How To Package Plaster Art For Shipping
As an artist with a small business, it’s been a whirlwind journey figuring out how to package my 3d artworks for safe delivery. Its common knowledge that plaster art, clay art or sculptures are extremely delicate, and as a small business owner I am very invested in finding affordable, practical ways to get my works to collectors safely. To be clear, I am not at the stage where I package my works fancily or as stylishly as I would love, but the supplies listed below have allowed me to ship my works domestically and internationally while keeping costs low.
A few tips and tricks
Do not skimp on packing foam or bubble wrap. I always make sure to wrap my works in many layers of packing foam and bubble wrap (often in that order) until I feel it can pass a drop test. You might be tempted to think about the cost of packing supplies as you do this, but remember that a damaged delivery will cost more.
Always take photos of the inner and outer packaging of your shipment prior to dropping it off for delivery.
Always purchase shipping insurance. I highly recommend you always purchase additional insurance to cover the cost of your art when shipping. You can package your sculptural art as safely as possible, but the reality is when you drop it off for shipment, how that package is treated, when, where, or how its delivered is completely out of your control. So far, I’ve only had one package damaged upon arrival (the box looked so battered in the delivery photos, the sculpture didn’t stand a chance), but the fact that I had that package insured saved a month that would have been otherwise ruined.
You can often purchase additional insurance alongside your shipping labels. I use Shipsurance when purchasing shipping labels on my Etsy storefront and Parcelguard when I ship via Shipstation. For the damaged package, I was able to file a claim with Shipsurance and received a full refund for the damages.
Tape your 3D art to the box. The other thing about organic, sculptural art is that well - they have irregular shapes which can make packing tricky. I like to circumvent this by making sure to tape the wrapped package to the box to ensure the sculpture is not jostled around inside the box. Honestly, I believe this combined with use of adequate packing material is the reason why my works arrive safely.
The video above also details my simple process for packing my wall sculptures for shipment after a sale.
Below are some of my favorite packing supplies from Amazon. I make a small commission from these links (I hope you’ll support me).
shipping boxes - here. Check out their store, they have so many great sizes.
packing paper - here
packing foam - here
bubble wrap - here
stretch wrap - here
gorilla packing tape with dispenser - here
white cardstocks for certificates of authenticity - here. You can purchase certificate templates on Etsy.
letter size envelopes - here
thank you cards - here
fragile stickers - here