How To Avoid Parcel Damage With These 5 Packaging Tips

Damaged parcels are annoying, inconvenient, potentially damaging to your reputation, and can be costly. Of course, it’s also a common occurrence. It’s estimated 280 million parcels arrive damaged, and that’s just those handled by Australia Post.

Fortunately, while it is difficult to control what happens to a parcel in transit, you can ensure that the right packing approach is used to protect the item inside, even if the parcel is damaged.

Alongside using the following five packaging tips, you should add data loggers to your parcels. These look much like any other sticker but they have a coloured circle on them. The circle will change colour if the parcel is subject to forces or temperatures outside pre-defined limits. For example, if the temperature moves outside the agreed range or the box has a significant impact.

Because the circle has changed colour the receiver will instantly know there has been an issue in transit. It makes it a lot easier to resolve the issue with the transport firm.

The following can also help.

1. The Right Box

You need a sturdy box. That means choosing one with reasonably thick walls. Thin-walled boxes are cheaper and weigh less, potentially reducing the cost of shipping. But, spending a little extra on the right box can make the difference between the product arriving intact or not.

Naturally, the box should be just a little bigger than the item being shipped. This reduces its ability to move during transit but still ensures you can protect it.

• Fill All Empty Space

Once you have wrapped the item or items to go in the box you’ll want to fill all the space around it. This filling helps to stop the item from moving and provides protection from impacts and other undesirable issues.

You can choose what to fill the space with. Air bubbles, that’s large bubbles made of plastic and filled with air, are very popular as they are affordable and can be easily reused.

It’s important to note there are several environmentally friendly packing materials. You may want to choose one of these.

• Secure the Box Properly

There is little point in protecting your item in the right-sized box if you don’t seal it properly. Simply wrap the tape around all the join lines and make sure it is stuck down properly. This helps to give the box strength, keeping items safe in transit.

• Add Labels

If your item is fragile then add a large label saying so. The shippers may not pay much attention to it but it does tell them to handle the package carefully. It also makes it easy to pursue an insurance claim against them, if necessary.

Alongside the fragile label make sure the parcel is clearly marked where it is going and where it came from.

• Choose The Right Transport

It’s not strictly packaging but your parcels stand a lot better chance of arriving in one piece if you use a firm you can trust. Consult with several and check their reputation before choosing the right transport firm and hopefully avoiding the issue of damaged parcels altogether.

Kenneth

Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].