Shipping is the part of wreath making that nobody teaches and everybody dreads. A design that took three hours can be ruined in three days in a truck. Kandi has shipped wreaths from her Savannah workshop for years, buyers routinely mention how well they arrive, and she wrote the free Stress-Free Shipping Guide because the same questions kept coming from Krew members. Here is the short version of how a wreath should travel.
The box is the design decision
Most shipping damage is a box that is too small. A wreath pressed against the sides of a box arrives with a flat side. The rule is simple: the box must be bigger than the wreath in every direction, including depth, so that nothing touches cardboard. A focal piece that sits proud of the wreath needs headroom above it. Ribbon tails need room to lie flat.
Kandi keeps a short list of box sizes that cover her designs and shares those sizes with Krew members as part of the membership. Owning the right boxes before the wreath is finished is half the job, because the alternative is building a design and then discovering that nothing you have will hold it.
Suspend it, do not pack it
A wreath should not rest on its florals. Inside the box it hangs from the top, the way it will hang on a door, with its weight on the base. A zip tie or a loop of wire through the hanging loop and through a hole punched in the top flap does it, or a hook fixed to the inside of the lid.
Once it is suspended, fill the empty space so it cannot swing. Crumpled kraft paper or tissue in the corners and against the sides works. Do not use packing peanuts inside the wreath itself; they lodge in florals and the buyer spends an hour picking them out. Do not wrap the wreath tightly in plastic; it crushes the mesh and traps moisture.
Protect the fragile parts
- Bows. Stuff the loops lightly with tissue so they hold shape, and lay the tails flat under a sheet of tissue.
- Focal pieces. Anything with a face, a hat or a delicate attachment gets its own tissue wrap.
- Lights. Remove the batteries from any lighted design and tape them to the inside of the lid, so a leak in transit cannot reach the wreath.
- Anything that trails. Long stems that extend past the ring should be gently curved inward and secured with a twist of paper so they do not snap.
Seal and label
Tape every seam. Mark the box This Side Up on every face with an arrow, because a suspended wreath only works if the box stays upright. Fragile stickers are worth applying even if they are mostly ignored.
Tell the buyer what to do
A short note inside the box changes the buyer's experience. Something like: hang it on the door, let it settle for a few minutes, and gently lift and fluff anything that was pressed in transit. The wreath was built to be fluffed. Buyers who know that arrive at a beautiful wreath; buyers who do not sometimes photograph the box-flattened version and worry.
Kandi's shipping policy is published on the site so buyers know what to expect before they order.
Where shipping fits in a business
Shipping is a cost, and it is one of the three costs the Pricing Reset Guide builds into a price: materials, time and overhead. Boxes, tape, tissue and the postage itself are overhead if you do not price for them and a surprise if you do. Pricing handmade wreaths goes into that. Inside the Kreative Krew, shipping help is part of the membership alongside the app and technical help, because it is the question that stops more makers from selling than any design problem.
The free guide
The Stress-Free Shipping Guide is free and covers how to box, pad and ship a finished wreath so it arrives the way you made it. It sits next to the Email List Guide in the free resources. If you make wreaths for anyone other than yourself, read it before the next one leaves the house.
Frequently asked questions
What size box does a standard wreath need?
Bigger than the wreath in every direction. For a full 18-inch design, that usually means a box in the mid-twenties in width and height with real depth. Kandi's specific sizes are shared with Krew members.
Can I ship a wreath in a bag or a mailer?
No. Anything without rigid sides will crush it.
How do I keep the wreath from sliding?
Suspend it from the top of the box by its hanging loop, then fill the gaps around it with paper so it cannot move.
What about arrangements and centerpieces?
They ship upright in a container-sized box with the base anchored and the florals padded. Wreath, swag, arrangement or centerpiece explains the difference in construction.
