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Shipping holiday packages

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Wednesday, 07 November 2007

Getting the right gift is important, but so is making sure it gets to the recipient in one piece.

Whether the gift is traveling across town, across the country or overseas, it is important to ensure the varying packaging requirements and holiday mailing deadlines are met. “The job of getting gifts where they need to be can be accomplished confidently and conveniently with some preplanning and expert shipping assistance,” said PakMail Anderson Mill owner Joel Altsman, who offers his tips on getting through the gift-giving season.

Tips for holiday shipping

Ship early — Holiday volume leads to overcrowded trucks, planes and routes. Check carrier Web sites for shipping deadlines: www.usps.com, www.FedEx.com, www.ups.com and www.dhl.com.

Pack intelligently — Always use a corrugated container with a minimum of two inches cushioning around each side. Carriers will not follow special directions and will not honor damage claims on packages with insufficient packaging. Cushioning can be any combination of bubble-wrap, Styrofoam, etc. Packing paper is not recommended because it has no resiliency after impact.

Ship smart — Shipping one 20-pound box is generally less expensive than shipping two 10-pound boxes. Also, packages destined for military addresses must be sent through the United States Postal Service. Shipping alcohol is illegal.

Leave it to the professionals — Especially when dealing with anything fragile or breakable, sometimes it is best to let a professional do the packing.

A few more tips:

Packing peanuts and other re-usable packaging products are recyclable. Many retail shipping locations accept these materials.
If possible, ship to a business address. This will ensure someone will be available to receive the package.
Wrapping shipping containers with paper is not recommended. If the wrapping is damaged or lost in transit, the package becomes undeliverable. To ensure proper delivery, write the ‘to’ and ‘from’ inside the box as well.

Mailing deadlines:

Because Christmas Day falls on a Tuesday, the last time to ship for delivery before the holiday is Friday, Dec. 21, or early in the morning on Dec. 22. Sending on either Friday or Saturday will require overnight shipping with much higher costs and risk of weather delay.