It protects against a crush from the top caused by heavy boxes being stacked on top, as well as from the side, incase the shipper turns it on the side, or tries to stuff it into a spot 1 inch smaller than the package.
It is very much like double boxing, except you only need one actual box!
Note that you cannot use Priority materials for anything except shipping Priority, but you can use any plain box to ship either Priority or Parcel Post, including this lovely box that the Priority boxes came in.
People have been asking how I do it, so here ya go.
1. Wrap plate or plates seperately, always with tissue first, and then with at least 2 layers of bubble wrap.
If you are shipping more than one plate, after wrapping individually, stack them, no more than 4 per stack, and then wrap the stack.
Then find large piece of cardboard. You can get boxes at grocery store, and flatten them on their natural seems for storage.
In this example I am using the giant box that the postal service ships the #7 Priority boxes in.
2. Open the box up completely. Then measure the wrapped plate. We want to protect about an inch taller than the plate or stack, so we will cut a square about 3 inches wider than the plate.
3. Make sure a bend is where you will be bending it, or just use the flat part.
4. Finish trimming your 3" square, then take a ruler, and use it to bend the sides straight up, and cut to the edge where the bends meet in a +
What a Platter looks like.
5. Fold into a box with the flaps inside and tape the corners to hold it. Now you have a short box to put the plate in.
6. Stuff the box with packing material. I use chunks of re-cycled styrofoam in the corners.
7. Cover with more bubble wrap, until it is even, and then tape the edges.
8. Now find a box that will allow a couple inches on top, bottom, and each side, and add at least an inch of peanuts.
9. Place in box
Alternative Method with box lined with cardboard, and a 3" strip of cardboard wrapped around the bubble wrapped plate.
10.Top it off, shoving peanuts down the sides, and you're good to go!
Now, the chance of breakage is greatly reduced. A truck would actually have to run over it, to hurt it.
and if somehow UPS, Fed Ex, or USPS manages to crush this puppy, they will not be able to deny an insurance claim.
