Handmade work is usually one piece of one material, which makes its failure modes easy to predict and easy to prevent.
Know where it will break
Fired work — rims, handles, spouts, feet. Chips, and a chipped rim on a bowl is most of its value. Carved work — anything that projects. Fingers, points, thin sections. Lacquer and painted finishes — surface marks from anything textured pressed against them in transit. Textiles — creases that set, and damp. Metalwork — denting on thin sections, and tarnish in a sealed bag with no barrier.
The method
- Soft tissue directly against the surface, so nothing textured prints into a finish
- Pad every projecting part on its own before wrapping the whole
- Bubble around the wrapped piece, taped so it cannot unroll
- Box close to the size, voids filled firmly enough that nothing shifts when shaken
- Double-box anything thin, tall or irreplaceable
Shake the closed box gently. If anything moves, open it again.
Sets
Each piece wrapped individually, then separated by board or filling. Two bowls wrapped together will find each other.
The damp
A finish that survives the courier can still be ruined by the weather. A sealed bag inside the box is the whole defence. Monsoon and your stock.
Say how it should be unpacked
A line in the parcel — "open from the top, the lid is wrapped separately" — prevents the most annoying damage of all, which is damage done by the buyer with a knife.
Questions people ask
Is newspaper acceptable?
Not against the piece. Ink transfers onto porous and pale surfaces. Use plain paper or tissue first.
Should I post large ceramics at all?
With double-boxing, yes. For very large or very fragile pieces, offer collection as well and let the buyer choose.
What if it arrives broken anyway?
Your packing photographs decide what happens next. Take them every time. How returns work.