small shipping boxes | Cactus Containers

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.

Ship It Right with Large and Small Shipping Boxes

No matter what your business may be, shipping is a necessary part of what you do. No matter how much you may rely on e-mail, faxing, or digital sharing of various sorts, you can’t avoid the need to ship physical objects. Legal documents need physical signatures. E-bay items need to be shipped or returned. Items you sell online through your own website need nice packaging and the right packaging so that they are delivered successfully.

Small shipping boxes, cardboard tubes, triangular boxes, Styrofoam or even large shipping boxes. The more you can determine exactly what you will be shipping on a regular basis, and hone in on the sizes and shapes you need, the more prepared you will be for purchasing large quantities of shipping boxes and saving money in the long run.

That is one of the most cost-saving and logistically smart considerations, no matter what your situation. Can you boil down all your shipping needs into particular sizes, and troubleshoot the different types of custom or non-custom shipping needs that will arise?

Let us say that you are an E-bay seller – a massive one. You ship widgets, but your widgets are only a subset of widgets that are sold and purchased in a category of E-bay that you have come to monopolize. Good for you and your widgets. But to truly be cost effective, you need a shipping strategy that pleases your customers and allows you to reap the benefits of effective shipping. This means easy shipping. This means shipping that isn’t overly complicated. And it’s possible, since you most likely sell again and again on E-bay, very similar items with similar size, shape, and weight considerations.

You sell widgets. You sell widgets that are a cross-section of E-bay that are roughly similar. You don’t sell miniature figurines and car parts at the same time. No, your widgets are similar. So already, your shipping needs aren’t drastically different from one package to the next. But can you creatively categorize your widgets even further? Doing so will allow you to think through the different types of shipping boxes and shipping containers. You eventually should be able to estimate the amounts you sell of each of these categories.

And there you go. It may seem like you spent a lot on a small part of your operation. But if you rely on shipping on a day-to-day basis, it will make a difference. It will make a difference to you and it will make a difference to the buyer of each widget that you sell.