How do you ship leather jackets?

[ksunnyh]

Not sure if this is the right section, but how do you guys ship leather jackets? I just purchased one online and want to make sure it arrives without any odd weird creasing.

 

[Carlos840]

The time it takes to ship a leather jacket shouldn't be enough to create creasing problem.
Every jacket i have received was just folded in half, wrapped in a sheet of bubble wrap and packed in a cardboard box.

Creasing will be an issue if you stuff a jacket in a gym bag for a few months, but neatly folded in half for a few days in a box will be fine.

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ What he said. Responsibility of seller, but you should check it out when you receive it.

 

[Guppy]

The time it takes to ship a leather jacket shouldn't be enough to create creasing problem.
Every jacket i have received was just folded in half, wrapped in a sheet of bubble wrap and packed in a cardboard box.

Creasing will be an issue if you stuff a jacket in a gym bag for a few months, but neatly folded in half for a few days in a box will be fine.

Assuming it's broken in already, yes.

Any new jacket I've had shipped to me by the maker was sent laying flat in a cardboard box, not folded. They also bag them or wrap them to protect against water, scratches, etc.

 

[Justhandguns]

I had a few jackets arrived in the tiniest possible packages that you could imagine. No serious crease or mark. The only thing that can go wrong would be the the main zipper, if it has one.

 

[Monitor]

What I do is lay the jacket flat, cross the sleeves at the front and just horizontally fold it over once. Plastic bag then and into the the cardboard box it goes. Plastic bag or a plastic wrap sheet is a must, though! Make sure the jacket's protected by something. Cardboard isn't waterproof.

It's not that hard to find a good cardboard box and little extra room won't hurt. I have gotten one jacket in a really tiny box that was all wrinkled up at the sides. The worst are the sellers that ship in paper wrap...

 

[ton312]

Plastic is an absolute must. Fold it gently. Don't cram it to save a buck or two. I always double the cardboard at the seams where someone may use a knife to open it, just in case they get two aggressive. When I open a box with a leather jacket...it's like I'm a brain surgeon.

 

[handymike]

I had one arrive from SE Asia once that was crammed into a 6"x6" cube...I kid you not.
Saved on shipping,but it took a lot of water/steam treatments to get those wrinkles out.
Upshot was that the moldy smell disappeared with all the steam

 

[Americanaaa Mark]

Well, I was told by a guy I bought a jacket from on here that he sent it wrapped in plastic and then in a cardboard box. He said that the plastic is so the cardboard doesn't dry the leather. I'm guessing if it's going to be in transit for a while the cardboard could pull moister from the jacket?

 

[Monitor]

Plastic is an absolute must. Fold it gently. Don't cram it to save a buck or two. I always double the cardboard at the seams where someone may use a knife to open it, just in case they get two aggressive. When I open a box with a leather jacket...it's like I'm a brain surgeon.

That! Just a tiny incision here and there, simply to get the tape to split up by itself.

 

[Monitor]

Well, I was told by a guy I bought a jacket from on here that he sent it wrapped in plastic and then in a cardboard box. He said that the plastic is so the cardboard doesn't dry the leather. I'm guessing if it's going to be in transit for a while the cardboard could pull moister from the jacket?

I'm not sure about that but that box is gonna get kicked around a lot. Especially if it's traveling overseas. It might end up waiting in the rain or worse... I've been working for a courier service. It can get bad and not because of the negligence. You transport stuff on a forklift from one warehouse to another, just waiting for them to open the doors in the downpour is enough to get the box soaked and it's the jacket that's gonna be sucking up that moisture for the rest of the journey. The plastic is there to prevent this.

Final stage of the delivery can be the worst. I've just recently read here how someone's jacket got all ruined because the courier just left the box in front of the door and it was raining. Just because they didn't bother wrapping the jacket in plastic. Any superstore plastic bag could've saved it.

 

[Guppy]

Well, I was told by a guy I bought a jacket from on here that he sent it wrapped in plastic and then in a cardboard box. He said that the plastic is so the cardboard doesn't dry the leather. I'm guessing if it's going to be in transit for a while the cardboard could pull moister from the jacket?

That seems unlikely. Why don't people who wash a leather jacket by cramming it into a cardboard box then? How long is it going to be in the mail for? Like ten days, two weeks max?

 

[AeroFan_07]

Bumping this thread back to life - this might be a good place to discuss our recent observations of "Bailed" jackets...

 

[Marc mndt]

Let's share some real life examples.

Wrong

RIGHT

 

[Marc mndt]

Another example of how one should NOT ship a jacket.

Luckily the jacket is made from supple cow leather but if it were horsehide there's no doubt it would come out heavily creased. The kind of creases you don't want.

Also, there were layers and layers of tape over plastic which I had to cut through with scissors, with high risk of damaging the leather.

Anyway, all's well that ends well The jacket came out undamaged and I absolutely love it.

 

[AeroFan_07]

For folks in the USA - these boxes ordered through Staples have been a gamechanger for me. Simple, inexpensive and approprate for both jackets & boots. Plus - the Height of the box really affects shipping costs. For right around $1.00 a box, these are more than worth it to me:

https://www.staples.com/20-L-x-14-W...32-ECT-Brown-25-Bundle-PRA0112/product_426345

 

[handymike]

What is the shipping cost with these boxes vs the USPS flat rate ones?

 

[Marc mndt]

Thedi shipped me a jacket in a small Fedex flat rate box and the jacket was folded into quarters like a piece of paper in your pocket. Their leather is not overly thick and was supple so the creases did not last but I thought they should have used a larger box.

Strange, I guess Thedi has since upgraded their packaging. My Thedi was packed in a huge box, I think it was at least 30' wide.

 

[AeroFan_07]

What is the shipping cost with these boxes vs the USPS flat rate ones?

Not alot of differance when you factor in the cost of the box itself (some they charge for, some they do not.) That said, I have run into issues with USPS and tracking (especially around the 2020 US Christmas season) and so I try to use FedEX much more often. I have an account with our local Fed EX store and auto billing, so it's just a lot simpler too.

I shipped a 9 lb jacket to Seattle last week in one of the boxes shown here and it was $32. Plus I do not have to stuff it into a box it was not designed for. That's the main benefit - just a simple single fold for most jacket - wrapped in plastic. Easy to tape all the seams and insure a consistent, secure package. I prefer to pay a little more and insure good customer satisfaction in the end.

 

[handymike]

Just wondering so I could factor it all in.
These boxes look like they are a great size for jackets. Thanks for the link!