The Best Way Of Packing And Shipping Fragile Items
- Written by News Co Media
Sending anything through a courier service or the regular postal system is a risk. After all, your parcel will be handled by multiple people, not all of them will treat it with the care it deserves. The end result is that your product could be damaged. Of course, the problem then is proving that the courier caused the damage.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to help ensure your items arrive in peak condition.
Temperature Control
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products you can help to ensure that they arrive in perfect condition by using data loggers. These are small stickers that can be fastened to your packaging. They have a circle in the middle which will change color if the temperature moves outside of the agreed range. Each sticker has a defined temperature range, you just need to choose the right one for your product.
This minimizes the need for packaging as the courier will know they are being monitored. It forces them to take care of your product.
Get The Box Right
Your items need to go inside a box. This allows them to be handled by the couriers and offers them some protection against being badly handled. The secret to sending your item is to choose a box that is as close to the size of your item as possible.
The ox offers protection and the closeness in size prevents your item from moving around and becoming damaged. It’s also a cheaper option as you don’t need to add packaging materials to fill space in the box. This is the reason so many big companies have custom-made packaging boxes. It’s a good investment.
Of course, if there are any gaps inside the box make sure they are filled with something, you don’t want your item moving around while in transit.
Labeling
The next step is to make sure your product is clearly labeled. That means making sure the delivery address and sender address are clearly visible. You also need to affix a barcode, usually provided by the courier.
Alongside this make sure ‘fragile’ is displayed on the packaging and that any data loggers are prominently displayed. This can help the couriers to handle your package more carefully.
The Right Courier
Choosing the right courier can also make a big difference as to whether your item arrives in one piece or not. It’s worth speaking to colleagues, other businesses, and even taking a look on social media.
You’ll be looking for honest opinions regarding local courier services. The one that gets the best reviews is probably the best one to choose. Of course, it’s worth comparing the price. While paying a little more for the best is good, you don’t want to pay so much that it’s not worth sending the item!
In general, packing fragile items requires a little common sense and forethought before you wrap the item. This will help to ensure you’ve ticked all the right boxes and the item arrives in perfect condition.
