Packaging Supplies Guide

Shipping products sounds fairly straightforward. You receive an order, you pack up the product, and send it on its way. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. When packing and shipping products, you must do it with care. No customer is going to be happy if they receive a damaged good. Even if the items you ship arrive in perfect condition, if your product is shipped poorly and sloppily, the customer will likely think you are unprofessional and may not shop with you again. For both these reasons, shipping must be taken very seriously, and you must always choose the right packaging materials for the job.

We’ve put together this quick guide to help you find which packing materials go best with what type of products. The right materials can make a big difference when it comes to how your company is viewed.

Boxes

When it comes to boxes, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First off, you need to choose the correct size of box for the job. You do not want there to be too much void space for filling, but you also don’t want it to be such a tight fit that there’s no room for void fill at all. Another important tip to keep in mind is that there are many shapes and strengths of corrugated boxes. Some boxes are designed for specific types of goods, which can be a great asset to you. Corrugated boxes also have different levels of strength. Heavy duty boxes, for example, are much stronger than the standard carton and are ideal for heavy weight products.

Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is arguably the first thing that most people think of when they think about packing materials. Bubble wrap can be used to pack your most fragile items safely. It protects against shock, vibration, and abrasion. Examples of products you certainly want to use bubble wrap for include china, mirrors, artwork, glass products, electronics, and more. There’s multiple variations of bubble wrap so you can get the packaging that is best for your product. For example, anti-static bubble wrap provides static protection for your electronics.

Foam

Foam can offer much of the same protection as bubble wrap with several differences. The first is that it is thinner, so there will be a smaller cushion between your product and the carton it is being shipped in. Foam is also very flexible, so it can be wrapped in strange and unusual shapes easily. This also makes it great for fill around the edges and corners of boxes. It can be harder to wrap foam around products, though, but its protection is still ideal for a wide variety of delicate items.   

Loose Fill (Packing Peanuts)

Loose fill is designed to protect products from all sides during shipping. The even distribution of loose fill is great for impact resistance and shock absorption. The biggest problem you’ll run into with loose fill is that it will not secure your items within the box. Products may still shift during shipping. For this reason it is best to use loose fill for products that still need protection, but are not very fragile.

Kraft Paper

Kraft paper does not offer the same shock absorption of other packaging materials, but it is still useful when it comes to shipping. It makes for great void fill to stop products from being jostled against the side of corrugated boxes. Strangely shaped items can benefit from being wrapped in Kraft paper, as can less fragile items such as movies, CDs, and more. As with many types of packaging supplies, there are multiple options available when it comes to Kraft paper, including options that are made only from recycled materials.

Make sure next time you’re shipping you’re shipping using the correct materials. It only takes a few negative reviews for you to start seeing a dip in your sales. Invest wisely!

Packing Fragile Items

It’s nearing the end of the month, meaning many young adults are heading off to college. Packing up your life and moving to a new place is very daunting, no matter who you are, and this is particularly true when one has a lot of fragile items to transport. Having corrugated boxes isn’t enough. You need to have a strategy to pack your breakable items so they stay intact throughout a trip. If you find yourself at a loss, don’t worry. We have some great tips that will make this process much easier on you.

The item people probably think of first when it comes to protecting breakables is bubble products. Bubble

products have been used for decades as excellent padding to keep items safe. You can use bubble products in many ways to keep your items safe. Use bubble wrap to pad your items and pack them into a corrugated box. This is a simple but effective strategy. Something many people don’t realize, however, is that you can purchase more than just bubble wrap. You can also purchase items such as bubble pouches. These pre-made pouches allow you to simply insert items, no wrapping or cutting required! There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, so it is important to find the method that works best for your needs.

Another great item you can use to protect items is foam products. You can use foam in multiple ways. First, you can use it to actually wrap up your items. You can also use it as a cushioning layer between items. This is very effective with dishes. Foam is very lightweight and won’t scratch up your items when you use it. This makes it a good option for your valuables.

Newsprint is a great economic option for packing and moving fragile items. You can use it to wrap and pack multiple items into one box! You can use it to pack around any shape of item, whether it is something as standard as a plate or a more complicated household decoration. Newsprint isn’t only good for wrapping items. It also makes great void fill. Use it to stuff between objects in a corrugated box to stop the items from moving around and bumping each other.

Speaking of void fill, you may be looking for an item specifically meant to add extra cushioning in a box. Loose fill is the answer to that problem. It acts as a shock absorber for your products and fills in some of the space in boxes to add protection while your items are in transit. There’s a reason people have been using loose fill for so long…it works.

There’s additional ways you can pack fragile items as well. Try wrapping fragile items in towels or clothing. They offer a great deal of protection. Styrofoam is another good option, particularly for larger items. It’s always a good idea to save the box and Styrofoam large electronics came in to safely pack them up again later.

There you have it! Those are our best tips on how to pack up fragile items. We hope that we’ve been of some help to you.