Wrapping and posting a gift so it arrives looking like a gift

A gift has to survive being stacked, sorted and dropped before anyone sees it. Almost everything that goes wrong is decided by the outer packing, not the wrapping inside it.

Two layers, always

Wrap the item as a gift, then put the wrapped item inside a plain outer carton with space around it. Wrapping paper on the outside arrives scuffed and torn at the corners, and a decorated outer box also advertises what is inside.

Fill the empty space

Damage in transit comes from movement, not from pressure. Anything that rattles when you shake the closed box will keep rattling for the whole journey. Paper, bubble wrap or cloth around the item stops that.

Fragile items

• Glass, ceramic and plated items should not touch the carton wall — leave a finger’s width of padding on every side.
• Candles soften and can deform in a hot vehicle; keep them away from the box edge where heat gets in first.
• Liquids in a bath set should be sealed in a bag so a leak does not reach anything else.

Where the invoice goes

When an order is going straight to the person receiving it, we put the invoice in the parcel rather than taped to the gift itself, so it can be lifted out and thrown away without unwrapping anything. If you would rather it went elsewhere, say so on the order and we will do that.

Timing

Order to arrive a few days early rather than on the date. Courier networks slow down around festivals, and a gift that arrives two days late has no second chance.