Shipping
How to Ship Fragile Items and Prevent Damage
- Written by Tamsin Mackay
Did you know that packages in transit are subject to ten times the forces of a rollercoaster?
Posting fragile or easily damaged items is a challenge for an ecommerce business. On one hand, if you take your business online you are reaching a wide, global market and discovering new customers. On the other hand, you can end up carrying the cost of returns for damaged items that can really hit your profit margins and your customer reviews.
Research has found that, in the UK alone, the cost of damages to items was £8 billion with the average customer opening three damaged items a year.
You want to find a way of providing your products with better protection so you can reduce the risk of damages, and so you can save yourself the cost of replacements and returns.
Four of the most common reasons for damaged items
While anything can happen to a package in transit to cause damage, these are the four most common reasons:
01: The environment
This particular cause of damage can happen as a result of changes in environment and will depend on where you are sending your packages and what kind of transport you’re using. For example, if your items are being shipped overseas, then you will need to consider the damage that could be caused by high altitudes on planes or moisture in shipping containers. Your items could be damaged because the package is left outside for a period of time and is either baked in the sun or wet by rain.
02: Handling
This is perhaps one of the most common ways in which a package is damaged – handling facilities and individuals. Your item will pass through different places and be handled by different people and often they don’t pay attention to the ‘Fragile’ label. The box is thrown into a pile and, well, the rest is history.
03: Incorrectly sized packaging
Your item needs to sit snug within your box or it will be shaken around and more easily damaged. It’s worth investing in boxes that are a perfect fit for your items so you don’t end up with a small item in a large box can be easily jolted and bounced around. You’ll also save on your postage costs – larger boxes are more expensive as you’re charged for both weight and size – and your items are less likely to get damaged.
04: The wrong packing materials
It may seem self-explanatory, but there are so many different types of packing material available right now that it can be easy to choose the wrong type for your package. Some need airbags or pillows, others may need bubble wrap or packing peanuts. Some may just need recycled paper. Choosing the right packing materials can make the world of difference to the safety of your items.
Five ways to pack your items to prevent damage
Fortunately for you, there are smart ways to protect your items from almost anything. You can’t predict a tornado or a storm, but you can pack your items cleverly so you give them as much protection as possible (and save costs).
01: Protect against the environment
One way to protect your packages from moisture, rain or weather damage is to include a desiccant of some kind in your box. These are designed to wick moisture away and keep your items drier. While they can’t soak up a box dropped in a lake, they will help keep the environment within your package balanced as it moves through different climates. You should also consider double-boxing items if they are really fragile or if you are heading through different climates. This may add to your shipping costs but it will potentially reduce your return costs as you can add in extra layers of packaging and protection.
02: Protect against poor handling
Packaging is obviously the most important route to protecting your items if they’re thrown around without respect for the Fragile label, but there are other ways of protecting your items in transit:
Invest in Fragile or Handle With Care stickers – having these on the outside of your box will reduce the risk of poor handling even if they’re sometimes ignored.
Complete your documentation – if your shipping labels aren’t filled in correctly, it can result in poor product handling. Make sure your labels are clear and visible so shipping handlers can immediately see that, for example, they’re moving a box full of glassware.
Seal your boxes thoroughly – ensure your packing tape covers every corner and crevice so your box is tightly closed to prevent leakage, environmental damage and potential theft.
Undertake your own quality control – before your items are shipped, take the time to check that there are no loose parts that could damage the item if it is shaken in transit, or that there are any areas that may need extra protection. Add packing materials to vulnerable parts of a product and secure any loose components to reduce the risk.
03: Invest in the perfect packaging
Choose the right box size for your item and its transport requirements. You will also want to choose the dunnage – packing materials – that are best suited to your product and shipment types. This means understanding how different types of material will provide different levels of protection but that they also come with different cost implications.
This is not an exhaustive list of materials and what they offer, but it does give you an idea of how different types of dunnage work:
Bubble wrap – this is the most common form of packing material and is an excellent way of shipping fragile items that need to be wrapped easily. It’s reusable and reliable and can be used to fill a box to the corners to prevent jostling and shaking damage. If you are looking for a more sustainable form of bubble wrap, there’s Geami wrap that’s recyclable and biodegradable and offers the same levels of protection.
Solid plastics or wood – these are expensive but worth the price if you are transporting high-value items that must withstand any form of bumping or shaking. These types of materials are good for heavy, highly fragile and expensive goods.
Air pillows – Cost-effective and easy to use, these are a great way of bolstering existing packaging with an extra layer of protection or can be used on their own to protect items. They’re not as flexible as bubble wrap, but they are robust and can withstand quite a bit of bounce.
Recycled paper – a sustainable way of managing packaging, this material is cheap, environmentally friendly and very effective. You can stuff it into corners to support other forms of packing material, or use it to wrap items securely.
Foam – Often used in conjunction with wood and plastic for heavy or high-value items, foam is also commonly used for sensitive products like electronics or devices. It sits snug alongside your items and keeps them firm and tight regardless of how the box is handled.
Corrugated paper – Corrugated paper is often thicker than recycled paper, adding an extra layer of protection. It is also easily recycled and can handle products of different sizes and weights. An added advantage is that this type of paper, because of its thickness, can help with moisture management.
Peanuts – Currently, you can get polystyrene or biodegradable packing peanuts. The former are lighter so they can help keep your shipping costs down, but they aren’t great on the environmental front. The biodegradable ones are more expensive but they do decompose over time. Each type has their own benefits and downsides but both will provide a soft, protective nest for your products.
04: Opt into the right carrier
Work with a reliable shipping partner that has a solid reputation and proven expertise. There are trusted carriers around, and they will work with you to make sure your products are delivered to your customers in perfect condition. It’s worth spending time building a relationship with a reliable carrier if you regularly transport fragile items. That way, they will know what you need from the moment you book a delivery.
05: Invest in the right tools
Shipping insurance is essential. It will help you recover the costs if an item is damaged in transit and help you better manage your bottom line. It does mean you must fill in your shipping labels perfectly, label the boxes correctly, and pack your items meticulously or it is unlikely the insurance will be paid out. Another invaluable tool is tracking. Track your items in real time so you can assess where the damage happened and plan to minimize the risk of it happening again.
The fragile processes of different couriers
Every courier has its own approach to helping you transport fragile items. They also have their own packing rules and expectations so before you choose your carrier, make sure you understand their approaches and their regulations.
UPS offers a service where they will pack and ship your order using their own materials which is a good way of making sure the company will prioritize their handling and care. They don’t charge extra for the shipping of fragile items and they offer you a complete walkthrough on how to prepare your parcels for shipping with them.
DHL also has a complete guide to packing and posting fragile items with their service and offer you insight into how they will handle its transport across multiple types of transit.
FedEx doesn’t charge extra for shipping your fragile items, have their own packing guide, and give you quite a few shipping options to choose from.
USPS used to have an extra cost service for handling fragile items but that was discontinued in 2022. Now you need to simply adhere to their packaging requirements and ensure you have ticked all the right boxes to make sure your packages arrive safely.
Safely away with Veeqo
Veeqo provides you with all the support and tools you need to ensure your fragile items land safely and quickly at your customer’s front door. Our unified order and shipping management dashboard helps you to put your package on the right path from the start – you can check customer information, delivery speeds and packaging from one place. You can also use our site to compare your shipping carrier costs across more than 20 carriers that include FedEx, UPS, UPSPS, and DHL.
We also offer you low shipping rates with the option to earn up to 5% back with Veeqo credits on a platform that’s completely free to use. You can easily compare shipping rates for your package which makes it so much easier to plan your costs – the money you save on shipping can be spent on the right packing materials to ensure your items always arrive on time and in perfect condition.
Our goal is to help you thrive in the world of ecommerce with partnerships, tools, and services that reduce the risk of delays or damage while improving your customer service and engagement.
