China storage / large quantities

[paulg]

Funny story..
My dear husband was at work and a colleague asked, "What kind of china do you own?"
Without taking a breath she followed with this:
"Excuse me. You're a gay couple. HOW MANY china sets do you own?"
... Ain't it the truth..
Anyway, we own china (primarily Rosenthal, though it doesn't matter), in the hundreds of pieces.
I want to store the bulk of it intelligently - in the basement.
Currently we use clear bins, newspaper and foam etc, but I think there must be better ways.
I went to a popular container-type store yesterday and I could only find floppy vinyl sacks. We DO use those in some instances but I am hoping to find a rigid, durable, smart china storage mechanism.
I'm looking for ideas. Anyone got any?
Best wishes!

 

[pulltostart]

U-Haul sells specialized moving boxes.  I have one box for china and it works pretty well (includes foam sleeves for each piece) but the amount that each box can hold isn't great and the boxes aren't cheap.  Still, check them out and they might work for you.

 

lawrence

 

[circlew]

Check out the moving supplies at Menard's. They usually have a good selection of cartons, and accessories including the dish pack kit. I've found their prices to be far less than U-Haul, Public Storage and such places. I've also found good prices at shipping supply distributors when buying in bulk.

 

[paulg]

Thanks!

I have both a U-HAUL and Menards very close to the house. I will check them out.
I never thought of those two businesses as having a possible answer to this problem. Thanks for some good, fresh options!

 

[michaelman2]

Paul, I have found using styrofoam plates as cushioning between the plates worked very well. It has just enough grip and substance to protect both the top and bottom of each plate. Also there is a little bit of a “grip” so you won’t have the problem of the plates slipping around if you need to adjust them.

If you ever plan to ship pieces make sure you have a stout piece of cardboard between each plate along with the cushion plate.

I used to purchase glass and china plates on EBay. I would ask the seller to make sure not to simply bubble wrap and stack ... invariably they would not listen and I would receive a box of broken irreplaceable items.

 

[paulg]

Thanks for the tips

Your packing trick using styrofoam plates is very clever. I’ve written it on my shopping list just now.
I will also follow your shipping trick. One set of decommissioned china is going to my niece in Texas. I’m sure she’ll drive them back and I will certainly follow your advice to ensure they’re as safe as can be.
Thanks much!