About to go postal over the Postal unservice.

[ronfire]

Here is the the way the postal service treats out boxes.  I have had more breakage this past 4 months than I have had in 5 years. The mail is getting bad for shipping . Just today a customer sent a message of broken pottery and said the box was crushed. Only 1 of the 3 mugs survived. We will replace the items at no charge but this is getting ridiculous with  6 order broken in the last four months. I am packing better than I ever have with most items double boxed. Next I guess I will have to build plywood boxes.

 

[Mark C.]

I suggest if you buy boxes to get the double strength kind > I do notbuy them  but run across them and use them from others for free.

I also suggest aanother box within-I say this as they are killing your stuff. Time to make it harder to crush.Box in a box or maybe 3 if that fit. Got to out think the demons.

[liambesaw]

46 minutes ago, Mark C. said:

I suggest if you buy boxes to get the double strength kind > I do notbuy them  but run across them and use them from others for free.

I also suggest aanother box within-I say this as they are killing your stuff. Time to make it harder to crush.Box in a box or maybe 3 if that fit. Got to out think the demons.

I wrap my stuff in banana box material from Costco, super heavy stuff.  Then I put them in a bigger box with peanuts.  Haven't had one break yet, fingers crossed

[Rae Reich]

I have recently been ordering a lot from that big South American river. I notice that the large and heavy boxes suffer more than smaller heavy boxes. 

Double boxing is good, but only if there is still 2" of air or packing around each piece, top-to-bottom as well as side-to-side.

Although it may cost a bit more to ship two smaller boxes instead of one, I think you'll benefit from less breakage. 

[Mark C.]

I have been shipping lots of pottery these past months. None has broken. I have also been receiving lots of shipments-so I can see whats the postal is doing to them. You just need to make the box more crush proof . Several ways to do that.I often use a hot glue gun making my own cardboard shapes. works great.

[neilestrick]

One thing that really helps with shipping is to make sure the pots are really solid in the box. Like no movement whatsoever. When they can shift, they can break. For shipping 2 or 3 or 4 mugs, I put foam sheets between them and wrap them up tight together with plastic stretch wrap so they're one solid mass rather than 3 pieces that can wiggle about. Plus it's easier to pack them as one piece rather than multiples. Then I really pack in the padding materials. I use biodegradable peanuts, and over fill the box and squash them down when closing it. That way when they settle during shipping they'll still be tight.

[Mark C.]

I wrap each piece in cardboard and tape them as one into an inner box (usually home made with cardboard) then lots of space and hard foam (the stuff things come packed with-then free peanuts . Thew box is always stuff supoer full so its near overpresureized. All materials are free as I collect them year around. I have an order now of 6 glasses 5 bowls -2 lotion bottles to another state. Will pack this way.Usually these larger orders are cheaper with better handling via UPS-I get the 30% discount with Ican as well for life.

I do print  my own labels via paypal at a discount smaller usps shipments-they are usually. only a few pots as weighter boxes are cheaper and better handles thru ups.

I have not had breakage in years now.

[Pres]

Didn't loose anything yet, all of the chalices and patens made it except for one that I think had a fault in the join of stem and bowl. My biggest pass along is compression. I find that a bubble wrapped paten, and chalice in a 14X14X14 box stuffed over the top with popcorn and compressed down to tape the box is the answer for me.

 

best,

Pres

[PSC]

I notice rougher handling when package go thru certain sorting  facilities than other sorting facilities. 

[Mark C.]

 (My biggest pass along is compression.)

yes exactly

(Then box is always stuff supper full so its near over pressureized)

[liambesaw]

14 hours ago, PSC said:

I notice rougher handling when package go thru certain sorting  facilities than other sorting facilities. 

Be sure to report that to the postal service. They actually want to know that information so they can "re-train" workers.  Do not report it to your local post office, report it to the postmaster general's office.

[Benzine]

19 hours ago, liambesaw said:

Be sure to report that to the postal service. They actually want to know that information so they can "re-train" workers.  Do not report it to your local post office, report it to the postmaster general's office.

When you quote "retrain" like that, it makes me think of a "Reeducation Ministry" or something...

[LeeU]

Funny this caught my eye today. Yesterday UPS delivered my order of 10 glazes. They are in plastic containers and the tops well-sealed, so they were fine. But I was watching the guy coming up my steps struggling to keep the box together--peanuts were falling out of the bottom, the box looked like an elephant sat on it, top and bottom seams were split-it was a mess (worse than Ronfire's) -looked like it had gotten wet & then dried! I assume UPS is very short handed via the health crisis and the workers may not be the trained regulars--maybe temps who are unable to stay safe at home. It's an awful juggling act delivery companies & workers are having to do--balancing  safety/income/timely delivery/keeping service standards up etc., and just as awful for  you guys that rely on them to keep your own income flowing and customers happy.