How To Safely Package Fragile Items

When you’ve gone to the effort of building a fantastic e-commerce business, invested time and money into generating traffic and then leads and then done everything possible to convert these into sales, the last thing you want is to completely undo all that work by having to refund your customers because your goods are delivered in pieces.
Properly packaging the items you sell is vital. Not only are the financial implications severe when you need to give a customer their money back for stock that’s now useless, but your reputation with customers can take an absolute battering. Here are some key tips to help you protect the fragile items you sell:

Buy Proper Packaging
Don’t try to cut corners by using odds and ends to pack your items. Second hand boxes and scraps of bubble wrap aren’t going to cut it, and it’ll make you look unprofessional too. Invest in corrugated cardboard boxes, buy high quality thick bubble wrap (or packing peanuts when dealing with fragile items that should not have any pressure applied) and sturdy parcel tape. It’s also worth investing in moulded polystyrene if you regularly ship fragile stock.

Don’t Overpack
It’s fantastic if you regularly sell multiple items with each order placed but try to skimp on packaging (and postage) rates by combining items in one box can cause issues. The more stock you pack closer together, the higher a chance of impact damage between items, and of course you don’t want to compromise the integrity of the box itself as well.

Don’t Underpack
On the flipside, you can’t be stingy with packaging materials. Any space left in your parcels will allow whatever’s inside to move around and that’s the main cause of damage to goods in transit. Don’t skimp on the packing materials inside your parcels, make sure everything is tightly packed and completely surrounded for total cushioning.

Make It Obvious
A good, reliable courier won’t throw your parcel around or mistreat it. But it does no harm to label your delicate goods as fragile, or to use arrows to show which way the parcel should be rested during transport. It’ll help ensure that at every stage of the process every person who deals with your packages helps to care for it until it’s in the hands of your customer.

There’s no magic solutions when it comes to keeping fragile items safe – it’s simply common sense and investment. Using reliable materials, thinking logically when packing the item, and working with a trustworthy courier will all ensure both your goods and your reputation are protected.