GETTING TO KNOW YOU NOVEMBER 2019 Brought to you By Glitterwolf

[Pezler the Polychromatic]

7 minutes ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

Flumph Express will gently cradle their cargo in their tentacles to provide all the care and safety your minis will ever need as they arrive at their destination.

[Lord of the Dish Pit]

21 minutes ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

I avoid the shipping damage by utilizing an enchanted exacto blade to gently slice a hole in reality between me and my intended destination, then reach thru and gently place the mini on the nearest flat surface. 

[Glitterwolf]

10 minutes ago, Lord of the Dish Pit said:

I avoid the shipping damage by utilizing an enchanted exacto blade to gently slice a hole in reality between me and my intended destination, then reach thru and gently place the mini on the nearest flat surface. 

 

Sounds great, as long as there no cats in the area!

 

[Auberon]

3 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

Bubble wrap!

 

I did build a shipping frame once for a display base.  It worked but maaay have been overkill.

[TGP]

4 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

I don’t remember exactly. I have saved some packing peanuts, bubble stuff, and other things in case of need. Lots of squashy stuffing, depending on the mini. A bit less fuss if we are talking unpainted minis. Way less fuss if it was Bones plastics. 

 

One thing I will sometimes do is reinforce standard mailing boxes with another layer of corrugated cardboard on the insides. 

 

I have seen the robot machines that process mail...huge machines; tiny boxes.

 

[ManvsMini]

5 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

I've never sent anyone painted minis before, always delivered them in person. I have made a "transport container" (for lack of a better term) for one so that it didn't get damaged when they took it to their rpg game. I took an empty pill bottle (sized so that it was wider than the mini), epoxied a bit of sheet steel to the inside of the bottle cap, and magnetized the mini's base for easy on/off for use. I also took blister foam and lined the inside wall of the bottle and cut a circle of foam to put at the bottom of the bottle.

 

It was meant to be carried with the bottle lid as the bottom, with the magnet holding the mini in place, but in the event that he dropped/turned the container and the magnet let go, the foam was there to cushion any impact. Unlikely that it would let go, it was a Red Box Games dwarf metal mini, and the magnet was plenty strong for that weight, but still did the foam anyways.

 

I can say this: cotton is a horrible choice to use for wrapping minis in. I bought some minis from a guy (which were going to be stripped if I didn't like the paint job), he just wrapped everything in sheets of cotton gauze or something that looked like a fake Santa Claus beard. Stuff wrapped and clung to anything with pokey bits, didn't really provide any cushioning.

Edited November 27, 2019 by ManvsMini

[Crowley]

6 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

Carefully. Though I can't think of a time I've ever shipped a painted mini. I'd probably send it in a box... 

[Jasper_the_2nd]

6 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

I tend to save every bit of packing stuff I get in the mail (sadly had to greatly reduce my collection of small shipping boxes with the move).  I usually will custom cut some soft foam to surround the mini, then fit that into a small box.  That box then goes in a bigger box with foam, bubble wrap,  packing peanuts, and usually some chocolate or candy as padding.  That box is usually then pretty much sealed in a layer of packing tape

 

 

6 hours ago, Lord of the Dish Pit said:

I avoid the shipping damage by utilizing an enchanted exacto blade to gently slice a hole in reality between me and my intended destination, then reach thru and gently place the mini on the nearest flat surface. 

 

I wondered where that mini came from...and why it was sitting on the stove. 

[malefactus]

6 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

I wrap each piece in paper towels & bubble wrap The pieces are set in a bed of packing peanuts. Once the package is sealed, addressed, & ready to ship, I notice I still have that carefully written note sitting by my desk...maybe next time.

[Thoramel]

7 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

I have never shipped a miniature. Although am thinking about doing so in the future. So all the ideas in here are appreciated. 

 

My wife does water quality sampling and they have a bunch of tiny styrofoam containers they use to transport samples to the lab. They discard them after so many uses. I'm not certain what the protocol is that triggers that but they get rid of a lot of them and they look like they'd be really handy for filling with packing material and then placing a bubble wrapped mini in for shipping. Only problem is that over time they come into contact with a lot of crap, both literally and figuratively. And I don't know that anyone wants to be exposed to that just to unwrap a mini. 

[Doug Sundseth]

8 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

Depends on the mini. For simple stuff, wrap it in bubble wrap and bung it into a small box. For complex stuff with fragile attachment points:

• Immobilize any attached parts. E.g., if the figure has a shield and arm in front of its body, pack in between body and arm (crumpled or wadded paper works pretty well for this.)
• Put the figure into a small plastic bag to reduce abrasion in transit. It can be worthwhile to use tape around the bag to keep the empty space collapsed and prevent the figure from moving.
• Pad the figure. Depending on how the figure is made (complex basing is especially problematic), this can involve foam, bubble wrap, crumpled paper, .... I would not generally use loose filler like foam peanuts at this stage. Minis slide right through that stuff.
• Put the figure into as small a hard box as practical. Pill bottles, dice boxes, travel soap containers, ... there are lots of choices depending on figure size and shape.
• Pad the hard box with something fairly soft like open-cell foam. This serves to reduce any damage from shocks in transit.
• Put the padded box into an appropriate outer box, making sure that packing material fills all the space in the outer box.

And then expect to have to explain how to reattach things that fell off in transit. 

[Inarah]

9 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

Wrap in tissue, place in a small container (blister pack will do), wrap in bubble wrap, place in sturdy shipping box. 

 

 

[aku-chan]

9 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

 

I just wrap in bubblewrap and shove in a padded envelope.

 

Never had to try to mail a "finished" mini though. 

[redambrosia]

14 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

I start by wrapping the mini in tissue paper. Once it is sufficiently cocooned, I wrap that up in bubble wrap. Then I put it in the middle of a box filled with whatever packing material I have available. Usually packing peanuts. Tape the box up good, send it off, and make various prayer and sacrifices to the Parcel Gods to ensure it’s safe delivery.

[Chaoswolf]

15 hours ago, Glitterwolf said:

November 27th

If you send someone minis, how do you pack them to protect them from damage during shipping?

 

-Tissue paper secured with scotch tape.

-Wrap bubble wrap around that, secured with more tape.

-Place in small, tight box. Secure with tape.

-Place small box inside of larger box.

-Add packing paper/bubblewrap/cushioning material to fill up space. Secure with tape.

-Shake box to detect movement. If movement, use more packing material. Secure with tape.

-Place address label.Secure with tape.