How to Ship a Mirror
Shipping mirrors is a tricky business. Not only are they one of the most fragile glass items to ship, but they are also very heavy, bulky, and require specific packaging handling to accommodate their (often) odd dimensions. If you ever find yourself needing to ship a mirror, you’ve come to the right place! This guide is about how to properly pack a mirror, choose the best service for your needs, and save the most money on the label. It’s time to reflect!
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UPS usually sends mirrors at the best price
Mirrors are an odd shape compared to the normal items people tend to ship; you usually have two longer sizes, and then a third very small size (often just a few inches or less).This smaller dimension explains high, when you lay the mirror flat. Mirrors are more expensive to ship due to their irregular shape, and some of their sizes are too large for the USPS to handle.So if you’re looking for the cheapest and best full-service, all you need is UPS ground.
UPS Ground is the cheapest service UPS offers, with a maximum weight of 150 pounds, perfect for sending mirrors. It’s also the slowest domestic service, but typically, there’s no rush to deliver mirrors overnight or in a few days (unless your client specifically requests it). Therefore, a 1-5 business day delivery window for UPS Ground is perfectly fine.Also, for packages of this irregular size and weight, Ground is a lot of Cheaper than other UPS services.
If you don’t want your mirror in transit at the moment, please use courier
Of course, the longer the mirror sits on the delivery truck, the more likely it is to crack or break in transit. If you want to minimize the time your mirrors spend on the truck, you can always pay for expedited shipping. Below we have listed two of the most popular courier services offered by UPS:
Remember, if you want fast delivery, you have to pay for it! Next Day Air and 2nd Day Air are very fast, but they are also two of the most expensive services offered by UPS. Also, since mirrors are often heavy and require irregularly shaped packaging, these services will cost you more.
Protect your mirror with a sturdy outer box and plenty of packing material
By far the most time-consuming part of sending a mirror is getting the protection right is using the right type of packaging material and finding the right size cardboard box to fit it. Mirrors are some of the most fragile items, so we’ve listed some basic steps you can follow to best protect them for shipping:
- Start by finding the right size outer cardboard box.As a rule of thumb, you want a box that fits the mirror as closely as possible, but still leaves room for enough packing material
- Cover the glass portion of the mirror with bubble wrap (we recommend using as large a bubble as possible, depending on the size of the mirror you’re sending).Wrap it around the mirror at least twice for added security
- Once you’ve wrapped it in bubbles, place two sheets of sturdy corrugated cardboard on the top and bottom of the mirror.These cardboards are then attached to the first layer of bubble wrap to hold them in place
- Cover the mirror completely again with another layer of bubble wrap and secure the bubble wrap to itself with plenty of packing tape
- Place the foam wrapped mirror in a sturdy corrugated cardboard box, depending on the size of the mirror (it helps if you don’t do this yourself!)
- After placing the mirror in the box, fill as much interior space as possible with “filler” packing material (like packing peanuts or air pillows)
- If your budget allows, it is best to use a molded Styrofoam insert that fits the exact size of your mirror and outer packaging
- Tape the outer box and clearly label the outer box “Fragile”
Need a different kind of packaging material?
If you are looking for all these different types of packaging materials we have listed above, the ULINE website has it all. You can search for bubble wrap, cardboard boxes of all sizes, Styrofoam sheets, and more! They even have special boxes for small, medium and large mirrors, which you can check out here.
You may not be able to purchase shipping insurance
Now, the bad news: if you want to protect your cargo, you probably can’t. Many shipping insurance companies specifically exclude glass-based products from coverage. Since mirrors are made of glass, unfortunately, that doesn’t include them either. They’re so fragile that insurance companies don’t want to be held responsible if they get damaged in transit.
That said, some sites Do Allows you to add coverage to your mirrors when purchasing shipping labels! So you’ll have to do some research yourself and read some terms and conditions to see if mirrors and glass items are covered. Whether they do or not is entirely up to the insurance company that works with the shipping software service you use. If you’ve never heard of publishing software, don’t worry; we’re going to the next one.
Save the most money on UPS labels with online shipping software
Because mirrors require odd-sized packaging, shipping them often costs more than most other “normal” packages that carriers ship daily. In the case of sending mirrors, every dollar counts. That’s why it’s so important to save as much as possible on your shipments — and the only way to do that is to use online shipping software to buy postage at a steep discount.
When you use shipping software, you get special pricing levels that carriers typically reserve for large shippers who send tens of thousands of packages each year. For UPS, this level of discount is called a digital access plan.With this app you can sometimes Save up to 50% off Shipping the same package at a UPS store costs!
In addition to saving money, shipping software allows you to schedule pickups from your home or office. That way, you don’t even have to worry about shipping the mirror to your local UPS drop-off point. So say “no” to potential back issues and use shipping software to buy your labels and schedule a pickup. Once you pack your mirrors as best you can, that’s all there is to it!
