5 Tips to Ship Fragile Items for Your Business

When you’re looking to distribute your products no matter where from or how far they’ve got to travel, you expect them to get there in perfect condition and that your customer receives their item with no complaints and maximum satisfaction. Whether you’re sending a parcel to Europe from the UK or even further than that, there are some things you can do to ensure that whatever fragile items you’re sending, from an antique to some new jewellery, get there in pristine condition. So, without further ado, here are five tips to ship fragile items for your business:

1. Pick the right box

When you are looking to pack your parcel for delivery make sure that you pick a box that is sturdy but still lightweight. Having a strong box will take the brunt of the force when your parcel is moving from A to B. When you think of having a strong box, you may imagine the heavier the better. However, you must take into account that you are paying to send weight rather than a specific item. So to keep costs down picking a lighter box with double or triple-layer corrugated walls may be more beneficial to optimising profit and keeping your goods safe.

2. Add Padding

Once you have chosen a box that gives your product comfortable amount of room the next best thing to do is fill the space around your product with things like packaging chips which are made from polystyrene or if you don’t have access to that then you could even scrunch up old bits of newspaper to fill the gaps. Having something to fill the excess space in your packaging is important because if there’s too much leeway each side of your fragile product it can easily knock about inside the box and potentially break.

3. State that your parcel is fragile

This seems like a bit of common sense when it comes to sending parcels but you can never be too careful. By stating that your parcel is fragile, the people who are handling your package are more likely to handle with care. Write the word ‘fragile’ in big, bold letters on all sides and consider drawing arrows so that couriers know which way up an item needs to be carried.

4. Cover yourself

Although it may cost a little more on top of sending the parcel it is always best to add cover where you can. It will save you a lot more money to pay for insurance on your parcel then having to reimburse a customer because the product they have purchased has arrived in pieces.

5. Double check add Return address

Before you take your parcel to be posted to your client, it is vital that you make sure you have spelt your addresses correctly and all the adequate information is put onto the box. Once you have put all the necessary information on the box it is best that you add a return address on the opposite side to where you put the send address so if the package doesn’t manage to reach its destination for any reason you will get it back. This will save you time and money, because if you don’t get your parcel returned, you’ll likely have to send another product to your customer and you will then be losing money.

All of these 5 tips are vital to ensuring that your parcel gets to the right place at the right time and in great condition. By delivering your goods in perfect condition you are building a positive brand image and are likely to receive repeat customers. So look after your products so they look after your business.