4 Top Packaging Tips to Avoid Shipping Damage

Featured image from Francesco Romeo via Pixabay

Recent data from Sealed Air shows that up to 20% of e-commerce sales are returned due to damage. As you might imagine, this isn’t good for business. When you spend money shipping products and customers send them back due to damage, you lose a lot of money.

You don’t want this to keep happening to your business, do you?

Thankfully, there are several things you can do to curb shipping damage.

To prevent shipping damages, you need to package your products correctly. To help you out, here are tips you should put into consideration when packing your next product:

Use High-Quality Double-Wall Boxes to Avoid Shipping Damage

When you use high-quality boxes, you have peace of mind that the boxes won’t come apart except under extreme stress.

To keep your products tightly secured:

Use the right tape.
For light boxes, use durable plastic tape at least two to three inches in width.
Use reinforced tape that is at least three inches in width for heavy boxes.

In order for your items to reach their destination safely, don’t use duct tape, masking tape, household Scotch™ tape, or kraft paper tape. Stick to quality plastic shipping tape to avoid and minimize damage.

Use Structurally Strong Master Cartons to Minimize Shipping Damage

Master cartons should be strong. In fact, they should be strong enough to withstand the weight of other cartons and survive drops. Before packing, research and find the proper cartons for your products.

If you are working with a fulfillment center, you are in luck. Most centers have guidelines that specify how corrugated the carton walls should be.

If shipping heavy items, play it safe. Use cartons with as highly corrugated walls as possible.

Moreover, if you have empty spaces left in the master carton, fill the space with packaging material. This prevents movement and ensures that the packaging material takes up the shock instead of the items in the carton.

Ensure Items Don’t Touch the Walls of the Inner Cartons

Make sure all your items are safely contained within the carton, box, crate, or any other protective carton you might be using.

For fragile items, wrap them individually in bubble wrap or foam padding, ensuring at least two inches of thickness around each item.

Are you shipping items that dirt or wet conditions might damage? Wrap them inside a plastic bag.

Pack textiles and other goods that might get damaged by humidity with a moisture-absorbing product such as desiccants.

The items you want to ship shouldn’t touch the walls of the inner cartons. You also should ensure at least two inches of padding (kraft paper, inflated airbags, foam, or popcorn) to protect the items you are shipping. Also, fill in the gaps in the box and prevent the items from moving about during transit.

Regardless of the number of items you want to ship, never over-pack the box. This would risk the box coming apart and the items cracking during transit.