Go to a moving supply place and get one or more "dish packs" - it's a special box with slots and padding just for dishes.

make sure it's secure in the truck, and nothing can fall on it if the truck stops quickly.

I vote for bubble wrap.....places like Office Max and Sam's carry big rolls of the stuff.....
You could safely ship egg shells in that.
Linda C

Go to a U-Haul and buy some boxes and special foam that they sell to wrap china in. They sell special wraps for the plates, the cups, the bowls, and even the larger items like serving dishes. They work very well!

We moved my DH's grandmothers china in the back of our car all the way from California to Indiana with no breaks. What we did was packed plates in one box wrapped in newspaper then wrapped and tapped up in bubblewrap, we only put like things in the box then filled the empty space in the box with those peanut things. It worked out really well, we did a bit of overkill with the packing supplies but with something like a family heirloom I think overkill is best!! Good Luck!!

I'd take it to one of the 'pack and mail' things. They do everything, then ship it. Insurance is a must.

Daisy -
Unfortunately, those places will not insure "heirlooms".

I moved my grandmother's china five times in as many years. I did it this way:

-Strong packing cartons, not used boxes
-one layer of bubble wrap on bottom of box for cushion
-go to Sams's or Gordon Foods and get their commercial sized plastic wrap (for the kitchen)that sits on the counter
-take each plate, one by one and loosely roll it several times in each direction with the plastic wrap
-leaving air in, push the wrap flatter, but so it cushions the plate
-stack the plates on end in the carton, do not stack them like pancakes, if one breaks, they all do
-the plastic wrap will stick to the next platic wrapped plate and they will all stay in place, snug in the carton
-for bowls, do the interior of the largest bowl very loosly, so you can push down and place a smaller plastic-wrapped bowl inside, nested
-put a layer of bubble wrap on top, seal tight

I never lost a single piece of china, and it cost me a FRACTION of the cost of the bubble wrap would have. Bubble wrap does not stick to itself, so things can still move if you don't tape everything tight. Also, the dishes are as clean as they were when you wrapped them when you unpack.

We have had very good luck in moving my antiques and collections. I do not recommend UHaul boxes as they are not as heavy duty as from a moving company. Do buy the heavy dishpacks. I have used some of mine several times without a problem. I also don't care for bubble wrap except for cushioning the bottom and top. I buy new packing paper from a moving company or Uhaul is OK too. Crumple several sheets of paper and place on the bottom as a cushion or use bubble wrap here. Wrap 2 or 3 sheets around each plate and stand on edge, continue across the lowest rows. To insure it is packed tightly, crumple some of the paper and slip it all around the edge of the box and the dishes. Crumple a layer of papers over the top of the rows before you start the next level.The other pieces are also wrapped with a couple of sheets of paper and placed snuggly and as tightly as you can place them. Again place crumpled paper around the edges and over the top. Finish your box with more crumpled paper before it is closed and taped. I have never lost a piece in any of our moves and we have had 7 moves on the past 20 years. Even when we have commercial movers I pack my own. I watched the packers the first move we had and follow her method. The pieces will not move when they are packed snuggly. Do not use newspaper as the print will wear off onto your china. One of my objections to bubble wrap is that it takes up too much room and I never felt it was a snugg as when I used the packing paper. I tried it once and unpacked it because I ended up with extra boxes to ship. I collect china and glassware and hate to admit how much I have. LOL Good luck on your shipment. Call your insurance company and see if they can put a policy on it while it is being transported if it isn't being moved by family.

This may be a little too late for the OP, but when I moved I just used regular old newspaper for my dishes, several layers on each piece so there was lots of cushion and instead of actual moving boxes, I used the office supply boxes that you purchase and fold together (they're MUCH easier to move around since they come with hole handles too - not too large/heavy either)... All my dishes, both old and new, were packed this way and they *just* fit into that overhead bin part of a rented moving truck and I didn't lose one piece of anything ... and we moved this from PA to SC ....

K :)