Today's post focuses on some typical bad packing examples & solutions.
This photo (left) is bad news. Loose items (even if contained within a small box) will self-destruct during shipping. If the work can move around during shipping, it will always cause damage.
Look what happened to the necklace during shipping. It arrived broken (right). This is not the shipper's fault. This is bad packing.
"For shipping multiple small items in a large box, sub-divide the box into compartments to prevent movement," says, Leila Hamdan.
A necklace could be wrapped in tissue so beads will not hit each other, then placed in a small box.
This custom-made shipping design for my necklace uses a piece of cardboard covered in flannel. Seam binding glued to the flannel holds the necklace in place with loops. The necklace is tied onto the flannel. A couple of dollars of materials creates a shipping solution, preventing movement during shipping is the goal.
Every box or crate should be completely filled with Styrofoam, foam peanuts, soft foam, bubble wrap, or air-filled bags. Empty space in a crate allows the contents to shift and move.
Always plan for the rough & tumble of shipping. Expect your box to be shipped sideways or upside down.
This photo (left above) was from Leila Hamdam's lecture HORROR STORIES: Packing and Shipping Recommendations for Artists. Yes, the artwork arrived damaged!
Kim Cridler protects individual elements in plastic baggies. Then offers further protection by shipping the small elements in recycled plastic packaging. 
Her lecture, Shipping Large Sculpture, will be posted soon.
More information about shipping is coming soon.
Do you have photos of shipping disasters you want to share?
Or do you need a solution for how to create a custom shipping box?
Harriete
Bar Code Identity Necklace by Harriete Estel Berman
This post was updated on April 9, 2022, to provide current links.