and vertically. That box is going to get tossed around a ton and you want to make sure they are stabilized. Use pillow pacs, a ton of newspaper/brown packaging paper crinkled up, and/or bubble wrap. Do a shake test once you have everything inside its shipping box. You shouldn't be able to feel or hear movement.
posted by pdxhiker at 6:16 PM on July 21, 2019
Use the same methodology for shipping. Make sure the items are situated in the middle of the box -- both horizontally and vertically. That box is going to get tossed around a ton and you want to make sure they are stabilized. Use pillow pacs, a ton of newspaper/brown packaging paper crinkled up, and/or bubble wrap. Do a shake test once you have everything inside its shipping box. You shouldn't be able to feel or hear movement.
posted by pdxhiker at 6:16 PM on July 21, 2019
Liquids - surprisingly most liquids, cosmetics or otherwise that have travelled in my checked suitcases did not leak, to the extent where most toiletries get thrown into my cases haphazardly if the case is not going to be really full. When they do leak it tends to be a combination of poor seal/mechanism and/or the case being too full and stuff being squished too much. So consider how much leakage is a concern and bag things to contain spills. Other than that I just wrap the bottles and find a snug place in the bag. I just try to make sure that there is at least one other layer of clothes between the wall of the case and the object. A lot of cosmetics bottles fit nicely into shoes as well. The shoe then acts as protection from breakage.
Electronics- generally I also just wrap and find a snug place. What you want to watch out for is things like the tubes the handle bars of you wheely case live in. They stick out and make for uneven surfaces to place things on. You can use that if you have things that can fit nicely against or around them. But it can also act as pressure point where things can get damaged, e.g. if you place something flat across one without adequately supporting the rest of the thing by placing other things next to the tube that will help level the area and also support your flat object.
It’s a lot like playing Tetris. But for what it’s worth I regularly have semi fragile stuff in checked luggage and by paying attention to this stuff I rarely suffer any damage.
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:19 PM on July 22, 2019
Electronics- generally I also just wrap and find a snug place. What you want to watch out for is things like the tubes the handle bars of you wheely case live in. They stick out and make for uneven surfaces to place things on. You can use that if you have things that can fit nicely against or around them. But it can also act as pressure point where things can get damaged, e.g. if you place something flat across one without adequately supporting the rest of the thing by placing other things next to the tube that will help level the area and also support your flat object.
It’s a lot like playing Tetris. But for what it’s worth I regularly have semi fragile stuff in checked luggage and by paying attention to this stuff I rarely suffer any damage.
posted by koahiatamadl at 1:19 PM on July 22, 2019
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posted by Weeping_angel at 5:18 PM on July 21, 2019