How To Pack An Owl Lamp

There is a huge profit on Ebay selling those owl lamps you see at the thrift store or garage sale. Don't be intimidated by their size. If you follow my advice, your lamp will arrive safely to it's buyer.

I have sold two of these lamps for $100. The first one broke but was insured. The second arrived safely. These are the lamps I have sold. I do not sell the shade.

You will need the following supplies to pack your lamp:

1 LARGE BOX  You will want one that opens horizontally so your lamp can lay down. There is less chance of it breaking if it is not standing upright.

2 PIECES OF STYROFOAM BOARD


PACKING PEANUTS


BUBBLEWRAP


BROWN PACKING PAPER OR NEWSPAPER


RUBBER BAND OR TWIST TIE 


PACKING TAPE


Place one piece of styrofoam board on the bottom of the box. You can also add some big bubble wrap on top of that for extra padding. Put about 3 to 4 inches of peanuts into the box. Start wrapping the lamp. Use the rubber band or twist tie to wrap up the cord. Bubble wrap the cord.

Next, bubble wrap the light socket. Be sure to use enough so the socket does not get bent in shipping. If your lamp has spaces between the owls and the tree trunk, you will want to stuff brown packing paper or newspaper in that space. If your lamp has a bowl, pack paper into that as well.

Bubble wrap each owl individually. Again, be sure you are using enough wrap. Once all the owls are wrapped, wrap the whole lamp in more bubble wrap. Use enough so that it looks like a mummy. You want your lamp to arrive in one piece.

Once the lamp is all wrapped up, lay it down in your box. Fill in all the empty space with packing peanuts. Cover the lamp completely with peanuts. Next add the last piece of styrofoam. Close the box and tape it up. Be sure to mark the box with Fragile stickers. I know alot of sellers believe by marking the box fragile, you are putting a big bullseye on it, but in case your lamp does break, the buyer can not say you did not mark it.

Because of the size, it is most likely going to ship by dimensional cost rather than weight. The first time I shipped, I used parcel post and it cost around $30 to ship from WI to CA. The lamp ended up breaking. I had not used packing peanuts but crumpled up grocery bags. Not a good idea! I also had shipped it standing up and I am sure it fell over.

The second lamp, I shipped FedEx from WI to CA and it cost $80 If I had printed the label at home, I could have saved $20. Parcel Post would have cost around $30 but since my first lamp broke shipping it USPS, I decided to give FedEx a chance. I used the above instructions on this one and it arrived safely.

I priced my first lamp at $150 with free shipping since I was using parcel post and knew shipping would be around $30 at the most depending on where my buyer was. I accepted an offer of $130. The second lamp I priced at $200 with free shipping. I did not add a Best Offer to it. Both lamps sold within 2 months of listing.

One last piece of advice. Buy insurance. If your lamp does happen to break, you won't be out your money.