Whether you are an online seller or a private individual, you have ever asked yourself how to ship a bottle. There are several ways to pack and wrap a bottle, some of them are more appropriate to send on a large scale and others are more suitable to occasionally ship a bottle of alcohol to a close friend or relative (for example for Christmas).
The easiest solution is to buy a specific cardboard box to carry bottles of alcohol. Simply called "bottle box", this cardboard box is equipped with a cardboard cushioning module which will keep the bottle in place during transport, it will also absorb any shocks due to the handling of the shipping box. There are several models of bottle boxes: the individual boxes for one bottle, the boxes for 3 bottles and the boxes for 6 bottles.
Qualities: they keep the bottle in place thanks to their cardboard cushioning module, they are shock-resistant, low price
If you don't have on hand a bottle box, you can still ship a bottle of wine thanks to a shipping material like the cardboard box (or a postal box, it depends on the size and the number of bottles to send) and a protective packaging like an air cushion. You just have to line the bottom of the box with air cushions, do the same for each side. Place the bottle on the middle of the box then line air cushions over the bottle in order to create a protective area around the bottle of alcohol. Do not hesitate to line a lot of air cushions in order to wedge the bottle and prevent it to move during transport.
Qualities: optimal wedging of the bottle of wine
The bubble wrap is as protective as the air cushion. There are several diameters of bubble from 10 mm to 30 mm. The biggest the bubble, the most protective it is for heavy or fragile objects. Large-sized bubbles are also used to wedge objects in a cardboard box. So, you should use a large-sized bubble film (30 mm) to protect and keep the bottle in place in its shipping box. Such as the air cushions, you have to line the bottom and the sides of the box with bubble wrap. Do not hesitate to line several layers of bubble film. Then, you just have to place the bottle in the middle and line bubble wrap over the bottle.
Qualities: optimal protection of the bottle of wine
The best solution to send a bottle of alcohol is the bottle box because it was made to protect and carry a glass bottle. Furthermore, to buy the bottle box is more cost-effective because the cardboard cushioning module is included when you buy the box unlike the other two solutions where you have to buy two packaging materials (a shipping material and a protective wrapping).
To be sure that your parcel will be sent in the best conditions, you need to inform the delivery man that your parcel is fragile. And the best way to do it is to use a "Fragile" tape. With its white back and its red writing, you can't miss it! We recommend you to put your Fragile tape all around the parcel in order to be seen by the delivery man.
Qualities: highly visible, low price
Well, it depends on the weight of your parcel. Here is a table with the price for the first and second class letters and parcels sent by the Post Office:
Format and Max Measurements | Max Weight | 1st Class Price | 2nd Class Price |
Letter (24 x 16.5x 0.5 cm) | 100g | 65p | 56p |
Large letter (35.3 x 25 x 2.5 cm) | 100g | 98p | 76p |
250g | £1.30 | £1.22 | |
500g | £1.74 | £1.58 | |
750g | £2.52 | £2.14 | |
Small parcel (45 x 35 x 16 cm) | 1kg | £3.40 | £2.90 |
2kg | £5.50 | £2.90 | |
Medium parcel (61 x 46 x 46 cm) | 1kg | £5.70 | £5.00 |
2kg | £8.95 | £5.00 | |
5kg | £15.85 | £13.75 | |
10kg | £21.90 | £20.25 | |
20kg | £33.40 | £28.55 |