This category splits cleanly in two, and the mistake is treating the second half like the first.
Small homeware
Ceramics, glass, lamps, frames, textiles. Standard fragile build:
- Tissue or plain paper against the surface
- Projecting parts — handles, spouts, finials — padded individually
- Bubble around the whole, taped closed
- Box close to the size, voids filled firmly
- Double-box anything thin, tall or irreplaceable
Never post glass in a frame. Take the piece out or offer collection. Packing art.
Lamps and anything wired
Bulb out, flex coiled loosely and tied, shade packed separately. A shade packed against a base arrives dented.
Large furniture
This is not a packing problem. It is a decision made before the show:
- Collection, agreed before bidding, with a collect-by date
- Your own delivery, if you offer it and can actually do it
- A courier, only if you have checked that they will take the size and weight
Protect edges and corners with card, wrap anything polished in blankets or tissue first — never plastic directly against a finish for a long journey, because it traps moisture — and remove or secure every door, drawer and loose shelf.
Flat-pack
If it can be dismantled, say whether you will dismantle it, bag and label every fixing, and include any instructions. A buyer who receives a dismantled wardrobe with loose screws in the bottom of the box remembers it.
Questions people ask
Can I post a dining chair?
Often yes, boxed and padded at the legs. Check the size with your courier first.
Should I dismantle before posting?
Usually yes, with labelled fixings — but say so in the listing so it is not a surprise.
What about plants?
Many couriers will not carry them. If you post one, say how it is packed and that it may arrive stressed. Collection is often better.