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When it comes to the content of your home, many of us own a collection of delicate items we couldn’t bear to part with. But what happens when it comes to moving home? Suddenly the headache of preparing those fragile items for shipping becomes all too real. So, where do you start? Our guide to how to pack delicate items for shipping is here to walk you through the packing process to ensure your fragile items get to where they need to be in one piece.
How Do I Ship Fragile Items?
If you are planning on shipping fragile items as part of your home move, it is best to set these as separate to the rest of your belongings to ensure they receive the proper care during the move. Fragile items should be carefully packed to make sure nothing breaks during the move. Even the best packers encounter bumps along the road so proper packaging ensures that whatever happens, your belongings are protected. Specialist shipping companies should provide dedicated fragile shipping and packing services so it is worth asking your chosen shipping company what services they may provide.
5 Steps to Packing Fragile Items for Shipping
If you are packing your delicate items for shipping yourself, there are five easy steps you can follow in order to package your belongings safely for transport.
Assess Which Items Will Need Packing & Their Packing Needs
As with any home move, take a look at your belongings and see which items you actually want to take with you. For example, standard glasses that hold no sentimental or monetary value can be purchased again once you move home to save the cost and hassle of transporting them. If any items can be rehomed, take them off the list of items to transport and instead assess the size and delicacy of the items you would like to move home.
Choose your Packaging
When packing fragile items, it is important you get the right tools for the job, low-quality, flimsy materials will leave your belongings vulnerable to damage so it is important you get the proper tools for the job if you will be packing fragile items yourself. Take a look at our ‘what do I need to ship my fragile items’ section below to find out more about what packing materials you will need to ship your fragile objects. It is important you choose a box that is the correct size for the delicate item you want to ship to make sure it doesn’t move around during transit or protrude from the box.
Wrap Your Items
Wrap your items carefully in bubble wrap or a green bubble wrap alternative and secure to ensure each part of the object is protected from any potential bangs.
Pad the Container
Once your items are wrapped, you can now get to work padding out the remaining box space with packing peanuts, air pillows or any other packing padding material you will be using to ensure the object can’t move around in its container.
Label your Boxes
This step is one of the most important steps in packing delicate items for shipping as it will ensure that whoever comes into contact with your delicate items box can see at a glance that it is fragile and take due care handling it. Make sure you get decent labels for this part that show the information clearly and won’t fall off.
What Do I Need to Ship My Fragile Items?
Whatever happens when sending fragile items across the country or abroad, there are some basics that will help keep your delicate items safe. We’ve put together our fragile parcel packing kit essentials below.
Packing boxes - these should allow for around 2 inches padding space around the item you wish to pack
Bubble wrap or another wrapping alternative
Packing peanuts or air pillows
Packing tape - Aim for a good-quality tape that will secure well
Labels for marking your package as delicate or fragile
Choosing a Shipping Company to Ship your Fragile Items
One of the easiest ways to ship fragile items safely is to choose a specialist shipping company with experience shipping delicate items. Most shipping companies will have a wealth of experience shipping fragile items of all shapes and sizes so will be able to advise on how to ship your items safely. Many fragile item shipping companies also offer delicate item packing services to save you the hassle and expense of packing your fragile items yourself.
Fragile Item Packing Services from QMM
QMM are experts in all things shipping with a wealth of services dedicated to making your move simple. As part of our cross-country and international shipping services we provide a fragile-only packing service that prepares your delicate items for shipping, this includes our bespoke crating service to care for things such as fine china, antiques and artwork and uses only the best shipping materials to ensure your belongings are protected for their entire journey with us.
If you are looking for a reliable way to ship your fragile belongings, get in touch with QMM now to find out more about how we can help,
