Shipping Costs for Stained Glass Designs
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Packaging for Glass Panels
All stained glass and art glass items are shipped FedEx Ground from Durham, NC. Of
course if you live near Durham you could pick your order up at no charge or I could deliver
it for a small fee. The ground shipping costs referenced here are for the 48 contiguous
states. Please contact me for rate estimates for other locations in North America.
The packing technique used for these leaded glass items employs a double box method
that yields a very low damage rate. An individual stained glass item is wrapped in bubble
wrap and placed in a box. Up to four additional similar sized pieces may be placed in this
same inner box, each wrapped in bubble wrap. This box is then placed in a larger box
surrounded with packing peanuts. This double protection technique requires someone to jump
on the middle of the box or run over the box with a truck to do damage.
Since the start of 2006 I have added a backing board to the inner shipping box for long
panels like transoms. The backing board is made from an engineered wood product usually
used for roof sheathing. It is 7/16" thick and has the property of being very flat.
The purpose of the board is to make the package more resistant to any long axis twisting
while in transit.
The inner shipping box consists of the glass panel, in this case transoms, wrapped
in bubble wrap and then put into a cardboard box. This box is then strapped to the backing
board to make a rigid unit, if appropriate.
The photo on the left shows the inner packing for two shipping units. The shorter unit
has two transoms of the same length. In this case there is a cardboard sheet between the
bubble wrapped panels within the box. For this unit the edge of the backing board is just
visible in the photo. The second unit contains a single transom 8" longer then the other
two. Thus it must be shipped separately. This unit is shown with the backing board facing
the camera.
Packing units like those shown above are then placed into a larger outer box for shipping.
The outer box surrounds the inner unit with shipping peanuts. There is a cardboard baffle
strip placed in the outer box for the inner packing unit to rest on. This makes sure that
the inner unit cannot shift to the bottom of the outer box during shipping. About 60% of
the bubble wrap and shipping peanuts I use are new. To date, all boxes are made from
recycled cardboard shipping boxes. The outer boxes tend to be large, often just below
the OverSized One or Two FedEx shipping limit. The larger box in the photo above is 12"
deep, 20" high, and 54" long. It contains the longer inner packing unit shown in the
photo above.
Packaging and handling fees, per shipping address, are as follows:
- $25 for the first item (two boxes, bubble wrap, and peanuts are expensive).
- $5 for each additional item that would fit in the same box.
Ground Shipping fees, via Fed Ex Ground, are as follows
The fees depend on weight and distance from Durham NC.
In general a one-item box weighs from 5 to 15 lbs and would cost from $10 to $30 to ship depending on Zip Code (rates as of Jan 2007).
A box with multiple similar items, could weigh up to 30 lbs and the shipping cost would be $25 to $35.
I don't like to exceed 30 lbs for a single box as this increases the chances of a box being dropped.
Thus the total fees for packaging, insurance, and ground shipping are:
- A single item box, of medium size, shipped to an East Coast ground zone would total
about $30.
- A single item box, of medium size, shipped to the West coast would total about $40.
- Multiple item boxes are usually about 25% more then a single item box.
- Locations between the East and West Coasts are about $35.
The above amounts are estimates to give you the general costs associated with shipping
and handling. I include an exact packaging, insurance and shipping fee total in my
e-mail quote for your order. You then review that amount, along with the estimated
delivery date, prior to any order deposit. When shipped I you the tracking number of
your package.
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Website created by George A. McGinn © 2002-2007.
Page last modified Sept 10, 2007
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