How To Ship Fragile Items: 6 Practical Tips

It’s every online shopper’s nightmare: You buy an item you’re really excited about, and finally open your package only to find that what’s inside is broken. Not only is this a frustrating customer experience, but it can be just as bad for your ecommerce business. A damaged product can tarnish your brand reputation and cost you customers—and that’s before you factor in the expense of offering your buyer a replacement, credit, or future discount. 

Learning how to ship fragile items correctly helps you avoid this scenario. Here are some best practices to safeguard your products during shipping and keep your customers satisfied.

How to ship fragile items

1. Use the right box
2. Avoid overloading
3. Use cushioning material
4. Try double-boxing
5. Secure the box
6. Use Fragile stickers

Here are six easy steps to take to ensure your goods make it from your warehouse to your customer in one piece:

1. Use the right box

The first step is picking the right box for the job. This is best practice for shipping anything, but especially when shipping fragile items.

Use a box only slightly larger than the item in question, allowing just a couple of extra inches of room for protective padding. The goal is to minimize movement inside the box. The less room there is for items to shift in transit, the better. Empty space is your enemy. As a rule of thumb, your packaging should be sturdy enough to protect contents from a four-foot drop.

2. Avoid overloading

Overstuffing the package is a common mistake. Each item adds weight, putting more stress on the box’s structural integrity. If the box starts breaking apart during shipping, things can end poorly.

No need to send every fragile item in separate packaging, but mind the suggested weight limits on your box, and be sure there’s enough room to properly cushion each item.

3. Use cushioning material

Packing material like bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and air pillows are a fragile item’s best friend. Make appropriate use of cushioning materials; securely wrap each item, then fill any remaining empty space in the box.

Different items call for different care. Shipping something lightweight, like an art print, might not need much more than a cardboard or plastic poster tube. Something heavier, like a glass vase, calls for more durable cushioning materials, like bubble wrap. For the most fragile and heaviest items, like large art works or precision machinery, many shippers use wood and steel dunnage to strengthen their packaging.

To avoid broken items, take the time to eliminate air pockets with packing materials, but without overfilling the box.

Then, before placing any items inside, protect the bottom of the box with a layer of bubble wrap or packing peanuts. That helps cushion both the fragile items and helps the box itself withstand impact.

4. Try double-boxing

Another option is double-boxing: packing items in small boxes that you then pack inside a larger box to provide an extra layer of protection.

Use inner boxes when dealing with multiple smaller fragile items. UPS recommends double-boxing whenever a fragile item weighs more than 10 pounds. For heavier items, try using sturdier cushioning material like foam and solid plastics to minimize movement, as well as padding to prevent the inner box from shifting inside the outer box. That’s the safest way to ship breakable products together without risking damage in transit.

5. Secure the box

When shipping fragile items, don’t overlook the need to protect the box itself. The outer box is your first and most crucial line of defense. No matter how well you’ve wrapped the contents, if the box is compromised, you’re in trouble. 

Ensure the bottom of your box is properly folded and thoroughly taped. An extra layer of packing tape on the bottom seams and corners never hurts.

6. Use Fragile stickers

Finally, although Fragile stickers can’t make up for poor packaging, it doesn’t hurt to let people know they’re handling fragile items. Your Fragile sticker can’t prevent rough handling, but if it encourages one person to handle your box with care instead of throwing it around, it’s worth it.

Choosing a carrier to ship fragile items

You have three main carriers to choose from when shipping fragile products domestically:

UPS

UPS doesn’t offer any special options for shipping fragile items you’ve packed yourself, but you can pay UPS to package your fragile items for you. This gives you the UPS Pack & Ship Guarantee, which covers the item’s value, shipping costs, and expenses for packaging materials and services.

FedEx

Like UPS, FedEx doesn’t offer a special handling option, but for a fee it will pack your items for you at a FedEx office and provide a shipping guarantee similar to UPS. FedEx covers up to $100 in liability per package, with the option to purchase additional coverage up to $1,000. FedEx also offers packing tips for shipping fragile items. 

USPS

The United States Postal Service (USPS) discontinued its “Special Handling – Fragile” option in 2022, which offered preferential service for a fee. But you can still purchase insurance based on the declared value of your goods, up to $5,000. USPS also offers some of the same packing tips listed above.