I am often asked 'What is the best way to ship a quilt'. For my business we have shipped hundreds of quilts over the last 24 years. From a single quilt to boxes of items for events.
Gregg, my husband, has run the 'Shipping Department' here at the Sloan Zone since we started our company. I asked him to give you the low down on the best way to package and ship your quilt.
See my video at the end with a behind the scenes shipping story!
Take it away Gregg!
From Gregg:
First of all, one important difference between the quilts we send and those that you want to send is that you likely have more personal attachment to your quilts than we do to ours. Most of our quilts are made for business and we send a lot of them around the country, and the world. When one of our quilts goes missing it is disappointing and frustrating, but it's not the end of the world. For us it is a cost of doing business and Pat either makes another one for the contract or we take the loss and move on. That said, we have only had two quilts go missing and one damaged in transit in the 20 some years we have been shipping them.
Of course the safest way to send an heirloom quilt is to give it in person. When that's not practical, shipping with some sort of tracking is essential. We use all three of the major shippers: USPS, UPS and FedEx. In all honesty I can say that I don't find any one of them more reliable than the others. We have had success with all of them and we have had failures with all of them. Here are a few tips for shipping:
-- Place the quilt in a clear plastic bag (don't use a dark trash bag).
-- Place a sheet of paper with the TO and FROM address on it inside the bag with the quilt. Include phone numbers and email addresses too. Be sure it is visible through the plastic bag.
-- Use a strong box and place some kind of padding on all sides of the quilt. You may also want to reinforce the insides of the flap ends of the box with some additional sheets of cardboard.
-- Seal the box on all seams with good packing tape.
-- Do not hand address the package. Use an official pre printed label with all the tracking bar codes on it. We have shipping
accounts and print our own labels. If you don't have a way to print it yourself you may have to take it to a retail desk to have them print the label for you.
-- Double check the delivery address and take a photo of the box and label. Be sure the weight and dimensions are correct.
-- You probably will want to require a signature for delivery. That may be more effort for the recipient if they are not home, but the package will not be sitting unattended on a doorstep.
-- Try to send the package on a Monday so it isn't spending the weekend stuck in a warehouse.
-- Use the fastest shipping rate your budget will allow. Less time in transit means less time to possibly get lost. Shipping should be 1 to 5 days in the contiguous U.S. for UPS ground and FedEx ground. USPS Priority Mail will generally be faster but will likely cost more. You can check the websites with your zip codes to be sure of cost and transit times.
-- You may choose to insure the quilt, but we rarely do it because unless you have a certified appraisal it is likely difficult to prove more than the value of the fabric.
-- Be sure to get a printed receipt when you drop off the quilt to the shipper. That verifies that they properly scanned the package and they have possession.
-- Advise the recipient of the tracking number and include them and yourself on status notifications.
-- Be sure to tell the recipient not to use a box cutter to open the package.
-- Confirm with the recipient that they got the package as soon as the status indicates delivery. If they didn't get it, immediately follow up on both ends with customer service to find out where it is. Have the recipient try to contact their local delivery office and the national office. Sometimes the local office can follow up directly with the driver.
In our experience, when there is a delay or something in the tracking looks messed up, the package will eventually get delivered. But do try to follow up with the carrier if it looks like there is a problem.
Article continues below this Ad
Thanks Gregg!
My top 5 items are
Use a printed label with barcode, NEVER HAND WRITE a label
Use a very sturdy box
Put your contact information inside with the quilt
Sign up for Tracking
As soon as the tracking says the box is delivered, ask the person to confirm they got it. If it has not been delivered get on the phone right away to start tracking it. Time is essential for finding out where it is.
Let me know if this was helpful! I am adding it to my sew along website so You can find this when you need it.
I am often asked 'What is the best way to ship a quilt'. For my business we have shipped hundreds of quilts over the last 24 years. From a single quilt to boxes of items for events.
Gregg, my husband, has run the 'Shipping Department' here at the Sloan Zone since we started our company. I asked him to give you the low down on the best way to package and ship your quilt.
See my video at the end with a behind the scenes shipping story!
Take it away Gregg!
From Gregg:
First of all, one important difference between the quilts we send and those that you want to send is that you likely have more personal attachment to your quilts than we do to ours. Most of our quilts are made for business and we send a lot of them around the country, and the world. When one of our quilts goes missing it is disappointing and frustrating, but it's not the end of the world. For us it is a cost of doing business and Pat either makes another one for the contract or we take the loss and move on. That said, we have only had two quilts go missing and one damaged in transit in the 20 some years we have been shipping them.
Of course the safest way to send an heirloom quilt is to give it in person. When that's not practical, shipping with some sort of tracking is essential. We use all three of the major shippers: USPS, UPS and FedEx. In all honesty I can say that I don't find any one of them more reliable than the others. We have had success with all of them and we have had failures with all of them. Here are a few tips for shipping:
-- Place the quilt in a clear plastic bag (don't use a dark trash bag).
-- Place a sheet of paper with the TO and FROM address on it inside the bag with the quilt. Include phone numbers and email addresses too. Be sure it is visible through the plastic bag.
-- Use a strong box and place some kind of padding on all sides of the quilt. You may also want to reinforce the insides of the flap ends of the box with some additional sheets of cardboard.
-- Seal the box on all seams with good packing tape.
-- Do not hand address the package. Use an official pre printed label with all the tracking bar codes on it. We have shipping
accounts and print our own labels. If you don't have a way to print it yourself you may have to take it to a retail desk to have them print the label for you.
-- Double check the delivery address and take a photo of the box and label. Be sure the weight and dimensions are correct.
-- You probably will want to require a signature for delivery. That may be more effort for the recipient if they are not home, but the package will not be sitting unattended on a doorstep.
-- Try to send the package on a Monday so it isn't spending the weekend stuck in a warehouse.
-- Use the fastest shipping rate your budget will allow. Less time in transit means less time to possibly get lost. Shipping should be 1 to 5 days in the contiguous U.S. for UPS ground and FedEx ground. USPS Priority Mail will generally be faster but will likely cost more. You can check the websites with your zip codes to be sure of cost and transit times.
-- You may choose to insure the quilt, but we rarely do it because unless you have a certified appraisal it is likely difficult to prove more than the value of the fabric.
-- Be sure to get a printed receipt when you drop off the quilt to the shipper. That verifies that they properly scanned the package and they have possession.
-- Advise the recipient of the tracking number and include them and yourself on status notifications.
-- Be sure to tell the recipient not to use a box cutter to open the package.
-- Confirm with the recipient that they got the package as soon as the status indicates delivery. If they didn't get it, immediately follow up on both ends with customer service to find out where it is. Have the recipient try to contact their local delivery office and the national office. Sometimes the local office can follow up directly with the driver.
In our experience, when there is a delay or something in the tracking looks messed up, the package will eventually get delivered. But do try to follow up with the carrier if it looks like there is a problem.
Article continues below this Ad
Thanks Gregg!
My top 5 items are
Use a printed label with barcode, NEVER HAND WRITE a label
Use a very sturdy box
Put your contact information inside with the quilt
Sign up for Tracking
As soon as the tracking says the box is delivered, ask the person to confirm they got it. If it has not been delivered get on the phone right away to start tracking it. Time is essential for finding out where it is.
Let me know if this was helpful! I am adding it to my sew along website so You can find this when you need it.
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