More help on packaging

Bottles I always wrap individually with bubble wrap and then packing wrap http://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Protective-stuff/Movers-Stretch-Plastic-Wrap
(NO TAPE ON BUBBLE WRAP)
-I may put 2 12oz in a fedex padded envelope and wrap it with the packing wrap.
-Cans if i have the room i will wrap the whole six pack so they are all tight against each other.
-When I started I was overly cautious I used the old box in box, pack one box they put it in a bigger bog with peanuts all around.

However, i have received some boxes where I was like jeezus how the hell did this make it without breaking. Rule of thumb pack it like you are going to throw it off your roof.

 

I love utilizing 4/6 pack holders whenever possible. I wrap each bottle individually with thin bubble wrap, and stuff them into the holder. As long as you pack the box fairly tightly and there isn't room for the 4/6 pack "brick" to move around in the box, there's really no need to wrap bubble wrap all around the outside of the holder.

The advantage to doing this is that it keeps the bottles together (while still having them wrapped) and you don't have to worry about those bottles shifting around in the box.

 

Always wrap the bottles individually. However you want to arrange them in the box then is up to you.

No real standard size, use a box suitable for what you're shipping. I've never sent a box bigger than 16x14x14. I tend to use that (it's a heavy duty one I get) for growlers and large amounts of bottles, or a 14x14x14/12x12x12 for almost everything else. That's just me though.

No, just wrap them like you would a bottle.

 

Also to make the box extra tight you can use polyfill where there's too much extra room (can find it in walmart). Super cheap, light, easy to compress, and will last.

 

Just be careful about using too big of a box for a small shipment. In that case, FedEx will use dimensional weight to calculate the billed weight. If your length x width x height multiplies to 5184 or greater, the billed weight is that product divided by 166. So if your box is 16 x 18 x 18 and only 20lbs, you'd be billed for a 31lb box because of the dimensional weight calculation.

 

As for boxes, go to a liquor store (you're in TX, so go to Specs) and get an empty liquor bottle box (they usually have piles of them by the doors you can take for free). Benefit is that they come with dividers in them, so you can keep stuff separated as needed. Bubble wrap well, seal up the box, and drop it in a slightly larger box (Wal Mart sells 14x14x14 boxes for like $0.98), surrounding it with bubble wrap, newspaper, etc. - just extra padding. Boom - you paid a dollar for 2 boxes, and you're good to go.

 

I think it's been said before, NO TAPE ON THE BUBBLE WRAP! Just use rubber bands, makes it a whole lot easier to reuse.

If I am going to ship expensive bottles or a lot of bombers I usually opt for uhaul's styrofoam shippers , but a little bubble wrap around the bottles and it comes with a box so packaging take five minutes. For the real expensive bottles I get a gorilla shipper, they cost a bit but they are bomb-proof and will make packing take 2 minutes or less for a case of bombers.

Also I typically am over cautious packing rather than under cautious I have seen UPS and FedEx do some horrific damage to boxes and I really don't want the dreaded 'Delivery Exception' coming up on my tracking numbers!

 

Forget rubber bands - best $8 I ever spent was on a roll of stretch wrap at Wal Mart. Wrap your bubble wrap around the bottle, then just wrap this stuff around it. Holds the bubble wrap super tight, and removes easily on the other end. Lasts forever too - I'm still on my first roll, after shipping dozens of bottles.

 

UHaul sells the same thing for $6 and it has 1500Ft of wrap on it.