Sending pottery through the post: UK cover and packing

A pottery shop needs two answers before dispatch: how to protect the object and who carries the financial risk if it does not arrive intact. A tracked delivery scan answers neither on its own. This is especially relevant when your stock includes glazed bowls, porcelain ornaments and mixed-material pieces. They may look similar on a shop page but appear under different wording in a carrier’s conditions. The official pages and UK domestic AirPost examples below were checked on 10 October 2026.

Can I send ceramics in the post if they are excluded from compensation? #

Acceptance and compensation are separate decisions. A carrier can agree to carry an item while excluding the cost of losing or breaking it. Read the prohibited-items section first, then the compensation exclusions. If the object is accepted, that only resolves the first question. You still need suitable packaging and a clear understanding of which events, if any, the purchased service will compensate. Keep the exact service name with your dispatch record.

Describe the object precisely when checking conditions: stoneware bowl, porcelain figurine, ceramic planter or glass-and-ceramic ornament. Do not replace that description with “gift” or “homeware” because those broad words hide the material. Ask the provider of the label to resolve ambiguous wording before booking. For a mixed-material product, ask about the complete item as sold. A non-ceramic base does not necessarily remove an exclusion affecting the decorative top.

Does Evri parcel cover include pottery or porcelain? #

The Evri contents list places ceramic and related materials, including porcelain and china, under items excluded from compensation. Its separate cover FAQ says these accepted non-compensation items travel at the sender’s risk. A general cover selector should therefore not be read as confirmation that your porcelain order is covered. Confirm the terms attached to your purchase, especially if you buy through another platform.

For your dispatch decision, record the exclusion beside the chosen product reference. That makes the decision visible when another person prepares the next order. If the financial risk is unacceptable, obtain a suitable alternative before shipping. Do not expect thicker bubble wrap to change the category on the contents list. Packaging can help protect the object, but eligibility is a contractual question that needs its own answer.

Will Parcelforce compensate a broken porcelain order? #

The current Parcelforce exclusions page lists ceramics made wholly or partly from china or porcelain as excluded from compensation for damage on all services. Check the separate loss section too; the two categories are not interchangeable. This is why buying more compensation is not a substitute for checking material exclusions. A higher limit answers how much might be available for an eligible claim, not whether this breakage is eligible.

The same page excludes consequential loss, including labour costs, and says postage is not refunded for damage claims. Keep those points separate from the value of the object. Your work making a replacement, its packaging and the cost of dispatching it may form part of your shop’s real loss even when a claim calculation considers only a permitted contents value. Avoid putting an expected carrier payment into your margin calculation before eligibility has been established.

Use the current conditions available for your purchase rather than a saved screenshot from an earlier sale. Write down what you checked and when. If a provider gives you a different answer about your particular ceramic material, keep that answer with the booking details and ask how it fits the published exclusion. Resolve the disagreement before handing over the parcel; an unresolved assumption becomes much harder to manage after an order has broken.

How does Royal Mail recommend packing fragile pottery? #

Royal Mail’s fragile-item guide recommends a sturdy box, at least 5 cm of cushioning around each item and robust cardboard dividers when sending multiple pieces. It advises against balled-up newspaper and airbag-style pillows as the protective wrapping for fragile goods. Follow the requirements of your booked service as well. The guide gives a packing starting point; it does not prove that a particular label covers your ceramic material.

For a bowl, make the first packing demonstration with the exact shape you sell. Check the rim, base and any uneven decoration before wrapping. Photograph where each protected bowl sits and how the dividers keep the pieces apart. Do not demonstrate the method using a smaller, smoother item and expect the person packing to improvise around your actual shape. A bowl with projecting decoration may need a different arrangement from a plain bowl of the same nominal diameter.

Review the presentation packaging separately. A branded sleeve might be useful to the customer while doing little to hold the object inside a transport carton. In your instruction, name the protective components and the components supplied for presentation. The person preparing the order can then check both without mistaking one for the other. Include the customer’s unpacking order in your trial: it should be clear which protected piece is removed first.

What does sending pottery cost on a UK AirPost route? #

The AirPost UK–UK service page, retrieved on 10 October 2026, shows the following medium-format offers. These are prices including the platform fee of €0.85. The person preparing the order is paid separately. AirPost settles these amounts in euros; the page can also show indicative sterling equivalents. The table uses the euro display so the preparation amount and label amount share the same accounting currency.

Suppose the completed box for your bowl order fits that category and the selected service’s own limits. Using the Royal Mail row gives €12.76 before packaging and other costs. The Evri row is €1.69 lower, but the material exclusion remains part of that choice. None of these price observations establishes breakage cover. Compare eligible services first, then compare their full costs.

What should I record before handing a pottery order to a packer? #

1. 1

   Identify the ceramic material

   Use the supplier specification or your own product record. Include glass or other materials incorporated into the same object.

2. 2

   Resolve the cover question

   Check acceptance, loss, damage and additional cover separately for the exact label. Keep any clarification with the service name.

3. 3

   Demonstrate the packed product

   Provide your chosen box and protection, with photos of the actual bowl arrangement and any dividers. Measure the finished carton.

4. 4

   Agree how to handle an exception

   If the form, material or carton differs from the demonstrated version, have the person preparing it contact the shop before dispatch.

With AirPost local fulfilment, your stock goes to a person who packs and dispatches orders near your customers. For a pottery shop, give that person the product-specific packaging materials and explain the service decision alongside the packing method. The handover should contain enough detail to distinguish a protected bowl order from a similarly named item with a different material. Keep this responsibility clear when discussing the preparation fee.

What evidence should I keep if pottery arrives broken? #

Ask the customer to retain the carton and internal protection while you establish the claim route. Request useful photographs without asking them to handle loose sharp fragments. Match the pictures to the packing version and product reference you recorded. Keep the purchase or production records you actually have and the sale documentation for this order. Describe what arrived broken; do not turn a damage report into a missing-parcel claim simply because compensation rules differ.

The guide to a lost or damaged parcel as a shop explains the separate information needed for a claim. Your customer resolution also needs a decision on its own merits. An excluded carrier claim does not make the broken item intact, and an accepted submission is not proof that a payment will follow. Review whether the same packing version is still being used for other orders before dispatching the next batch.