10 Tips to Packaging Success!
1. Make sure that all boxes are sealed with strong tape or strapping material, especially if you are shipping loose boxes with contents that can be easily removed.
2. Boxes need to be in good condition and sturdy enough to sustain normal shipping hazards. Boxes will weaken after each use, making your product susceptible to damage. Limit the number of times that you use your boxes.
3. Inner packing needs to be suitable to the contents being shipped. Contents should be surrounded by packing material that will prevent movement of the product. Should your product not fill the entire box, then the remainder of the space should be filled with some sort of filler. Never ship "air" boxes.
4. Your product shouldn't be too heavy for the box it is packaged in. Your product may fall out of the bottom of the box, which leads to lost and/or damaged product.
5. If reusing old boxes, make sure that all old labels are removed from the previous shipments. If removing labels becomes too time consuming, there is a special paint the covers labels quite well.
6. Boxes need to be properly labeled with new address labels. Address labels should have a shipper and consignee address on each one. Every box should have one address label on it, yet two address labels will be more helpful should one be torn off during transit. Each address label should be placed on the skid or box 180 degrees from the other.
7. Shippers should include as much information as they can on the address label. If a shipper has the carriers name as well as their House Air Way Bill number (HAWB), they should include these on the address label. The more information that you provide, the better the chance you have to reduce something being lost.
8. If shipping multiple boxes, try to label each box with consecutive numbers, such as 1 of 20. This is most important when shipping boxes loose.
9. When palletizing your product, care should be placed in the way the boxes are stacked on the pallet. Boxes should be placed entirely on the pallet, with no overhang whenever possible. Boxes should be stacked in a tier system to distribute the weight more evenly. Make sure that your product is not stacked too high that it crushes the boxes on the bottom of the pallet. The product should be shrink-wrapped and then securely strapped to the skid. Address labels should be placed on the shrink-wrap as well as the boxes.
10. The last thing you need to make sure of is that your bill is completely filled out and there are no omissions. If you fail to mark the correct service, your product may arrive late, or it could cost you more money than you were prepared to spend.
