Sending and receiving mail is generally considered a part of daily life. However, when it comes to sending packages, especially fragile items over long distances, things can be a little more tricky. Here are some guidelines and tips to help ensure a safe shipping experience.
Know Your Restrictions
Especially when it comes to international freight shipping, where your package can be subject to all kinds of border customs restrictions and lots of fluctuating temperatures, you should be careful to ensure that all of the contents of your package are safe for international shipping. Some things, such as electronics with batteries included, must be specifically marked as such in order to prevent any circumstances that could cause toxic battery leakage or interference with electronic parts, so be sure to check with the requirements of both your local post office and the regulations of the destination.
Get a Tracking Number
A tracking number is one of the best ways to keep an eye on where your package is. Not only is it great to know the last location of your package in case of a delay or a missing package, it can be very useful to know when your mail is estimated to arrive so that you do not miss it. In addition to this, a tracking number is usually much less expensive than insuring your package and most services, even international freight shipping, includes a tracking number for cheap or for free.
Pack Efficiently
While a fragile sticker may help your peace of mind, it’s much better to pack the inside of the box as carefully as possible. You want the contents of the box not to move around much at all, but you also don’t necessarily want fragile edges right up next to the cardboard walls. Styrofoam packing peanuts is a classic method, but if you’d like something a little more environmentally friendly, wadded up paper can be a great packing material as well. If you do choose Styrofoam, however, some local packing and shipping services may accept packing peanuts for recycling.
