Densification was observed when bulk ceramic superconductors with a composition of Bi 1.8 Pb 0.4 Sr 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 10؉␦ were sintered for short times (<4 h) near the incongruent melting temperature. The initial shrinkage of the powder compacts was correlated with the existence of a transient liquid phase. Retrograde densification, which is a decrease in density, occurred for longer sintering times and was attributed to changes in pore structure. The results provide direction for future processing of bulk bismuth-based superconductors and powder-in-tube tapes for the fabrication of long-length wire.