Packing Bottles for the B/S/T

Anyone have any general/specific packing advice? I'm thinking of mounting an expedition to clear out the Shave Cave and I don't want to send somebody a bottle that bleeds out en route. I have some large bottles (4711, Tabac family) that I'll probably set free, and both atomizer and splash types.

Plumbers tape helps to seal the thread with pour bottles. Scotch tape helps with spray atomizers as long as you have the cap.

Alternatively, decant into a sturdy plastic bottle, seal with duct tape and put the empty scent bottle in bubble-wrap next to the plastic one.

I've just made sure the cap was tight and the bottle wrapped well in bubble wrap - never heard back there was a problem.

I'd probably take that 4711, and I won't complain on leakage!

When are you posting the goods!?

I have had several edts, aftershaves, etc that were NIB or samples arrive ground by USPS without a problem. Had three samples shipped in atomizers and roll-ons via air from a Basenoter, and they all leaked. I have no positive indication why, but suspect cold air temperature/low air pressure at altitude. Did ask about this on Basenotes, but no one thought there should have been a problem shipping by air. So?????

I always make sure my bottles go into a zip lock bag before I pack for shipping just in case of any leakage. Interestingly I had a couple of bottles delivered not long ago that had tiny balloons stretched over the top of the bottle. Seemed to be a really nice way to prevent any leaking.

rmrdaddy said:

I'd probably take that 4711, and I won't complain on leakage!

When are you posting the goods!?

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I'm going to sort things out this weekend and post at the beginning of next week. Mrs. Nid Hog is making noises about buying a new shelf/cabinet for the bathroom and I stand a good chance of getting a couple of shelves of storage space. I figured that this would be a good time for me to see what I had in drawers or under the sink that wasn't getting any use.

Get some of the "kling-film" or Ceran-wrap type packaging rollers. These smaller than the standard films are used to wrap things, like wooden boards etc together (you can buy a roll for some $3-4 at Homedepot). The film holds up well and can be stretched a bit, wrap a couple times around the neck of the bottle in the same direction as you tighten the cap. This should hold. Alternatively, you can use electricians tape, stretches also nicely and can be removed without residue on the bottle. We are receiving daily chemical bottles in the lab that have their caps secured this way. Do not use a wide sticky tape, it will ruin the bottle, cap and label. I bought something of a guy here and he had the whole bottle pretty much wrapped with sticky clear packaging tape and I ruined the bottle and the cap when I tried to remove it. Even with some alcohol I did not get the sticky stuff off the bottle, nasty.
After you secure the cap, put the bottle in a plastic bag, like a sandwich bag or a larger size if needed. This I wrap then in small-bubble bubble wrap and this again goes into a plastic bag. This whole goes then into a large enough card board box with styro foam chips - priority boxes in the 7x7x6" size are great and they are free. I have packed this way many of bottle of cologne and never had one leak or one arrive in a bad state at my buyers.

BTW, send me a list of the stuff you want to un-load before you post it here......

john parker said:

I have had several edts, aftershaves, etc that were NIB or samples arrive ground by USPS without a problem. Had three samples shipped in atomizers and roll-ons via air from a Basenoter, and they all leaked. I have no positive indication why, but suspect cold air temperature/low air pressure at altitude. Did ask about this on Basenotes, but no one thought there should have been a problem shipping by air. So?????

Click to expand...

Stuff shipped by air is not in a pressurized cabin. Therefore the atmospheric pressure varies greatly. Things are much more likely to leak if shipped by air than if moved in a truck or a train. No question about it.

For atomizers I would suggest securing the cap to the bottle and placing it inside of the original box. Then bubble wrap at least 1" (large bubble) thick placing the box diagonally along the square sheet so you can fold it like a diaper thus not leaving any weak points. Then put it in a sturdy NEW box (new shipping grade box because USPS, Fedex, and UPS won't cover insurance on a pre-used box) with room for 2"of packing peanuts on all sides and then fill to tension so the bottle cannot move around inside the box and is suspended evenly within the packing peanuts. Then tape the box across ALL open edges so it doesn't get caught on the packing sorting machines. As for the second issue, technically you are not allowed to ship alcohol by air and the pressure can contribute to leakage. However, additional handling by ground can increase your chances of damage or loss. Hope this helps.

There's no way I can save all the boxes stuff comes in. I like to receive bottles that have the cap secured and are packed with a "Be Prepared" attitude. An extra plastic bag is always a good idea, too.