Platter goes in the bottom of the box. Then the base/plinth followed by the dustcover.
If you don't have a VPI box, I'd ship the platter and the dustcover in two separate packages. The platter weighs 8 lbs so inertia is not your friend inside the box with the platter.
When I bought mine, the seller put the platter on top of the dustcover. It shattered the dustcover and split the sides of the wood base at the corner joints.
The seller gave me $250 off the sales price and collected $250 from the US Postal Service. They were very good about it all. I bought a new dustcover and reglued the base myself. It's been fine ever since.
But DON'T leave the platter on the TT or put it above the dustcover. It should be secured in the very bottom, under everything.
