Packing your Mail Right

Packing Your Mail Right

Many people don’t realize the amount of money that could be saved on your post office costs, simply by understanding how to pack and send your mail packages more economically. Quite often, it can be difficult to know exactly what requirements are needed for your packing, and it can be difficult to know exactly how much it will cost. Learning to pack your mail right can ultimately save you time and money.

Pack it Right

There are numerous suggestions for how to properly pack your mail, however here are some suggestions that are considered the most important. Here are some general tips for safe and secure packing:

• Remember the basics: put a return address, contact name, address, and telephone number inside of your package
• For oddly shaped packages with sharp edges, use padded envelopes
• Always ensure that any outer containers are strong enough for their contents
• Ensure that fragile items don’t make contact with each other, or the side of the container
• Fill out containers with cushioning material like bubble-wrap
• Remember to use a ‘fragile’ sticker if necessary
• Make sure your package is sealed securely with nylon or vinyl tape along all of your edges

Pack to Prevent Disaster

Have you ever had a package sent back to you because of improper loading capacity? Believe it or not, packages are often returned because of simple packing problems. Following these instructions will help you save money:

• If you are selling a large or heavy item, do not overload your box – many carriers have a maximum weight to avoid back injuries
• Heavy boxes should be sealed with a fabric tape rather than brown tape
• Balance the weight within the box – unevenly packed boxes suffer damage due to instability
• Allow at least two inches of packing around breakable or fragile items
• Place scrap cardboard under the final seal of each box. This will avoid having the knife cut into your product upon delivery
• Make sure there is no movement in your box!

Other Considerations

If you are a frequent user of UK post – whether through Ebay or Amazon – check to see if you are using the best packing practices possible:

• Do you have all materials needed? Keep a checklist of materials (i.e. bubble wrap) on hand if you plan to pack several item at once
• Print off your invoices or pick your list before you start packing
• For larger items, wrap your items in the same room you store your items. Most successful mail order operations minimize time by ‘picking from the pallet’. Consider applying this mindset to your storage and wrapping process.
• Keep your ‘stockroom’ tidy – if you plan on shipping many items, it can be confusing to deal with a messy packing room

You can also use this information to help you pack your post properly. These packing tips are designed to save you time, while making you efficient.