How to package & ship glass

Shipping mason jars? Learn how to properly and safely package them for stress-free shipment.

Need to know how to package & ship glass mason jars across the country? In this post you will learn how to:

  • wrap your mason jars so nothing sticks to them
  • secure them in a box so they don’t move
  • learn which way the bubble wrap faces for packaging
  • where to buy affordable shipping labels that are easy to print
  • what type of box to use
  • what materials are needed and where to buy them
How to package and ship glass mason jars so they don't break during shipment.

Affiliate Disclosure. Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. If you make a purchase you will not be charged anything additional.

I am now at a point in my business where I’m no longer creating made items or craft kits and shipping them to customers. While I loved that aspect of my business I am now focusing on my lifestyle blog and showing women how they can be successful mompreneurs. For instance, today’s post on how to package & ship glass for their handmade business.

Not that long ago I used to paint mason jars and ship them all over the world. At first, I was so nervous about shipping glass. Worries of broken mason jars haunted me until I knew the packages arrived safely without issue. Thankfully never once did I get the dreaded email that one of my hand-painted jars broke during shipment.

brown cardboard box with bubble wrapped glass mason jars inside. Brown craft paper stuffed around the jars for cushioning. White paper invoice on top of the glass jars.

Check out these other posts for my fellow creative women entrepreneurs:

How to package & ship glass painted mason jars

I want to share with you my EXACT steps on how I was able to ship hundreds of glass mason jars without ever having one break or even crack.

Packaging & shipping glass jars in a box the easy way

Shipping mason jars? Learn how to properly and safely package them for stress-free shipment.
Total Time30 minutes
Cost: $

Equipment

Materials

Instructions

  • WRAP JAR IN TISSUE PAPER- First, wrap your mason jar in tissue paper. I do this for 2 reasons: 1. it gives it a clean professional look when your customer opens their package, and 2. it keeps the bubble wrap from sticking to the paint. Sometimes humidity causes unwanted sticking of plastic packaging materials like bubble wrap. Tissue paper is lightweight and perfect for protecting the outside of glass jars.
  • ADD SHOCK ABSORBING MATERIAL TO INSIDE OF GLASS JAR- Next you want to add shock absorbing material to the inside of the glass jar. I believe this is one of the KEY reasons why my painted mason jars never broke during shipping. Take a piece of brown paper, you can use brown craft paper or if brown builder's paper, crumple it up and stuff it inside of the glass jar till the inside of the jar is full.
  • WRAP JAR IN BUBBLE WRAP- For this next step you’ll need 2 feet of bubble wrap. Be sure your bubble wrap faces OUT when wrapping glass.
    How to wrap a jar in bubble wrap:
    1. place bubble wrap bubble side down 2. start from the top and roll the jar up in the bubble wrap till you reach the end 3.secure the side of the jar with packing tape 4. use packaging tape to secure the top and bottom, folding over excess so it cushions both ends of the glass mason jar
  • BOXING- Box size will vary depending on how many glass jars you are shipping at once will. For extra shock protection, you will need a cushion at the top and bottom of the cardboard box as well as the sides. If you plan to ship USPS you can use their free with PRIORITY shipping boxes. You can usually get these from your local USPS or you can order the free boxes online here.
    1. assemble the box taping up the bottom end of the box with packing tape and leaving the top open. 2. using the same kind of brown paper as before, crumple up a good cushioned layer and add to the bottom of the box. 3. place your jar or jars inside. 4. add more shock absorbing paper to the top and sides. You want to add enough brown paper so that your jar doesn't have any room to move around inside the box. Then close the top of your box and secure it with packaging tape
  • SHIPPING LABEL- Once you have downloaded your shipping you will then click print. Trim away excess paper then tape it onto the top of the shipping box. Be sure you cover every inch of the label with packaging tape. This prevents it from damages during shipping. Typically three long pieces of tape is enough to cover the entire label.

Packing glass mason jars in a box for shipment

1. WRAP JAR IN TISSUE PAPER

First, wrap your mason jar in tissue paper. I do this for 2 reasons: 1. it gives it a clean professional look when your customer opens their package, and 2. it keeps the bubble wrap from sticking to the paint. Sometimes humidity causes unwanted sticking of plastic packaging materials like bubble wrap. Tissue paper is lightweight and perfect for protecting the outside of glass jars.

protect the outside of a painted mason jar with white tissue paper. Glass mason jar is sitting on a brown paper covered table

2. ADD SHOCK ABSORBING MATERIAL TO INSIDE OF GLASS JAR

Next, you want to add shock-absorbing material to the inside of the glass jar. I believe this is one of the KEY reasons why my painted mason jars never broke during shipping. Take a piece of heavy-duty brown paper, you can use brown craft paper or brown builder’s paper, crumple it up and stuff it inside of the glass jar till the inside of the jar is full.

adding thick brown builders or craft paper to the inside of a glass mason jar to absorb the shocking from shipping. Glass jar is wrapped in tissue paper and there is a crumpled up brown piece of paper next to the jar.

3. WRAP JAR IN BUBBLE WRAP

For this next step you’ll need 2 feet of bubble wrap. Be sure your bubble wrap faces OUT when wrapping glass.

How to wrap a jar in bubble wrap:

  1. place bubble wrap bubble side down
  2. start from the top and roll the jar up in the bubble wrap till you reach the end
  3. secure the side of the jar with packing tape
  4. use packaging tape to secure the top and bottom, folding over excess so it cushions both ends of the glass mason jar

4. BOXING

Box size will vary depending on how many glass jars you are shipping at once will. For extra shock protection, you will need a cushion at the top and bottom of the cardboard box as well as the sides. If you plan to ship USPS you can use their free with PRIORITY shipping boxes. You can usually get these from your local USPS or you can order the free boxes online here.

First, assemble the box taping up the bottom end of the box with packing tape and leaving the top open.

Second, using the same kind of brown paper as before, crumple up a good cushioned layer and add to the bottom of the box.

Third, place your jar or jars inside.

Fourth, add more shock absorbing paper to the top and sides. You want to add enough brown paper so that your jar doesn’t have any room to move around inside the box. Then close the top of your box and secure it with packaging tape.

5. SHIPPING LABEL

If you want to save a little money on shipping labels I HIGHLY recommend purchasing them online. Buying labels at the counter is way more expensive.

Over the years I’ve purchased thousands of shipping labels online. I found the best place to buy them was from PIRATESHIP.COM. When I was shipping packages they had the deepest discounts and great customer service (the one and only time I had an issue with a label). That is not an affiliate link either 🙂 that is my own personal UNPAID opinion.

Printing shipping labels from home? Here are some tips:

You will need a device to print from, like a smartphone, tablet, or computer. You will also need access to a printer, here’s the super inexpensive one I use that works great for my at home printing needs, and copy paper.

Once you have downloaded your shipping you will then click print. Trim away excess paper then tape it onto the top of the shipping box. Be sure you cover every inch of the label with packaging tape. This prevents it from damages during shipping. Typically three long pieces of tape is enough to cover the entire label.

I hope this helps you with shipping glass mason jars. If you have any questions let me know below. Also, be sure to check out these top 10 mason jar crafts you will love.

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