Most holiday gifts fit in a box and go out with a carrier, and there is nothing to think about. The ones that cause problems are the ones that do not: the framed painting, the vintage slot machine, the glass sculpture, the arcade cabinet, the thing that weighs more than one person can lift. Those either get refused, get broken, or get shipped at a price nobody expected. This guide is about that second category, what carriers will and will not accept, and when a crate is the difference between a gift arriving and a gift arriving in pieces.
For ordinary parcels, go straight to the carriers’ own deadline pages, linked below. We pack and ship the awkward ones out of our Las Vegas facility, and we have been doing it for over 25 years.
Carrier Deadlines: Check the Source
Holiday cutoff dates change every year and are published by each carrier. Rather than reproduce a table that will be wrong by January, here are the official pages, which are always current:
Two things worth knowing regardless of the year. International deadlines fall considerably earlier than domestic ones, often by two weeks or more depending on destination. And military APO and FPO addresses need the earliest ship dates of all, typically well before the domestic cutoffs. If either applies to you, work backwards from those dates rather than from Christmas.
Custom crating and freight run on different timelines entirely. A crate has to be designed and built before anything ships, so for anything needing one, the useful deadline is weeks earlier than the carrier’s.
What Carriers Will Not Take, or Will Not Protect
The parcel network is built for boxes of a certain size and weight. Step outside that and you are in a different system, whether you meant to be or not.
- Weight limits. Standard parcel services commonly cap around 70 pounds per package. Above that you are in freight, which is priced and handled completely differently. Confirm current limits with your carrier.
- Size limits. Length and girth restrictions catch people out before weight does. Long, flat or bulky items frequently exceed them even when they are light.
- Fragile and high value items. Carriers will accept them and will apply their standard liability, which is limited by weight and service rather than by what the item is worth. An heirloom is worth exactly as much as a brick to the liability schedule.
- Batteries. Anything lithium powered is regulated as dangerous goods, with rules differing by transport mode and by whether the battery is loose, packed with equipment or installed. Air is strictest. See current IATA guidance and our lithium battery shipping service.
- Perishables, aerosols and alcohol. Restricted or prohibited by many carriers and many destination countries. Check before buying, not after.
- Anything that cannot be replaced. Not a rule, a judgement. If there is no second one, the parcel network is the wrong place for it.
When Does a Gift Need a Crate?
Any of these, and boxing it is a false economy:
- It is heavier than one person can comfortably lift.
- It is glass, ceramic, framed, or has an unprotected finished surface.
- It is irregularly shaped with no flat faces or obvious lift points.
- It is antique, one of a kind, or has sentimental value that cannot be replaced with money.
- It is going overseas, where it will be handled many more times.
- It is worth more than the crate plus the freight plus the cost of it not arriving.
If none of these apply, a well packed corrugated box with proper cushioning is the right answer and we will sell you one rather than a crate. The full cost reasoning is in our post on how custom crates save money.
Packing Fragile Gifts Properly
If you are packing it yourself, the principles are the same ones we use on museum pieces, just scaled down.
- Two to three inches of cushioning on every side, including top and bottom. The item should not be able to reach the box wall.
- Immobilise, do not just pad. Shake the sealed box. If anything moves inside, it will keep moving for the whole journey, and movement causes more damage than impact.
- Double box anything genuinely fragile. Inner box packed and sealed, then suspended in cushioning inside a larger outer box. This is the single most effective thing a non professional can do.
- New boxes, or genuinely undamaged ones. Corrugated loses a significant share of its strength after one trip, and more once it has been stored in a garage.
- Proper packing tape, applied along every seam. Not duct tape, not masking tape, not gift ribbon.
- Glass needs specific handling. Framed pieces should have the glass taped or removed, because broken glass inside a frame will damage the artwork it was protecting.
- Put a label inside the box too, with sender and recipient details, in case the outer label is destroyed.
We stock shipping supplies and boxes if you want to pack it yourself, and we will tell you what you need for the specific item rather than selling you the largest kit.
Shipping Within Las Vegas
For gifts staying in the valley, the parcel network is often the slowest and least careful option available. Same day delivery covers Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Summerlin and the surrounding areas, and for anything large or fragile white glove delivery means it is carried in and placed rather than left on a porch. Full coverage is on our areas of service page.
This is also the answer for the awkward local situation nobody plans for: a large gift bought in November that cannot be stored at home without ruining the surprise. We hold items in our warehouse and deliver on the date you want.
Sending Gifts Overseas
International adds customs, duties and considerably earlier deadlines. Three things determine whether it goes smoothly.
- Accurate declarations. Describe the contents honestly and specifically on the customs form. Vague or understated declarations are the most common cause of holds, and undervaluing a shipment to reduce duty creates a problem if it is then lost or damaged.
- Duties and who pays them. Rates vary by country and by item category, and the recipient is usually billed on arrival. A gift that arrives with an unexpected bill is an awkward present. Check the destination country’s rules before shipping, and see US customs basics for the export side.
- Wood packaging compliance. Any wood crate crossing a border must be heat treated and stamped under ISPM 15 or it can be held or refused. We apply the ISPM 15 stamp in house, so international shipments do not need a separate vendor.
Prohibited item lists vary widely by destination. Alcohol, aerosols, perishables, certain foods and many battery powered products are restricted somewhere. Check the specific country rather than assuming.
Specific Items People Ask Us About
| Item | The Problem | What We Do |
|---|---|---|
| Framed art or mirrors | Glass breaks inward and damages the piece | Glass taped or removed, corner protection, custom art crate |
| Antique furniture | Weight, finish, no lift points | Blanket wrap and crate, or on-site crating |
| Slot machines and arcade cabinets | Heavy, top heavy, glass fronted | Braced crate on a skid, freight rather than parcel |
| Neon signage | Extremely fragile, irregular, irreplaceable | Foam cradles built to the piece with appropriate crate materials |
| Electronics and instruments | Vibration, static, batteries | ESD safe packing, battery compliance, cushioned crate |
| Large sculpture | No safe bearing points | Crate built around it, sometimes on site |
Related services: art packing and shipping, electronics shipping, on-site crating and freight shipping.
Why We Are Comfortable With the Difficult Ones
We have crated a Formula 1 race car, the Stargate movie prop, and the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit, and we handle gaming equipment, art and signage for properties including Wynn, Aria, Caesars, Hard Rock and Mandalay Bay. A holiday gift is smaller than any of those and the reasoning is identical: work out what can bear load, what cannot be touched, and how many hands it passes through, then build to that.
Get Your Gift Packed and Shipped
Send us a photo, rough dimensions and weight, where it is going and by when. We will tell you whether it needs a crate, a box, or just careful packing, and quote it. If a standard carrier is the better answer, we will say so. Call 702-748-4973 or 1-833-801-9084 toll free, email contact@lasvegascrating.com, or request a quote online. We are at 4640 Polaris Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89103, Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with weekends by appointment.