How to Pack and Post Figures and Statues in Australia

MV Guides · Figures & statues

A figure that arrives with a snapped sword or a crushed box is a bad day for everyone, and almost all of that damage can be avoided with the right packing. Collectors care about the box nearly as much as the figure, so you're really packing two things: the figure, and the box it lives in.

1. Photograph it before it goes in the box

Take clear photos, or a short video, of the figure and all sides of its box before you pack, then again once it's sealed in the shipping box. If a buyer says something arrived damaged, this is how you show it left in good condition. On MVCollect you can add photos or a video of the packed item when you mark it shipped.

2. Use the original styrofoam and inserts

Most figures and statues come with styrofoam blocks or a moulded plastic tray that holds every piece still. That's the best protection the figure will ever have, so always pack it back into its original inserts. Big statues from makers like Sideshow and Prime 1 Studio usually come in a styrofoam "coffin" that both halves click together around. Never post a statue without it.

The inserts are also part of the value. A buyer paying for "complete in box" expects the styrofoam and trays to be there.

3. Take off the fragile bits

• Remove anything that comes off (weapons, wings, effect parts, swap hands, stands) and put each piece back in its own slot in the insert, or in a small zip bag.
• Wrap painted surfaces in tissue paper or a soft plastic bag first, not bubble wrap straight onto the paint. In an Australian summer, a parcel can sit in a hot van or letterbox, and bubble wrap pressed against warm paint can leave marks.
• List every accessory in your description, so the buyer can check everything is there.

4. Protect the collector box: box it again

Never post a figure in just its retail box with a label stuck on it. The box gets taped, scuffed and dented, and for a collector that box is part of what they paid for.

• Put the retail box inside a sturdy shipping box with at least 5cm of padding on every side: bubble wrap, packing paper or foam.
• Nothing should move when you give the sealed box a shake. If you hear anything shift, add more padding.
• Don't tape the collector box, and don't put stickers on it. Tape the shipping box only.
• If the figure came in a brown outer "shipper" box, like many Sideshow and Hot Toys pieces, keep it and reuse it. It was made for exactly this.
• For heavy statues, use a double-walled carton, and put a layer of padding on the bottom first so the weight isn't sitting right on the cardboard.

5. Choose the right postage

• Always tracked. Figures go as parcels, priced by weight and size, so weigh and measure the packed box rather than guessing.
• Add cover for the full value. If it's lost, you can only claim what you declared.
• Signature on delivery for anything expensive, so it isn't left on a doorstep in the sun or the rain.
• Big or valuable statues: Pack & Send can pack, insure and send higher-value items, and it's offered as a postage option on MVCollect.

On MVCollect, figures and statues post as a parcel: you enter the packed weight and size, and the postage is worked out for you.

Common mistakes

• Throwing out the styrofoam and posting the figure loose in its box.
• Sticking the postage label straight onto the collector box.
• Leaving accessories attached, where they snap in transit.
• Not enough padding around the box, or too much, so the box bulges and crushes the corners.
• Forgetting a small accessory, then having to post it separately.

Checked October 2026. Australia Post and Pack & Send change their rules and prices from time to time, so check before you post something valuable.