How to “Sleigh” Your Holiday Shipping: 4 Tips “Yule” Love

You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry, you’d better not pout, I’m telling you why: the holidays are coming to town!

If you’re shipping gifts this holiday season, you’ll want to put some extra thought into the packaging. When you send a gift through the mail, all that stands between it and the frigid December weather is the packaging materials you employ and how you use them. On top of this, the holiday season is the time for bright and colorful boxes and bags, so don’t hold back on your presentation. In this article, we will go over four of the best holiday shipping tips to ensure that you don’t “Scrooge” over your customers.

1. It’s Beginning to Look Like the Right Box

A box is a box is a box, right? Wrong. Boxes come in a variety of styles that provide various levels of durability, depending on their thickness, composition, and size.

First things first, select a box that’s slightly larger than the item you’ll be shipping. This guarantees your item will fit and allows room for cushioning material, like Styrofoam peanuts or bunched-up newspaper, to protect your gift. Avoid picking too large of a box, or you’ll end up spending more on shipping expenses than you need to.

Once you determine the size of the box you need, think about the material. Regular boxes are fine, but corrugated boxes are better. Although the thicker walls will be heavier, therefore raising your shipping costs, the study walls of a corrugated box offer superior protection for your goods.

2. O Come, All Ye Packing Protocols

If getting the right packaging supplies is half the battle, packing smart is the other half. When you’re packing fragile items, a good rule of thumb is to have at least one to two inches of packing materials cushioning the gift. As the gift’s fragility increases, so should the amount of packing material you use.

Hollow items, like jars and vases, should receive an interior layer of cushioning to protect them from the inside. If you’re shipping multiple gifts, make sure they’re individually wrapped and kept separate from each other; for extra protection, place barriers of packing material between them to ensure they reach their destination undamaged.

3. It’s the Most Wonderful Time for Tape

Great tape is essential to any packaging and shipping operation. It’s important to remember that not all tapes are equal in tensile strength or adhesion; masking tape and Scotch tape may be low-cost options, but these tapes are certain to come loose as they pass through the rigors of shipping, handling, and storage.

Your best bet is to use carton sealing tape or water-activated tape. These tapes maintain a tight grip, hold the package together, and resist common contaminants, like dust, dirt, and moisture, that can loosen and damage the package. Pressure sensitive carton sealing tape is more commonplace and cost-effective, but kraft paper water-activated tape provides a stronger hold that deters tampering and pilferage.

For a refresher on how to properly seal corrugated boxes, be sure to check out our article going over essential tips for effectively taping your cartons.

Holiday Packaging

4. Rudolph the Deadline Meeter

If the safety and security of your shipments is the most important matter, then timeliness is a close second. Nothing quite spoils the holidays more than when they come and pass without any presents. If you want to ensure successful holiday deliveries, you’ll need to keep the major holiday shipping dates in mind.

These dates differ from company to company, and they each provide guides on when to ship your gifts with their various services:

USPS Holiday Shipping Dates

FedEx Holiday Shipping Dates

UPS Holiday Shipping Dates

As a business, you have a responsibility to make sure your products reach their destinations undamaged and on time. Keep your customers from “Grinching out” by committing to these critical holiday deadlines.