Guidelines For Packing Courier Shipments

Whenever you ship something with a courier company, packing that shipment is going to be your responsibility. Your Los Angeles courier service will not just want you to pack your shipment in any fashion that you please however. Instead, you will be expected to pack your goods according to the guidelines that they have laid out for packing shipments. All couriers have these guidelines, and if you ask your courier they should be more than happy to provide you with a copy of them.

You should always read your couriers actual packing guidelines. Those written rules should take precedence over general tips that you read regarding courier packing. However, these basic tips should include points that are included in the courier guidelines that are issued by most courier companies.

Many of the guidelines that couriers provide regarding shipment packing have to do with breakable shipments. It is very important to couriers that these are packed correctly, because they run the risk of having to file insurance claims if shipments are broken. They will request that you fill all empty spaces in a package with some sort of insulator that will prevent breakables from shifting or banging against one another. You will also have to make sure that breakable packages are labeled properly, and that heavy breakables are in a package strong enough to support their weight.

Couriers will also usually mention the type of materials that they want customers to use when packing shipments. When you pack a shipment using inferior materials, the result is often packages that fall apart while in transit. Proper packing tape and strong cardboard for boxes is almost always required. Most couriers will also ask that you only pack packages in boxes that only have a single address visible on the box, which should be the shipping label that you have affixed. Do not reuse boxes with old shipping information visible.

Couriers may request other things as well. For instance, some couriers will request that if anything in your package has the potential to spill or leak that you make sure to seal it in plastic. By the same token, if your product will be damaged by water, they may ask you to also seal it in plastic to protect it from potential moisture damage. The goal with all of these guidelines is going to be to help make sure that packages don't get damaged, and that they aren't able to cause damage to the other packages they are transported with.