Displaying or storing your pottery

By Tina Howard and Paul Howard

The following information is provided to educate and inform. eBay™ is not liable or responsible for any type of damage or loss caused, or alleged to be caused, directly or indirectly, by the information below.

Pottery is very fragile, so you need to use care when displaying and storing your pottery items. In general, keep pottery away from direct sunlight, extreme temperatures, excessive moisture, dirt, and anything else that can damage most items. Fluorescent lights can sometimes fade pieces and their features. Also, keep them away from radiators and air conditioners.

Here is some general information that applies to many types of pottery:

• Display pottery away from sunlight (ultraviolet rays can be damaging)
• Keep pieces in an area where a constant temperature is maintained
• Place objects high enough on shelves to protect them from children and pets.

Have fun with displaying your pottery items. Try grouping them, or rotating items if you can't display everything at once!

When storing your pottery items for long periods of time, packing your items carefully is essential. For maximum protection, pack items in inner boxes prior to placing them in a storage box. Follow the guidelines for packing below.

1. Sturdy boxes: Always use sturdy, corrugated boxes for both inner and outer boxes. Never use shirt boxes, shoe boxes, or any other flimsy, crushable boxes. You can cut down large boxes to make smaller ones. Use hot glue or strong tape to put them together and seal them securely.
2. Double box: Use an inner box that your item will fit in, with room to spare for padding, pack it tightly so that it will not move around, then seal that box and place it in an outer box that allows for at least 3 inches of tightly packed padding on all six sides.
3. Packing Materials: Bubble wrap and peanuts are excellent if you have enough of them to use them generously. If not, shredded paper or tightly crumpled newspaper will work perfectly. It is more important to have enough padding than to have "pretty" padding! To protect from scratches and soil, wrap items in plain paper or plastic bags before packing them in the inner box.

With plates and flat items, you must allow a couple of extra inches of padding on all six sides between the outer box and inner box - these items are very susceptible to breakage. Important information about packing dinnerware and other pottery items is presented below.

Stacked plates - Place folded newspaper between each plate, wrap the entire stack in four sheets of newspaper, tape tightly around the stack to hold it completely rigid, then place the stack in an inner box with padding.

A small set of dishes - Saucers, bowls, and other flat pieces may be wrapped and taped as plates then wrapped in flat cardboard or bubble wrap. Be sure to include padding in delicate areas such as handles. Then, place all the cups in their own inner box (one box for all cups is usually fine). For sets with more than four dinner plates, pack dinner plates separately (9-inch and 10-inch plates could go in same box). This will prevent the weight of the plates from breaking other items.

A console set or multiple vases - Separately inner-box each piece, or bubble wrap carefully then wrap each piece in flat, corrugated cardboard.

The preceding material was written by Tina Howard and Paul Howard. These are the opinions of the authors, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.