Packing and Shipping bobbleheads

I've had several people ask me about packing and shipping bobbleheads.  Im sure there are videos on youtube from other people that know what they are doing.  To put it into words isn't that difficult tho.

Every box I get (that I assume has a bobblehead(s) in it) I shake.  Not to the point where it looks like I'm crazy, but a nice gentle shake and that tells me (99% of the time) if my bobblehead made the journey in good shape.  What do you hear, you ask?  If I hear something, I'm hesitant and my expectations immediately go down the toilet.  I shouldn't hear anything!

So, same for shipping a bobblehead (yes this is reverse order).  Once its in the shipping box (and I stress box as bobbleheads should always be shipped inside a box), give it a gentle shake.  There should be no sound and no movement.

First things first, wrap the neck.  I use a thin strip of bubblewrap and then also typically wrap 1 piece of kleenex around the neck.  Get more bubblewrap and wrap the entire bobblehead with it.  I like the small bubble pieces for this part.  Tape the middle and both ends because it is a freaking package - treat it as such.  If you have it, take a strip of bubble wrap (with the bigger bubbles) and wrap around the bobble.  Tape the middle and ends.  That should give the bobblehead enough padding around all sides (and remember, 6 sides to a bobble, all 4 sides and the top and bottom).

After this, find a box (I use regional rate boxes that are free from usps.com), pack nicely in the box and put enough other packing material inside the box so the bobblehead doesn't have any room to move.  This can be anything, but I usually use newspaper as I like to save the bubble wrap for bobbles themselves.  However, if using your own box...(and not a regional rate box) use something lighter (packing peanuts, air pouches or bubblewrap) as the weight of the box will matter.  Tape the box tightly and securely.  And remember - shake at the end.  No sounds = ready to ship!

Shipping Bobbles - How to package them!

I've read a lot about the shipping part of bobbleheads.  Whether you buy from eBay or Craigslist or thru an online retailer, there are plenty of shipping options.  That's the easy part.  The most important part of shipping is how you pack the bobblehead.  I've seen several people blame the post office for a damaged bobble and then file a claim (even tho the shipping package had no visible damage).  I've received bobbleheads in the mail...and 90% of the time I can tell without opening the package if the bobblehead is in good condition or not.

1 recent (in the past couple of months) example of poor shipping.  Unfortunately I don't have pictures to show.  I picked up the box and immediately things rattled around.  Obviously this is the first sign that something is broken.  How much rattling usually is a good indicator of how many broken pieces there are.  I opened the box and found 3 pieces.  The main bobble, its head decapitated and the base of the bobble, detached from the feet.  To me, this bobble is ruined, I can glue it back together, but in my mind...(and I have a very steady hand) it's no longer in good condition, even if it looks "ok."

How do you avoid this...NEVER ship in bubble mailers.  Several eBay sellers ship bobbles only in bubble mailers.  Typically this is a cheaper option (depending on the weight of the bobblehead).  I always ship in boxes...never bubble mailers (I use them for padding tho).  It's not really rocket science.  Take the bobblehead, wrap the neck (or all spots it bobbles/moves) with bubble wrap.  I usually wrap tissue paper around that for extra cushion.  Then I wrap the entire bobblehead with bubble wrap (it should go around the bobble at least 2 times.  If I dont have the original box, I use bigger bubble wrap one more time, again to make sure its double padded.  I then place it in a box and put anything (more bubble wrap, newspaper, plastic bags) around it so it can't move.  Once the box is stuffed, I tape it shut.  Then I shake it.  Weird huh - shake a box with a bobblehead in it - call me crazy but it works!  If you can't hear it move...you are set.  If you can, open the box up and stuff more crap in it!

This is not a hard process, use common sense (I know at times, it's not that common), and remember - bubble wrap is pretty cheap!