It pays to protect your products in the post

Ecommerce is growing faster than any other sales channel in the world. Many larger companies have reacted to this trend by increasing their logistics budgets; hiring more delivery staff, expanding their delivery fleet and investing in more depots. However, not all companies can afford to take these measures and for many SME companies, standard post is the most cost effective and secure method of getting their products to customers.

By the end of 2015 it was predicted that more than 1 billion parcels will have been sent via the post in the UK alone. If any of those products are damaged during transit, it is the seller and not the transporter who is liable.

One of the best ways to help your profit margin on your ecommerce sales, is to use good quality packaging to prevent goods being damaged in the post.

Standard postal boxes, whether brown, white, triangular or extra flat, offer a strong and economical way to send items in the post. However, for some products, a more specific type of packaging is required.

Product specific packaging is becoming increasingly popular as ecommerce businesses grow in size. They may offer a specific form of protection or come in a shape or size that prevents movement in transit.

In this blog, we’re looking at some of the more common items sent by ecommerce businesses that may require product specific packaging:

Documents

If you sell items such as certificates, posters or memorabilia, you’ll know how important it is that your products get to their destination crease and tear free. For bigger documents that won’t fit in standard postal boxes, you will need longer packaging that allows you to roll your poster or certificate, rather than fold it.

The best options for this are postal tubes, telescopic boxes and long cardboard boxes. These forms of postal packaging are specific to the product shape and won’t require the sender to use excessive protective packaging or leave space for the product to bend or fold.

For smaller documents that may fit in an envelope, cardboard envelopes are a great way of keeping the document flat and tear fee.

Fragile trinkets or ornaments

Ornaments and small trinkets made of fragile materials such as glass, pottery or hand-made jewellery need extra protection, as you can’t guarantee how they will be handled when sent in the post. Any guidance notes on the box such as ‘fragile’ or ‘this way up’ are helpful, but there is no certainty that the courier will take that advice on board.

Therefore it is important that you add extra padding around the product that should protect it from rough handling or falls. Filling the box with bubble wrap or loose fill is an option, but there may be a more cost effective method available.

Foam boxes are standard cardboard boxes with inbuilt foam cushioning. The foam moulds around the product to prevent scratching and movement in transit.

Heavier household items such as lamp stands, cutlery or furnishings

Sometimes when you are packaging heavier items, you need to make sure the packaging is strong enough to hold it.

The packaging will need to withstand the weight of the product; otherwise you could be paying for items lost or damaged in delivery.

Cardboard comes in different strengths. One of the strongest forms available at the moment is triple walled cardboard, which offers a barrier of three layers of cardboard fluting.

Books, photographs and canvases

If you are packaging a small amount of photographs, paintings or canvases, multi-media wrap boxes are ideal as they adjust to fit the shape and size of the bundle. This type of box is easily assembled and most come equipped with adhesive strips, saving you time.

This form of packaging allow the box to compress the product, keeping it straight, flat and crease free.

For bigger packages, such as books, wraparound book boxes are another alternative. Much like multi-media wrap boxes, wraparound book boxes are adjustable to different heights and come with an easy seal adhesive strip. Some book boxes will offer tamper-evident closure as well.

Other considerations

If you’re sending small electronics or parts, a box is excessive and will cost you more than you need to spend. In this case, you should use a bag or envelope with built in protection. Polyethelene mailers and Jiffy bags are ideal for sending small parts because of their built-in protective cushioning.

By buying product specific postal packaging, you ensure your product arrives at the destination in ideal condition. You can be confident that your package will withstand the potential rigours of transit.