Ed Kraft on sun 23 sep 01
I have a new item (fish platter) that I am beginning to sell wholesale I =
would like someone with experience in selling wholesale and shipping to =
review my procedures. It seems to me that there are far to many posts =
from those that say " I've never done that but... ". Anyway I started =
selling these locally with great success. Only selling to one store in =
each city. I live in US next to the Canadian boarder and have now made =
it too far to deliver. I sold 24 to the Kitchen Kaboodle stores in =
Portland OR.
Selling parameters: Minimum first order is 12 platters
Minimum reorder is 4 platters
Platters packed in 4s; $3 upcharge per =
palter to break pack
Terms: net 30, FOB Bellingham WA
Costs: 12 or more $20
Less than 12 $24
shipping and handling extra
Now for my planned shipping procedure: The platters are 20"x9". Each =
platter will be wrapped in 3/16" bubble wrap with only one layer between =
each platter. There will be 4 in each box and that box is 22x10x4. Three =
of these boxes go on edge inside the outer box surrounded by two inches =
of peanuts. This box is 26Lx14hx16w.=20
These platters are not ram pressed so there are slight variations so =
what do the wholesale shippers think. I'm a little apprehensive about =
this since my prices do not allow for mistakes on my end.=20
Ed Kraft
Earth Arrangements
2109 39th St
Bellingham WA 98226
eartharr@msn.com
www.eartharrangements.com
Cindy Strnad on sun 23 sep 01
Dear Ed,
Your shipping procedure is all I can speak to.
First, you don't mention whether you're putting a
solid barrier between the individual platters. I
suggest a thick cardboard divider. Other than
that, your packing sounds good. Now take it to
your chosen shipping company and show it to them.
Get their approval and/or suggestions, and ask
them if they will insure the platters.
I recently sent a large urn, crated in a
well-built, well-padded wooden crate, for God's
sake, and UPS managed to shatter it. Truly amazing
feat, that. They even broke the cups I had nestled
in. If the Urn was overpacked, the cups certainly
were ridiculously overpacked. We'll see if
they'll honor their insurance--who knows?
The rest of the things you plan sound good, and
I'm saving your letter for future
reference--Thanks.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com
Ronda Clark on sun 23 sep 01
Dear Ed,
I ship a lot of my primative fired pottery all of the time and have for
years. I do NOT use peanuts. I find the pots in the bubble wrap shift and
often end up against the side of the box. I wad up newspaper for the bottom
of the box using 2 or 3 sheet of paper at a time and doing a loose "wad" so
there is a little give or cushion inside the box. As I fill the box with pots
the newspaper comes up the sides across the top. I do not have any trouble
with UPS claims ( rarely have to make one) and the extra weight is worth not
having to redo the order!! Good luck and happy shipping!
Ronda
in DeBeque CO enjoying the beautiful fall temperatures and colors
Marcia Selsor on sun 23 sep 01
Ronda, and Ed,
I put "peanuts" into taped plastic bags. That way things don't shift to the
outside and the peanuts don't get all over the place when the box is unloaded. I
use two boxes when possible with a good cushion between them.
Marcia in Montana
Ronda Clark wrote:
> Dear Ed,
> I ship a lot of my primative fired pottery all of the time and have for
> years. I do NOT use peanuts. I find the pots in the bubble wrap shift and
> often end up against the side of the box. I wad up newspaper for the bottom
> of the box using 2 or 3 sheet of paper at a time and doing a loose "wad" so
> there is a little give or cushion inside the box. As I fill the box with pots
> the newspaper comes up the sides across the top. I do not have any trouble
> with UPS claims ( rarely have to make one) and the extra weight is worth not
> having to redo the order!! Good luck and happy shipping!
>
> Ronda
> in DeBeque CO enjoying the beautiful fall temperatures and colors
>
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Marie Gibbons on sun 23 sep 01
In a message dated 9/23/01 5:18:16 PM Pacific Daylight Time, selsor@IMT.NET
writes:
> . I
> use two boxes when possible with a good cushion between them.
> Marcia in Montana
>
I think this is the biggest key... double box. bubble wrap the pieces, pack
around each piece with bubble, newspaper, something that will cushion, but
still will have some 'give'. then get a box about 2 inches bigger on all
sides, and use peanuts between the two boxes. I also prefer to ship fast, I
will pay more to ship in less days, why, because I figure the less time my
work is available for sitting/or dining on my while workers have lunch the
better! I have shiped many pieces, and my breakage on shipping thus far has
been very low to none.
marie gibbons
www.oooladies.com
vince pitelka on sun 23 sep 01
> I think this is the biggest key... double box. bubble wrap the pieces,
pack
> around each piece with bubble, newspaper, something that will cushion, but
> still will have some 'give'. then get a box about 2 inches bigger on all
> sides, and use peanuts between the two boxes.
Marie -
I don't think that Jonathan Kaplan is monitoring the list right now, but if
he was, he would suggest that you use 2" "filler flats" between the two
boxes. These are the cardboard "trays" in which egg companies ship their
eggs to restaurants and other commercial users. They are about a foot
square, exactly two inches thick, and very strong. They are easily cut or
broken to smaller sizes, and you can fit pieces to make up larger sizes. I
have used them many times and never a problem. If you contact commercial
packaging suppliers they can probably find a source.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Janet Kaiser on mon 24 sep 01
Just one point of advice Ed. One layer of bubblewrap
between platters is not going to stop what I call
"impact breakage". We have received well packed parcels
of pots in the past where top and bottom layers are OK
but one or more in the middle have been shattered! We
can only imagine that the top or bottom of the parcel
has been whacked with such force the poor little ones
in the middle just could not stand the impact.
I would not recommend packing platters on edge either.
Although parcels will not stay upright through their
journey and will get bundled around on top, bottom
and/or sides (because the address label needs to be
visible in all situations) they will probably remain
upright part of the time. That would mean whacking the
rims and therefore increased danger of breakage or
damage.
I don't know about your carriers, but here in the UK
they are very rough indeed these days (since
privatisation, time is money: the personel are on
minimum wages with zilch job satisfaction, so could not
care less).
We have to imagine the box being dropped or thrown from
a van or truck onto a hard floor maybe 10 feet or more
down and/or other much heavier parcels being roughly
stacked/thrown/dumped on top.
I was talking to a potter yesterday, who was travelling
with her work by train. She went along to the guard van
to collect her parcels and was just in time to see one
box (plastered with FRAGILE stickers) thrown from the
train onto a waiting trolley several feet away. It
landed on top and somersaulted off onto the concrete
platform. A 100% write-off.
A lot depends on the weight of your platters too. The
sizes you give would make the containing boxes just 2
inches x 1 inch larger than the platters? Then a
further two inches of peanuts? So between 3 and 4
inches of packing between them and the outside world?
If they are sturdy enough and packed really tightly,
they may be OK but I think I would want a little more
insurance.
BTW I also prefer solid polystyrene (recycled) or paper
waste to those peanuts, which tend to settle much more
than you'd expect.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----
Now for my planned shipping procedure: The platters are
20"x9". Each platter will be wrapped in 3/16" bubble
wrap with only one layer between each platter. There
will be 4 in each box and that box is 22x10x4. Three of
these boxes go on edge inside the outer box surrounded
by two inches of peanuts. This box is 26Lx14hx16w.
These platters are not ram pressed so there are slight
variations so what do the wholesale shippers think. I'm
a little apprehensive about this since my prices do not
allow for mistakes on my end.
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