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Making the Right Choice: Small vs. Large Shipping Box

Shipping Box, Costume Box, Custom Corrugated Box

When it comes to packaging and shipping, the decision between a small shipping box and a large shipping box is far from a small matter. The choice of box size can significantly impact the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and safety of your shipping process. In this post, we’ll explore the considerations behind selecting the right size of the shipping box for your needs and how it can make all the difference in ensuring your items reach their destination in perfect condition.

Small Shipping Box: A Compact Solution

Small shipping boxes are compact and often preferred when the items being shipped are relatively small and lightweight. They offer several advantages:

Cost-Efficiency: Smaller boxes are usually cheaper than their larger counterparts. This can save you money on both the box itself and shipping costs.

Space Optimization: Small boxes help make the most of available storage and transportation space, allowing you to ship more items in a single go.

Eco-Friendly: Using appropriately sized small boxes reduces waste and is more environmentally friendly.

Ideal for Fragile Items: When your items are delicate, smaller boxes can provide better protection by minimizing movement within the box.

Large Shipping Box: Versatility and Capacity

On the other hand, large shipping boxes offer their unique set of advantages:

Versatility: Large boxes can accommodate a variety of items, from clothing and household goods to oversized products.

Fewer Boxes: When shipping many items at once, a few large boxes can reduce the complexity and logistics of managing multiple small boxes.

Convenience: They are ideal for items that can’t be disassembled or are simply too large for small boxes.

Efficiency for Bulk Orders: Large boxes are a go-to choice for businesses shipping bulk orders or large quantities of a single item.

Considerations for Choosing the Right Size

When determining whether small or large shipping boxes are best for your needs, it’s crucial to consider:

Item Size and Weight: Assess the size and weight of the items you’re shipping. Ensure the box you select can securely hold the contents.

Shipping Costs: Smaller boxes generally cost less to ship, but larger boxes can be more cost-effective when shipping in bulk.

Environmental Impact: Consider the sustainability factor; smaller boxes are often an Eco-friendly choice.

Protection and Padding: Smaller boxes might offer better protection for fragile items, but larger boxes can accommodate more padding.

Storage and Handling: Evaluate the available storage space at both ends of the shipping process. Ensure your chosen box size can be stored and handled conveniently.

Best Small Shipping Box Delivery

Small shipping box
Businesses will often have small to large shipping boxes to send out. However, whereas a large shipping box is clearly noticeable, smaller sized packages can often be overlooked and consequently mishandled. The last thing a business wants is to see packages they are sending to customers getting lost or damaged along the way. This can negatively impact the reputation of the brand and future sales. Here are a few safety tips that can help improve the chances your small shipping box will arrive at its desired destination in good condition.

Corrugated boxes

Ensure the box you are using for shipping is a corrugated one. They offer better protection for contents as the walls are thick and can better endure rough transit conditions. Even with thicker walls, they remain lightweight, so you do not have to worry about increased shipping costs.

Weight of a large shipping box

While corrugated boxes are quite strong, they still have some weight limit to them. Weight limits tend to go with the level of fluting or thickness of the box. Ensure that whatever you are packing into the box is of a suitable weight. Excess weight may cause the box to become damaged and the contents to become exposed or lost.

Small shipping box appearance

It is best to use a new box when shipping. If you use a bartered or damaged box, it can encourage poor handling or cause the contents to easily fall out. Cardboard boxes are great for being reusable, but when shipping new products, it is best to use new boxes.

Contents of your small shipping box

Consider the contents you are planning to pack into your small shipping box. If fragile and more than one, ensure that you wrap them individually to avoid them shifting about in the box and becoming damaged. Even a singular item should be wrapped if you do not have a fitted insert that can keep the item stable in the box. If there is no insert, ensure any void space is filled with filler or wrap.

Small shipping box and labeling

Ensure that you place the label on the largest upper surface of the box. It should clearly indicate address details. This may require you to use a label that covers the entire side, but this is acceptable if the information is easy to read.

Shipper for small shipping box

Also, be careful of what kind of shipper you use to handle your packages. Choose a shipping firm that has a good reputation when it comes to handling and delivery. One that has frequent complaints about packages arriving in poor condition should be avoided. Consult with other businesses in your community to find out which shippers can be trusted.

Limit the Costs For A Large Shipping Box

Sending out a large shipping box is no longer the preserve of manufacturers or wholesalers. Retailers now also find themselves needing to send out large shipments to individual customers. With consumers now preferring the convenience of online shopping, they will often make bulk purchases, necessitating retailers to make use of large shipping boxes in which they can combine the full order, rather than package each item in an individual small shipping box. This approach makes it easier to track the package and ship everything all at once.

There are however other strategies you can apply to help further reduce shipping costs and make fulfilling online orders more profitable.

Customize your large shipping box

Try to have a good variety of shipping boxes in the dimensions you often find yourself needing. Some may be standard sizes while others may require you to order customized boxes. Having this variety of options will make it easier to ensure as tight a fit as possible when assembling an order in the same box. Limiting the size of the box will help to reduce shipping costs as they are based on size and weight factors.

Consult with multiple carriers for large or small shipping box

Many businesses have found that shipping costs can vary between different carriers along different routes and using different modes of transportation. You may find that the provider you currently use for fulfilling local orders is quite expensive as compared to competitors when it comes to out-of-state or international orders. The pricing can also change based on the volume of business you provide. Some carriers are willing to drop their rates if you negotiate with them. Take time to compile the details of the orders you often get and research the options available to you to find the most affordable and reliable option.

Shop around for box makers

It is not just carriers you need to shop around for. If you require custom packaging, then get quotes from as many box makers in your area as you can. Also, find out what kind of discounts they offer for bulk orders. Where possible, source all your packaging material, including fillers and tape from the same supplier to enjoy greater discounts.

Vary your packaging of large shipping box

Depending on what kind of items you are shipping, you may find that alternatives to large or small shipping boxes can be more affordable. Options like poly mailers, envelopes, and even tubes can take up less space and thus reduce shipping costs.

Use online shipping for large shipping box

Some carriers will offer hefty discounts when you pay for shipping online. This can apply to even priority or express shipments. Some carriers can help reduce costs and make your work easier by offering free pick-ups.

Are Heavy Duty Shipping Boxes Safer?

double cover heavy duty boxes
Whether you need heavy duty shipping boxes for transporting personal belongings during a move or sell large products online, this choice of packaging is safer for several reasons. When choosing packaging supplies, it is crucial to select what offers the maximum safety for your items so that they can arrive at their destination intact. During transit, even over short distances, there can often be rough handling by shippers or from the transport vehicle driving over dilapidated roads that results in items being damaged. Here is how heavy duty shipping boxes can help ensure safer deliveries of your shipments.

Heavy duty shipping boxes – less risk

Heavy duty boxes are built with extra fluting and thickness to their walls that provide more security for the contents. This stronger construction assures that the box is less likely to come apart, even if the items being packed are heavy. Even if the items in the box end up rattling about, the box should remain stable. A heavy duty box is also better at withstanding heavy weight so even chances of the contents falling out from the bottom are reduced.

Heavy duty shipping boxes – extra cushioning

With thicker walls on the boxes, there is extra cushioning that can help to better protect more fragile items. This cushioning can aid in absorbing vibrations and providing more of a barrier in the event the box is exposed to liquids or if perforated. Ensure that you further protect the contents by adding adequate filler to further cushion items and fill voids. This will reduce the risk of damage from the contents bumping into each other while in transit.

Large shipping box special handling

Larger and heavier boxes tend to be more carefully handled than smaller boxes. Even in videos where shippers have been captured mishandling packages by throwing or kicking them, this usually happens to smaller-sized boxes. Larger boxes are harder to handle and sometimes require the use of additional equipment like dollies to move them around. They are less likely to be mishandled, though not impossible.

Large shipping box accommodates more

Using a large shipping box when you have several smaller items to pack will allow you to save time and money as compared to when packing several smaller boxes. When the box is heavy-duty, it should be able to comfortably accommodate more items without fear they will cause damage. Fewer boxes, even of a larger size, can also be easier to accommodate within the transport vehicle and make for fewer trips when loading and unloading.

Large Shipping Box Preparation

Prepare for upcoming shipment with a small and large shipping box. When stocking shipping boxes that will be used to deliver orders to customers, retailers need to have them in an array of sizes. Having a good range of small to large shipping box sizes ensure that they can accommodate orders of varied combinations and send them out with less worry. It may seem like simply keeping a stock of large shipping boxes is preferable, but there are good reasons to also include some stock of small shipping box sizes.

Large Shipping Box: Protect Goods

When shipping items, you can expect some level of rough handling during transit. This could come from careless shipping employees or simply having the delivery truck drive over rough roads. It is never pleasant to receive your order when it is damaged. The business may even be compelled to make a replacement for whatever is damaged, which can add further costs.

Using boxes that are a tighter fit for the contents can reduce the chances of damage occurring as it reduces free space in which the contents can end up banging into one another and cause the box to topple over. Packaging items in a box with a closer fit and using filling is a good way to limit costs and the risk of damage in transit.

Large Shipping Box: Affordable

Shipping companies will charge for services based on the weight and size of the package. You can reduce your shipping costs by using boxes with a tighter fit that are lighter and smaller. A small shipping box size is also easier to handle by shipping employees. They are less likely to struggle with it and suffer accidents that would cause damage to the contents. While you should not make the box too small, it is advisable to ensure it is as tight a fit as possible.

Small Shipping Box: Save Money

When you include small shipping boxes in your order to the box maker, you will find that they are priced at a lower rate than bigger boxes. This means that having a varied mix when it comes to sizing will ensure you pay less for your order for boxes. The less material used to make smaller boxes automatically means lower costs.

Large Shipping Box: Easy Storage

Even though cardboard boxes do not take up much storage space because they can be flattened. A small box will still take even less storage space than a large shipping box. And because they are smaller, they are also lighter, making it easier to retrieve them from whatever storage area.

Tips To Packing Fragile Items In Small To Large Shipping Boxes

Custom cardboard box
Whether you are a business that sells crockery or are simply looking to move house, you will need to take the right approach in packaging fragile items. From glass to pianos, there are all manner of things in the home and office that require extra care when being moved. This is because they can be particularly vulnerable to damage even when exposed to just minimal impact.

Whether the items are cheap or expensive, no one likes to lose their property through damage that could have been avoided. And much of this is down to how these items are packed. Here are a few tips on making the packing and transport of fragile items safer.

Mix Up Box Sizes

Fragile items can be found in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This is why it is important to find a good mix of small and large shipping box. It is best to place items that will be boxed up in a carton of similar dimensions.

Too big a box and the contents may end up banging against the carton walls and each other while in transit. It may also take up too much space in the transport vehicle, requiring more trips to complete the move. Too small shipping boxes and the carton may have bulges and become too hard to properly close.

Quality Packaging Materials

Investing in the cheapest packaging materials is a bad idea. The boxes will not provide sufficient support and insulation. They may easily fall apart, exposing your fragile items to likely injury. Find a supplier of good quality shipping boxes and other packaging materials that can withstand the journey and can be safely re-used.

Packaging Filler and Inserts

Packaging filler is a great way to pad up the interior of the box and provide extra cushioning for your fragile items. There are all kinds of materials you can use including packing pellets, newspapers, and bubble wrap. Make sure to use enough of the filler to eliminate any empty space within the box.

Inserts are also a good way to keep your items stable and in a fixed position within the box. If you have retained the box and inserts that came with your electronics, make use of them.

Load Carefully

If you are transporting these items yourself, be careful about how you load them in your vehicle. Where possible, avoid stacking them. Also, avoid mixing them in with other boxes and packages that will press into them from the sides. Try to load them last and on top. Also, ensure they will not slide when the vehicle is moving.

How To Save When Mailing A Small Shipping Box

Heavy Duty Shipping Box
As businesses become more global, there has been a growing need to make shipping of products more affordable. Many concerns no longer just ship to wholesalers and large merchants. They now also sell directly to the retail market and that means having to contend with smaller shipments. Here are some tips on how to minimize the costs involved and make catering to this market more profitable.

Customize Packaging

Tailoring your packaging to conform more tightly to the size of the product is a good idea rather than relying on standard shipping box sizes. When you have a small shipping box, the weight and size will be better optimized and will result in cheaper shipping costs. Carriers calculate shipping costs primarily based on weight, size, and distance. Since distance is dependent on the location of the customer, you need to work on the other factors to get better shipping costs.

Use Quality Materials and Designs

The better quality your package is, the less risk that the contents will be damaged in transit. Whether it is a small or large shipping box, it should ideally be made of sound construction such as corrugated cardboard. Where necessary you can even include inserts that can better support the contents of the box and provide added shock absorption. When goods arrive in good condition to their destination, you will not have to deal with returns or reimbursement costs.

Choose The Right Carrier

For those that use mainstream carriers, be sure to make comparisons as to the deals on offer. Many businesses report that USPS is the cheapest option for packages under 13 ounces. Depending on where you are and the products you are dispatching, you may want to do some research before committing to a particular carrier. You can even work with multiple carriers, classing them according to weight sizes so you can optimize your costs.

Order Your Packaging Supplies in Bulk

Many providers offer great deals on bulk orders. If you have been in business for a while you should have an idea as to what products are fast-moving and the size of orders to expect, especially during peak periods. Take stock of this when placing your orders for packaging materials to secure bulk discounts. Determine the mix of small and large shipping box you will need and find a place to store them. Being lightweight, you can safely pile them somewhere until you need them to dispatch products.

Few Tips to Handling your Shipping Boxes

Regular slotted carton Sandal Essence

There are hundreds of standard box designs and uses out there, so when it comes to choosing the right shipping boxes how do you know if choosing a large shipping box over a slightly smaller one is a benefit or a deterrent? Whether you are moving or own a business that ships product, knowing what is out there and what shipping boxes to use can save you space, money, and potentially dealing with damage.

Here are a few specific box types and what to ship with them.

Standard Slotted Carton

One of the most common types of shipping boxes out there, the standard slotted carton can be used for a variety of shipping needs. The biggest benefit is that slotted boxes tend to have a lot of options regarding size. However, one of the biggest problems is overpacking which untrained people tend to do. For example, who hasn’t overpacked a box of books before? As you likely know this can result in significant injury if not lifted correctly or if lifting too much weight. To offset the problem, it’s important to identify how much weight should be loaded into a box and either use lighter shipping filler or a different sized box to lessen the weight. Remember, just because a box says it has a 200lb. weight capacity does not mean you should fill it to 200lbs.

Corrugated Box Trays

Corrugated box trays are a great simple box. First, they are cost effective and secondly, they allow for design opportunities while also showing off your product. These shipping boxes are small but depending on your product work great at shipping large stackable quantities. One thing to consider is that due to not having a cover. It is important to tightly wrap your product and for stacking it helps to have a sheet of corrugated board to layer the next level evenly. When space matters, this shipping box is great and as an added feature these boxes are generally small enough to be repurposed for a variety of needs.

Telescoping Box

Telescoping boxes may seem pretty standard, but like any other style of box they have their distinct benefits. Often considered a large shipping box, corrugated telescoping boxes come with a top box and bottom piece. This provides added durability and strength when shipping larger, yet more fragile items such as flat screen televisions. Two other benefits are that they are easy to assemble (often secured with staples) and can be stacked. While these boxes are great protection against storage and transportation damage. It is also important to ensure an adequate amount of packing is done so that the weight of stacking your product doesn’t result in center of the box damage. This may mean considering plastic spacing and fillers.

Large or Small Shipping Box

When it comes to the shipping business, too many times you feel like you’re in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This box is too small, that box is too big, but which one is just right? Do you need a small shipping box to pack your products individually or will it be smarter to ship more in a large shipping box? There are many options and sometimes it can be confusing to figure out what is the right way to go.

The goal in shipping an item is to send it as quickly as possible, as safely as possible and as inexpensively as possible. You need to think size and shape of the item being shipped. Is it round and fragile like a light bulb? Is it long and thin like a fishing pole? Perhaps your items are large and heavy like a refrigerator or dishwasher. As you can see, one size will not fit all.

There are many types of shipping boxes. For products with a narrow width there are full overlap cartons. These boxes can handle items that are heavy, can protect the product from rough handling and they stack well. There are regular slotted cartons (RSC) that come in different sizes for handling products of different weights. These are the most common shipping box. There are variations of the RSC that has overlapping flaps that can give added strength to the box. The regular slotted cartons come in a variety of sizes. To ship very large and heavy items look towards a double cover box. This box has separate top and bottom covers. Placing the item on the bottom cover, sliding the body of the box over the item and covering it with the top cover makes for an efficient way to package those large cumbersome items.

All shipping boxes can be custom printed; no matter what size or shape. What better way to advertise your brand! It makes your product more recognizable. Remember those cow boxes that used to be delivered? No one had to look in the box to know what it was and where it was from. It was from Gateway and it was a computer. Wouldn’t it be great to have your product have the same recognition? Custom printing your shipping containers can do that for you. Check with Cactus Containers for a custom printed shipping box that will be just right for your business.