When you spend so much time lovingly creating your resin projects, the last thing you want is for them to get damaged on the way to their owner. Whether you're packaging your creations to sell or to gift to a loved one, you want to make sure they're protected.
In this weeks blog we'll cover some considerations you can make when deciding how to package your creations to send on their way.
Some of the considerations you’ll want to think about packaging when your projects are:
1 - How long do I need to wait before I can package and ship my products.
2 - The size of your project.
3 - The method you’ll be sending your project.
4 - Protecting your project/s.
5 - Your branding.
6 - What extras would I like in my package.
Lets dive into some of these now…
How long do I need to wait before I can package and ship my products:
After about 24 hours, our normal Craft Resin will reach a 95% solidity rate (48 hours if using our Deep Pour resin), which means it should be hard to the touch and you can de-mold your work and start working on the finishing touches to your project. Craft Resin is then fully cured over the next 2 days, when your project reaches the 72 hours mark.
After 72 hours (double that time if using our Deep Pour), you should be able to package and ship your resin project without risk of damaging the surface. However, please note, if you are going to ship your work shortly after 72 hours, please place something like tissue paper between your resin pieces to stop them sticking together during transit.
The above timings are a guide, depending on what you have created will depend how long it takes to fully cure. We would suggest that if you are unsure at all to always leave it longer before de-molding, packaging and shipping. If you have to wait longer before shipping simply make your customer aware of this before you sell them their item, then their expectations will be met and you won’t have any issues with anyone expecting their orders faster.
If for some reason you need a rapid turn around on your projects and you do need to ship them out faster, then add in extra protection like tissue paper between layers and make your customer aware that in order to deliver faster their order may arrive compromised, but they need to take that risk on themselves, not you. If you need it delivered faster and they are local to you, this is the better option as you can hand deliver and keep the items better protected than any delivery company would.
The size of your project:
The larger your project, the more issues and packaging considerations you’ll need to take into account. For most resin items like coasters, jewellery, small trays etc packaging will be pretty simple. With cake stands you can even ship these whilst the layers are apart, the customer can then put them together on arrival, however once again make them aware that this will be the case before hand.
But when it comes to bigger resin artworks, resin tables, geode projects that may have all sorts of sized crystals poking out of it, more packaging imagination and research will be required.
A golden rule with packaging your products, no matter what size, is go all out with the protection!
When your project is smaller it can be really easy to find beautiful/eco/on brand packaging that you can send your creation safely in. A simple website like Amazon should give you lots of options for smaller projects.
The method you’ll be sending your project:
If you are simply handing over your project to your customer/person you’re gifting then again you can be more free with your packing options. Because you have full control over the handling of your package you can choose thinner packaging, maybe padded envelopes over a full on box, or gift bags can look beautiful too.
If you do give your customer an order by hand, please do remember though that they may not be as cautious with the handling of your package as you are, so maybe still pad it out and protect it as much as possible so that they can safely get their purchase home.
If you are going to have to send the package by mail then definitely do your research into the best shipping companies. Some are better than others when it comes to how they handle your package and spending extra on this stage may save you £££s in damaged items being returned to you and the ripples of having unsatisfied customers can have on reviews.
If you are going to send your package via a delivery company then you will need to invest in some extra protective packaging options. Take a look at the next point to see the options for protecting your packages in more detail.
Protecting your project/s:
If you’re unsure, always protect more!
It's always better to be safe than sorry, so when it comes to protecting your items this needs to be one of your highest priorities. It doesn’t matter how pretty the box was when you packaged it, if the delivery company throw it in the air and it’s too flimsy to protect your projects you’ll end up with unhappy customers.
So think about using boxes that are sturdy instead of thinner packages or gift bags. If sending really small items then you may be able to get away with using envelopes with inner padding to them, you may still want to wrap your resin creation before placing it in this to add some extra protection, and wow factor when they open their order.
When it comes to boxes make sure they can be easily secured, you don’t want your creation falling out in transit. Nor do you want it rattling round inside the box, pad the box out. Wrap your projects with tissue paper to stop them sticking together if they get warm along the delivery process. Then add in a layer or two of shredded paper, or card, make sure it's paper/card that is on brand, we’ll talk about brand in a moment.
At this stage you might want to think about the environment more, can the contents you’re using to bulk your package be recycled easily? Bubble wrap is great at protecting your items, but not for the environment and waste build up. So research and find items that are more able to be recycled, there are so many out there these days and they don’t have to be expensive either.
Your branding:
When you’re thinking about branding when it comes to your packaging, you also want to be thinking about your customers experience.
Obviously try to align your packaging, or protective bulking items to your brand colours or theme, if you can get the boxes/gift bags/padded envelopes in your brand colour/s then great, but if not you can use neutral colours then add things like your logo in a sticker or two.
Your brand isn’t only about colours though, it's what you want your customers to feel, see, smell, and know about your brand when they open your package? Take them on a journey of your brand for all their senses. There are a million different ways to do this, but if you’re a luxury resin brand then you need your box to scream luxury when they open it, you want beautiful brand colours, different materials, your resin items positioned in different layers within the box so they’re constantly moving through the package opening new things, you can scent your box or padding with a beautiful fragrance so when they open it it smells luxurious.
If your brand specialises in casting flowers in resin then your packaging could have flower patterns on it, could you add some scented flowers to the package so they open it and are blown away by dried beautiful flowers.
If you're brand is colourful then plain packaging isn't going to align to your brand, your packaging needs to be colourful and fun too.
There's so many variations to branding your packages, have fun, experiment, do some market research to what your customers like. Get some different packing experiences on your stories and do a Poll to see which one the majority prefer, include them in your business decisions like this, it will enable your audience to get to know your brand more.
What extras would I like in my package:
Just like branding options, there are so many different extras that you can also include in your packaging. Some may cost and so you might want to avoid these till your business is bigger, or factor in the cost into your products so that you’re not out of pocket with the packing stage.
Here are some extras you might want to consider, of course put your own spin on these:
1 - How to look after your resin purchases.
2 - A thank you card (you could even add on a special discount for their next order or referral).
3 - A little token of thanks (maybe a branded chocolate with thank you on, or a free small resin keyring that you have spare, a flower etc).
4 - A card to say you would love to hear their review of the products they have ordered, with instructions of how to leave this review (this could be as simple as follow me on Instagram, share your purchase in your stories and tag me in).
The sky's the limits when it comes to your resin packaging options. At the very basic your items need to be protected when packaged, the rest is all extra cherries on top for your customers to receive.
If you’re unsure where to even begin then ask other artists. Don’t be afraid to ask artists if you’ve seen them showcase their beautiful packaging on their social media channels. You won’t be copying exactly as you’ll pop your own twist on it, but if you see an artists packaging that you love that would fit with your brand to, ask them where they got it from. Most artists are more than happy to share their knowledge and share where they got their items from.
Topic Of The Week Giveaway:
We have attached a giveaway to these Topic Of The Week announcements on our Instagram platform, this is helping us to spread the knowledge of how to use epoxy resin further, but also enabling anyone who helps us share this information to win free resin and mica powders.
To enter the weekly giveaway please see the latest post pinned to the top of our Instagram feed and follow the instructions to enter:
Team Craft Resin
