You cannot pack it yourself, so what you can do happens before you bid.
Three questions to ask, in the chat
1. "How will you pack it?" A seller who answers specifically — "bubble wrap, then a box with paper fill, marked fragile" — has done it before. A seller who says "carefully" may not have.
2. "Which courier, and have you sent glass with them before?" The useful part is the second half. A carrier a seller uses weekly for fragile things is a known quantity.
3. "Will you photograph it before packing?" This is the one that matters if something goes wrong, and it costs them ten seconds. A photograph of the intact item and the packed parcel is what a dispute is decided on — and evidence can only be produced afterwards, never created. How to raise a problem
A seller who agrees to all three has told you a lot about the rest of their operation.
The stronger answer: collect it
For genuinely fragile things — glass, ceramics, framed pieces, instruments — collection removes the risk rather than managing it.
Nothing is in transit, you inspect it in front of the seller before handing over your pickup code, and there is no courier to blame. If the seller offers pickup and you can get there, take it. Can I collect instead of having it posted?
What to do when it arrives
Photograph the parcel before opening it if the box looks at all crushed, taped over or damaged. Thirty seconds, and it is the difference between a straightforward claim and an argument.
Then open it carefully and check it fully before telling the seller it is fine. Where it is offered, I’ve received it closes the order — so look first.
If it arrives broken
Raise it from the order with photographs: the parcel as it arrived, the packaging, and the damage. An item that arrives damaged is returnable for 7 days whatever the store's returns policy says, so your position is strong — what decides how fast it resolves is the evidence. How to return something
Tell the seller first and give them a few hours. Most will offer a refund or a partial without a dispute, because they would rather that than a decided case. Can I get a partial refund?
The honest limit
There is no insurance product you can buy for a parcel here, and the declared value on a booking is for the carrier's own limits rather than a policy you can claim on. What protects you is buyer protection on the order, decided within 48 hours of a dispute being opened — and the money still being inside the system while it is decided. Is my delivery insured?
More: how to pack an order, the parcel is part of it, how buyer protection works.