Lladró is a Spanish company that produces exquisitely hand-crafted porcelain figurines. Pieces usually depict a variety of subjects including humans, animals, and flowers as well as functional art such as vases and lamps.
Because of the secret blend of hard-paste porcelain, time-honored craftsmanship, and world-renowned name each Lladro figurine carries, they are most sought-after items among serious collectors. In fact, Lladro figurines are one of the most popular items sold on eBay! A piece can cost anywhere from $200 to $15,000 depending on the size and complexity of the design.
Because of its fragile nature and value, Lladro pieces must be properly packed prior to shipping to ensure that they survive the often rough shipping environment and arrive safely and unbroken. Here are some tips on how to properly pack and ship a Lladro piece or any other fragile figurine.
If the original packaging is available and still intact, by all means, use it. It will provide optimum protection for your Lladro piece. Just make sure that the padding or foam that comes with it can still hold the figurine in place. Otherwise, it is wiser to double-box the item in a new sturdy box and use lots of packing material to keep it cushioned and in place.
The inner box should be about 3 inches bigger than your figurine on all sides and top. You may need to cut a box to size to meet this requirement.
Cut to size a piece of ½ inch plywood that will fit snugly onto the bottom of the inner box. Trace the plywood onto a sheet of 1-inch rigid foam insulation and cut the foam to size. Both plywood and foam should fit snugly into the box.
Place you Lladro figurine on top of the foam, making sure that it is positioned in the center and none of its sides are less than 3 inches from the edge of the foam. Trace the base of the figurine on the foam cut out the area you traced. The foam will now have a piece of foam with a hole in it the same shape as the base of the figurine.
Place the figurine in the hole to test that it fits snuggly Make any necessary adjustments to the hole to ensure that the figurine sits all the way down to the wood.
Take the figurine out of the hole and glue the foam to the plywood. Use a glue gun or any quick drying adhesive.
When the glue has dried up, place the figurine inside the hole and start padding the item. Use wadded soft tissue paper to protect any pointed or protruding element on the Lladro figurine. Secure the tissue in place with blue painters tape. Only use this type of tape as other types may leave adhesive residue on the figurine.
Cover the figurine with sheets of bubble wrap and hold them in place with painters tape. All parts of the figurine must be covered with bubble wrap. Then wrap the entire item with shrink wrap.
Place the figurine inside the inner box. Cut four panels of foam board that will fit on all four inner sides of the box, leaving just enough space to a foam board topper. Insert the foam panels on four side of the box to create a foam box.
Fill any remaining spaces between the figurine and the foam boards with rolled up bubble wrap. Cut another piece of foam to place on the top of the foam box. Close the box and tape it well with packaging tape.
Place 3 inches of packing peanuts inside a box that is 3 inches larger than the inner box. Lay the smaller box on top of the peanuts, in the center of the larger box. Fill the remaining spaces with packing peanuts. The box should be well-packed up to the top. Close the outer box and shake slightly to test if there is any movement inside. If you sense any shifting, add more packing peanuts. Otherwise, seal the box with packing tape and secure all seams and flaps including those in the bottom.
Address and label the package and take to your local post office or shipping company. Don’t forget to insure the item.