How to Ship a Wedding Dress

Yea! If you are a buyer or a seller, there is nothing more exciting than finalizing the sale and shipping the dress…If you are ready to ship a wedding dress, here is what you should know:

1) Package it properly. This will ensure the dress is not damaged in transit. (Remember, the box will be loaded onto trucks, conveyor belts and potentially airplanes. The handlers will not be aware of the precious cargo inside).

2) Insure it for the value/selling price.   How to Ship a Wedding Dress

3) Use a trackable method and require a signature release.

How to package it correctly:

1.    Use a sturdy corrugated cardboard box. Boxes are rated according to “burst strength.”  Look for a box that is rated for 200-lbs-per-square-inch burst strength or the equivalent.
2.    Make sure you get a box that is the right size for your wedding dress. You want to ensure the dress doesn’t move around too much inside the box.  If the box is too big, fill extra space with tightly wadded kraft paper, peanuts or other materials.
3.    Fold the gown as required and use plastic to cover it (for the unlikely, but possible event, that the box gets wet).
4.    Seal the flaps and seams with strong mailing tape that is a minimum width of two inches.
5.    Place the shipping label on top and avoid putting the label over a seam/closure or on top of the tape. Put a duplicate label (with a phone number) inside the box.

And, if you want to get an idea of what the shipping costs will be, here are some shipping cost calculators:

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