Minerals are dense, hard and brittle, which is an unfortunate combination in a parcel: they survive being dropped and destroy each other.
Wrap the points first
Terminations, edges and thin blades are where a specimen chips, and a chipped point can be most of the value gone. Pad each one individually before the piece is wrapped as a whole.
Then
- Soft tissue directly against the surface — some minerals mark easily
- Points and edges padded individually
- Bubble around the whole specimen, taped closed
- Box close to the size, voids filled firmly
- Double-box anything fine, bladed or delicate
- Seams taped, and the box rated for the weight
Shake the closed box. If anything moves, open it.
Several pieces
Each one wrapped separately, then separated by board or filling. Two unwrapped specimens in a box will grind each other, and the harder one wins.
Weight
This is the category where parcels are heaviest for their size. A box that looks fine can fail at the bottom under a few kilos — use a double-walled box and tape every seam.
Weigh before you quote. The difference comes off your own balance and not the buyer's.
Water-sensitive and soft minerals
Some minerals are soft enough to scratch with a fingernail, some are sensitive to water, and some fade in sunlight. If you are selling something in one of those groups, say so in the parcel and in the listing — a buyer who washes the wrong specimen has destroyed it.
Questions people ask
Can I post a large geode?
Yes, double-boxed, at a price you have checked. For the largest pieces, offer collection.
What should I use against the stone?
Tissue or plain paper. Not newspaper — ink transfers onto porous and pale minerals.
What if a point chips in transit?
Your packing photographs decide what happens next. Take them every time. How returns work.