SPECIALIST FRAGILE GOODS SHIPPING · CAPE TOWN
Standard couriers treat every box the same. JLog doesn’t. We handle ceramics, glassware, fine art, designer furniture, and luxury goods with specialist packing, trained two-person handlers, and a damage rate that is a fraction of the industry average.
Local Cape Town delivery · Domestic South Africa · International worldwide, except sanctioned destinations
Get a fragile goods quote →Industry breakage rates on fragile goods shipped via standard couriers run between 3% and 5%. For a ceramics brand shipping 200 orders a month, that is 6 to 10 broken pieces — each one costing the replacement, the return freight, the customer apology, and the lost repeat sale.
The problem is structural. Standard courier networks are built for volume — conveyor belts, automated sorters, stacked pallets, and handlers moving hundreds of parcels an hour. Fragile stickers are advisory. No one is checking.
JLog is built differently. Fragile goods are our core business, not an exception to our volume flow. We have a dedicated packing station, trained handlers, purpose-built vehicles for oversized pieces, and a condition-reporting process that photographs every item before it leaves and after it arrives.
Hand-thrown bowls, plates, mugs, vases, sculptural pieces. Each item packed in a custom foam cavity — zero item-to-item contact, zero movement inside the box. Inner box inside outer box as standard.
Glasses, decanters, lighting, glass sculpture. Cell-pack dividers for sets. Individual foam wrapping for statement pieces. Double-wall corrugated outer box minimum.
Framed and unframed. Glassine interleaving for unframed prints. Corner protection and foam edging for framed works. Stretched canvas shipped glazed-face-forward, never stacked.
Every sculpture crated individually. Foam carved to the exact profile of the piece. No surface contact with the crate walls. Photographed in the crate before lid is screwed down.
Blanket wrap for upholstered pieces. Tyvek barrier between fabric and outer wrap. Custom timber crate for international shipment. Two-person handling, no exceptions.
Watches, jewellery, antiques, silverware. Tamper-evident packaging, declared value, appropriate insurance. Photographed before despatch.
Fragile goods fail under four conditions: impact (a drop), vibration (sustained movement), compression (weight stacked on top), and temperature change. Our packing method addresses all four.
Fragile goods handling is priced based on item size, weight, packing complexity, and destination. Below are typical ranges. We reply within 4 business hours.
| Service | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Fragile packing — small item (ceramics, glassware) | R85 – R180 per item |
| Fragile packing — medium item (framed art, sculpture) | R180 – R450 per item |
| Fragile packing — large item (furniture, large sculpture) | R450 – R950 per item |
| Custom timber crate (high-value or international) | From R1,500 — see crating |
| Local Cape Town white-glove delivery | From R500 |
| Domestic SA courier (fragile spec) | From R350 per consignment |
| International air freight — ceramics, Cape Town to UK | From R850 per kg (FedEx/DHL direct) |
| International air freight — art, Cape Town to USA | From R950 per kg (FedEx/DHL direct) |
Items travel in our own vehicles under controlled conditions. Two-person handling for anything oversized or high-value. Blanket wrap is standard for furniture and large art. Condition photos taken at collection and delivery.
Specialist fragile courier via our Bob Go multi-carrier account. We select the carrier per consignment based on fragility, size, and value. Items are not consolidated with general freight.
Air freight via FedEx or DHL direct. International spec exceeds domestic: inner box plus outer box, foam-in-place, climate-aware packaging. ISPM-15 timber crate for items above R10,000 or larger than 80cm. Export documentation and SARS clearance handled in-house.
JLog is the official carrier for the Investec Cape Town Art Fair — responsible every year for crating, transporting, and delivering high-value, irreplaceable works for galleries and dealers across South Africa.
We ship fragile goods for ceramicists, glass artists, interior designers, furniture makers, gallery owners, auction houses, and private collectors.
Tell us what you’re shipping, where it’s going, and the dimensions and value. We’ll reply within 4 business hours. Sea and air freight quotes follow as soon as our carriers confirm rates.
WhatsApp: +27 72 312 3034 · Email: info@jlog.co.za · Phone: 021 300 6099
Woodstock, Cape Town · 10 minutes from the port · Nationwide collection available
Get a fragile goods quote →