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Ship fragile glassware by wrapping each piece alone in bubble wrap, separating pieces with cardboard dividers, and double boxing so no glass touches the outer box wall. Shake the sealed box: if anything moves, add filler and test again.
Glass breaks in shipping for two reasons: pieces hitting each other, and pieces hitting the box wall. A single layer of bubble wrap inside a single box guards against neither very well, because a hard knock compresses the wrap to nothing at the point of impact. The method below deals with both causes, and it is the same method professional shippers use for wine glasses, vases, and ornaments.
Start with clean, dry glass. Wrap each piece on its own in at least two layers of small-bubble wrap, taping the wrap closed so it cannot unroll in transit. Pay extra attention to handles, stems, rims, and spouts: these thin parts snap first. For a wine glass, stuff a small ball of packing paper inside the bowl before wrapping, since an empty bowl crushes more easily than a filled one. For a vase or decanter, wrap the neck and the base with an extra layer each.
Never wrap two glasses together in one sheet of bubble wrap. Glass against glass is the fastest way to chip a rim, even when the pair looks well padded from outside. Each piece gets its own wrap, its own tape, and its own cell.
Cell dividers are cardboard grids that split a box into separate compartments, one per glass. They stop pieces from touching each other even if the filler shifts. You can buy them, or cut strips of corrugated cardboard and slot them together into a grid. For a set of drinking glasses, dividers plus individual wrapping is the gold standard.
Dividers matter less for a single large piece, like one vase, where double boxing does the main work. For a set of four or more pieces, dividers are worth the effort: without them, the pieces migrate during transit and end up clustered against one wall.
| Glassware type | Packing method | Extra care |
|---|---|---|
| Wine glasses, tumblers | Wrap alone, cell dividers, double box | Paper ball inside each bowl |
| Vases, decanters | Wrap alone, double box, thick filler | Extra wrap on neck and base |
| Ornaments, figurines | Wrap alone, nest in a small box, then a larger box | Protect thin projections like wings and stems |
| Plates and bowls | Wrap alone, pack upright on edge, never flat stacked | Cardboard sheet between each plate |
Pack the wrapped pieces snugly in an inner box with filler on all sides. Seal that box. Then place it inside a larger outer box, with at least two inches of filler between the inner box and the outer box on every side. Seal the outer box. The outer layer absorbs the first impact, and the filler between the boxes absorbs what is left before it reaches the glass.
This sounds like overkill until you see a parcel that fell off a conveyor belt. The outer box can dent badly while the inner box, floating in filler, stays untouched. For anything irreplaceable, like antique glass, double boxing is not optional.
A little, but do not rely on it. Sorting machines cannot read the word, and handlers see so many marked boxes that the word loses force. What does help is packing as if no one will read the label at all. Mark the box anyway, on more than one side, since a human handler who does notice may set it on top of a stack rather than under one. Just never treat the marking as a substitute for proper packing.
Close and tape the box, then shake it gently in all directions and tilt it on each side. You should feel nothing shifting. If you hear a clink or feel a thud, open the box and add filler to the empty pocket. Repeat until the box feels like one solid block. Also press the top and sides: they should not flex inward enough to touch the contents.
Take a photo of the packed box before sealing, and of the sealed box with its label. If a claim comes up, those photos show the packing standard you used. Keep the receipt and tracking number until delivery is confirmed.
Yes, within the service limits. LetterAgent provides Canada Post Xpresspost shipping labels for parcels within Canada, up to 5 kg. You ask your AI assistant for a label, approve the exact quoted price, pay once through Stripe, and receive a label PDF. Glassware sets can easily pass 5 kg once double boxed, so weigh the finished parcel before requesting a label. Parcels over 5 kg and shipments outside Canada need another carrier.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
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