Why Ceramics Need More Than a Padded Envelope

There is a particular sinking feeling that comes with hearing a rattle inside a parcel you have just posted. Ceramic is wonderfully durable in daily use — a favourite mug can survive years of dishwashers and clumsy hands — yet it is brittle under sudden impact. The postal network is not a gentle place: parcels tumble down chutes, ride conveyor belts, get stacked beneath heavier boxes and jostle about in vans over every pothole between Land's End and John o' Groats. A drop from waist height can generate a force several times the weight of your pot, and that energy has to go somewhere. If it has nowhere to go but your glaze, you will be unpacking shards. Generous padding and double boxing are not overkill; they are the bare minimum for anything you would be sad to lose.

Gather Your Materials Before You Start

Packing goes far more smoothly when everything is within reach, and you are less tempted to skimp on the last item because you have run out of bubble wrap.

• Two corrugated cardboard boxes per parcel: a small inner box and a larger outer one, with at least 5 cm of clearance on every side.
• A generous roll of small-bubble bubble wrap — the small bubbles cushion better than the large ones.
• Acid-free tissue or soft white paper for the first layer against the glaze.
• Loose fill: packing peanuts, crumpled kraft paper or air pillows.
• Strong packing tape, a marker pen and fragile labels.
• Scissors or a craft knife, and a clean, dry table to work on.

Reusing boxes is thrifty and sensible, but inspect them first. If the cardboard has gone soft, smells damp or the corners are crushed, cut it up for recycling and find something sturdier. A box only protects as well as its weakest wall.

Wrap Every Piece as Though It Were Travelling Alone

Never let two bare pots touch, and never assume a single layer will do. Begin with a sheet of tissue against the glaze, which protects painted detail and burnished surfaces from scuffing. Then lay the piece on a length of bubble wrap and roll, keeping the bubbles facing outward so the smooth side rests against the tissue. Three or four layers is right for a mug; go to five or six for a bowl, a teapot or anything with a handle or spout. Tape the ends of the wrap so it cannot spring open in transit.

Projections deserve special attention. Wrap a narrow strip of bubble wrap around handles, spouts, lugs and feet before the main wrapping, then build the layers around them so the shape becomes roughly rounded. Plates and tiles should be wrapped individually and packed on edge rather than flat, because a stack of flat plates transmits impact straight through the pile. If you are posting a set, wrap each piece separately and treat every one as if it were the only item in the box.

The Double Box Is Your Best Insurance

Double boxing is the single most effective thing you can do, and it is worth the extra few pence. Place your wrapped item into the smaller inner box, which should be at least 2–3 cm larger than the piece on every side, and fill that gap with loose fill. Seal the inner box thoroughly. Then place the inner box into the larger outer box, leaving at least 5 cm of cushioning between the two boxes on all six faces.

The genius of the method is that the inner box can shift slightly within its cushioning. When the outer box is dropped or crushed, that movement absorbs the shock instead of passing it straight to the pot. If the outer box is much bigger than you need, cut the flaps down to reduce its height — but never remove so much that the walls become flimsy.

Fill Every Gap and Seal It Shut

Empty space is the enemy. A parcel that rattles is a parcel that breaks, because every jolt sends the contents slamming into the walls. Pack loose fill into every corner, pressing it down gently so it holds the inner box firmly in place without bowing the sides outward.

• Gently shake the closed box. If you can hear or feel movement, open it and add more fill.
• Make sure nothing bulges against the cardboard, as a distorted box is a weak box.
• Seal the centre seam and both end seams with packing tape, then run tape around the edges for good measure.
• Never use masking tape or string alone; both fail in the rain and under stacking pressure.

Write your return address on a slip of paper and pop it inside before sealing. Labels do occasionally come adrift, and a parcel that can find its way home is far better than one lost forever.

Mark It Clearly and Choose the Right Service

Write FRAGILE in large capital letters on the top and at least two sides, and add THIS WAY UP arrows if orientation matters. Take a photograph of the packed parcel and of the piece before wrapping; it takes seconds and settles any claim without argument. When you book postage, choose a tracked and signed service rather than the cheapest option, and insure for the full replacement value — not simply what you charged. Post early in the week so the parcel is not sitting in a depot over a weekend, and avoid sending glazed work during a hard frost, as sudden freezing can craze a glaze that would otherwise be perfectly sound. A little patience and a lot of padding will see your pot arrive exactly as it left your hands.