The invention relates to a receptacle for fragile items, particularly fruit and vegetables. The receptacle (1) is produced by shaping a sheet of thermoplastic synthetic material and comprises one or more recesses (3) of any shape provided over at least part of the lower or side walls (2) thereof and projecting into the receptacle in such a way that they define a plurality of contact points for the items in the receptacle, wherein said recesses are sealed with a film (6) affixed to the outside of the receptacle (1) in such a way that air is trapped inside the recesses (3), thereby constituting a shock- and vibration-absorbing pad. In one of the embodiments of the invention, the material used to make the walls of the recesses is sufficiently locally stretched to become semi-rigid or even flexible so as to define deformable contact points for the items in the receptacle.