Shipping party and costume supplies: shape, volume, and the right box
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Party supplies weigh little but take up a lot of space. This is how you determine what can be flat, what needs to retain its shape, and which box or envelope is suitable for it.
A wig that comes out of the box flat like a pancake. A mask with a crack in the rim. A cape that arrived perfectly fine, but was in a box three times its size. Party and fancy dress items are a strange category to ship: they weigh almost nothing, but they take up a lot of space, often have a shape that shouldn't be flattened, and half of them are made of thin material that, if bent incorrectly once, is visibly damaged.
If you sell costumes, accessories or decorations — as a webshop, via a marketplace, or simply because you're reselling something after a party — this is the logic you need: first determine the volume, then determine what shape needs to be maintained, and only then choose a box.
For party supplies, you pay for space, not for weight
A complete costume with a cape and mask rarely weighs more than a few hundred grams. So the cost is not in the weight but in the size of your shipment. That makes the first question always the same: can this be flat, or does it need to maintain its shape?
Anything that can be flattened, you want to make as thin as possible, because then a letterbox package comes into play. Our recycled letterbox box A6 of 180 x 115 x 28 mm (bundle of 100 pieces, € 17.95) and the A5+ of 255 x 160 x 28 mm (bundle of 100 pieces, € 24.00) are both 28 mm high. That height is the whole point: it determines whether your shipment can be treated as letterbox mail. So always measure your filled box at its thickest point and not at the lid, and check the current size and weight conditions with your carrier before buying a whole stock.
If it needs to maintain its volume, a cube box is often more efficient than a long flat box. A cardboard shipping box of 15 x 15 x 15 cm (€ 1.99) takes up little space relative to what it can hold, and for large or multi-part shipments, the moving box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm (50 liters, € 3.50) works perfectly if you're sending a complete theme package in one go.
What can be flat, and what absolutely cannot
A simple classification that you can use for almost any party item:
Can be flat: textiles without padding — capes, dresses, trousers, scarves, flags, gloves, folded inflatable items. Fold along existing seams, not straight through a print.
Cannot be flat: anything with a hollow shape that needs to remain intact upon arrival. Hats, caps, masks, wigs, tiaras, wings, and anything with feathers or plush.
Doubtful cases: items with a stiff edge or support piece. These can go into a smaller box, but only if you fill the hollow space so that nothing can collapse.
For that third group, the trick is simple: fill the shape from the inside. A wad of paper or a piece of bubble wrap of 50 x 500 cm (€ 5.00) inside the crown of a hat or the hood of a mask will maintain the shape and simultaneously absorb impacts. Without that filling, the shape itself bears the weight of anything that might be placed on top in the sorting facility.
Masks, glasses, and decorations: hard material breaks at the edge
Hard masks, plastic tiaras, glasses, and decorations with thin protrusions rarely break in the middle. They break at the edge, at an eye, or at a point pressing against the bottom of the box. Two habits help:
Never place a hard item directly against the wall. Maintain a layer of padding all around, so that a bump to the box doesn't directly impact the product. A bubble wrap roll of 500 mm wide (500 meters, € 12.95) is the fastest to use for this layer: unroll once, wrap around the product, done.
Wrap loose parts separately. If a set includes a headband, a cap, and a belt, these parts will rub against each other during transit. Wrapping each part separately takes thirty seconds and prevents scratches on glossy surfaces.
If you're sending something made of glass — for example, party glasses — ensure at least a finger's width of padding between the product and the wall, and make sure nothing can shift if you shake the box. If you hear something moving, the box isn't full enough.
Textiles and accessories: a bubble envelope is often enough
For clothing without hard parts, a box may not be necessary. A padded envelope protects against moisture and chafing and is lightweight. The size you choose depends on what you are sending:
When it comes to envelopes, pay attention to one thing: they stretch. An envelope that you stuff to the brim will become thicker than you think and thus fall outside the letterbox size. If you fill it more than three-quarters, choose a larger size or switch to a box.
Closing, marking, and the upcoming return
Party items are returned relatively often — a size that doesn't fit, a color that looked different. It is therefore worthwhile to close your shipment in such a way that the customer can open it without destroying the packaging.
Briefly write what's inside on the outside if you're preparing multiple packages at once — with a set of permanent markers (5 pieces, 3 colors, € 4.95), you'll have that done in a second. And if you want to give the inside of the box a festive base without losing extra protection: pink foam hearts as decorative filling (approximately 77 pieces, € 4.99) fill hollow space and immediately look like part of the gift.
Briefly summarized
First determine if the item can be flat; this decides whether you need a letterbox box or a regular box.
Fill hollow shapes from the inside, otherwise the shape itself will bear the weight.
Wrap hard and loose parts separately, and keep hard material away from the wall.
Fill envelopes a maximum of three-quarters, otherwise you will lose the letterbox size.
Close neatly with one strip of tape and take into account a return.
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