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I think this is the right forum, The one were you sell minis seems to just be about that and this is more on how to transport them. To clarify, I recently got a offer on some space wolves from the pack with the orcs (can't remember the name) and the customer is asking them to be sent to him. The problem is I do not know how I should package them. I have previously sold minis but then I have meet up with the buyer in a local game shop but how should I pack built minis for transport across the country? Would greatly appreciate any help since I will have started to sell of stuff I do not really need and this problem will probably arise again.

Depends on how "fiddly" they are, depending on if you don't want to damage the paint, bubble-wrap them seperately or use foam, or a mix of packing materials

Method and degree of protection necessary would definitely depend on the state of the models.

Full sprues can simply be stacked and either wrapped in bubble wrap or boxed/bagged and padded with packing peanuts before being placed in the actual shipping box. If it works for manufacturers/stores sending off mail-order models, it should be fine for private sellers, too.

Plastic models assembled with solvent cement are pretty immune to jostling around, being both light weight and solidly joined. Some simple wadding or dividers to keep them from becoming a tangled mess will suffice. Best to immobilize models with tall, thin bits like spears or banners, though.

Heavy models (metal, large resin), especially those with small contact points and/or projecting bits, really need to be immobilized and padded. Bubble wrap alone will suffice on closed sculpts, but weaker/fiddlier models are best isolated, with additional foam cut/wedged to support weaker bits.

Finally, painted models add the worry of abrasion, on top of any of the above concerns. Open-cell foam is really the way to go, IMO, if you both truly care about them arriving in pristine condition. You can either purchase transport trays and add the cost to your fees or make a one-off temporary shipping tray with cheap cushion or strip-wadding foam (can find at hardware stores for helping to seal air conditioning window units).

Mind you, I tend to err on the side of caution and value my time rather little, compared to material costs. There's a decent chance that five minutes with some old newspapers and a fistfull of foam or bubble wrap would get them there just fine, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt. I'm on the receiving end of shipping more than the sending, but I know that I, at least, always appreciate visible care taken in packaging.

Whatever you can do to keep fiddly bits from breaking off is usually the main concern. Oadie has a great series of suggestions.

I can usually make do with small strips of foam or bubble wrap to keep the small bits from taking hits. The key really is immobilization. You don't want the little bundles bouncing around. Make sure there isn't any empty space in the box. If there is, some crumpled newspaper or plastic peanuts can be used to fill the space.

I trade a lot on bartertown.

90% of the time every model gets individual bubble wrap. When you get skilled at using bubble wrap, you can REALLY get talented at wrapping even fiddly models.

Only exception to this is very uniform, block shape, unlikely to break models. Those might get "bubble rolled" with great care. I.e. - large sheet of B-wrap, lay four to five models down so they are not touching one another, and then roll them forward so they have 2 layers of cushion.

Put in box in logical method to minimize shuffling or moving of any kind, fill in box to brim-tightness with packing peanuts and / or newspaper / papertowel.

The goal is that when you close the flaps of box, you pick it up and give a minor test shake, you want to hear zero, or almost zero movement. That's a good packing job. You hear movement ? You need more filler peanuts / paper / towel, etc.

Does this cost a little bit ? Yup. Costs way less than a pissed off customer demanding you replace / fix / take back and cover shipping. Also costs less than a pissed off customer who now has an axe to grind because things broke when they weren't packed properly (though note, most people understand normal breakage, and will see a good packing job and say "This person did all they could do". If you throw 100 models in a zip lock bag in a rose box, and some of them break, that person is going to be way less understanding, and rightfully so.).



-- Haight


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Eilif wrote:
The key really is immobilization. You don't want the little bundles bouncing around. Make sure there isn't any empty space in the box. If there is, some crumpled newspaper or plastic peanuts can be used to fill the space.

Gonna go ahead and QFT this. Because it REALLY is the key. If the models can't move, then they really have to encounter some significant impact shock abuse to break.


Another tip about shipping models. Get the box insured every time. EVERY DAMN TIME. It doesn't cost much, and it pays for itself a bazillion times over the first time you use it. Be honest about the valuation of insurance.

Great advise here,

the only thinks I'll add is to put your address and they buyers address on an invoice inside the box (if the one on the outside gets damaged it means it still has a chance of arriving or getting back to you)

and if something is very fragile (and valuable) double boxing can help protect against most shipping disasters

wrap as suggested above,

then put the sealed box (addressed just in case) in a larger box with about an inch of packing peanuts/bubble wrap/air cushions on each side