We all like a reduced price organiser, but if the seller/sender fails to pack the organiser properly your whoops of joy on unpacking it might turn to tears and moans if it arrives damaged.
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| What you don't want to see.. Credit: Sandra |
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| Another victim of the post Credit: Christa |
- If you have the original box or slip case that will help protect the organiser, but it is not essential.
- If you are sending the organiser with inserts, it might be better to remove these so you can pack the inside of the organiser with bubble wrap, or poly peanuts to help protect the rings. The more uniform in shape you can make the organiser the easier it will be to pack. Removing the inserts also places less stress on the rings should the parcel get dropped by the couriers/mail people.
- Once you have packed the inside of the organiser with poly peanuts, or foam or folded newspaper, put it in the slip case, it should be a very snug fit, if it isn't you need more packing inside it!
If you are using one of the black Filofax boxes, add some padding around the outside of the organiser and make sure once you put it in the box it's not free to move around. - Now put another layer of padding around the outside of the box/slip case, a single layer should do it. Make sure the corners are well protected
- Finally drop it in a padded bag and seal it up with tape. Don't skimp on the size of the padded bag, buy a size bigger if it is too tight a fit, you can easily fold it over, they use wide sticky scotch tape to seal it up all around the edges.
Make sure the address is written in the correct format for the country it is going to. Your own address is on the reverse side. And when you go to the post office make sure you fill in the relevant customs forms for the country it is going to. These will normally be available at the post office.
It might seem like a lot of padding, but the trick is to layer the protection inside and outside the organiser to ensure that any drop the parcel suffers in transit the shock will be absorbed and the parcel should get to the destination intact.
You can buy specialist mailing boxes like those used by Amazon and similar mail order companies, but I tend to save packing material in a large box for reusing for sending out items.
So next time you send an organiser I'm sure if you follow these simple tips you won't quite so worried once you have handed over your parcel.
This is very helpful thanks Steve
ReplyDeleteWow, that poor binder with the rings torn out almost made me cry! Thanks for this post!
ReplyDeleteMay I add - In Capital Letters.
ReplyDeleteCHECK THE DIMENSIONS OF YOUR PARCEL.
UK Royal Mail postage changes completely on April 2nd.
If your parcel is more than 8cm deep, the postage DOUBLES from £2.70 now, to £5.65
So bubble wrap, yes, but just make sure you charge enough (and explain why).
I blogged about this last week. Second post down... http://littleblackfilofax.blogspot.co.uk/
As most parcels containing filoxes will be slimmer than 8cm, the new pricing structure makes shipping binders (at least within the UK) cheaper than before.
ReplyDeleteTake advantage of the 1 kilogram allowance for a small parcel, to maximise your packing, and ship 2nd class for the bargain price of just 2.60 GBP.
If you can fill the interior of the binder with a non-deformable padding, with a slightly higher stack height than the ring diameter, then your rings will survive being trodden on.
It isn't cheaper!
DeleteOld price £2.20 second class for up to 750g which is well under empty A5 weight. My stuffed A5 is 900g.
New price is £2.60.
Old First Class is £2.70, new is £3.00. Unless you are sending Filofaxes with a seriously fat paper fill, it's more expensive for the equivalent service from Monday.
Not all postal services operate the same as the Royal Mail on pricing. The French La Poste service doesn't include the size only the weight.
DeleteMy post was intended to cover posting in general, not specifically within the realms of UK only.
Excellent advice on packing the middle of the Filofax to make a pages-sized support to protect the rings. I'll be using that tip this week.
DeleteSome really good suggestions/guidelines for packaging and mailing. Thanks!
ReplyDeletevery informative and helpful thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips, Steve. Years ago I sold my homeschool books when I was through with them and I was always really careful with the packaging. When I purchased books, some of the sellers weren't as careful. It was disappointing to receive damaged books.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve for such an informative and important post. It's unbelievable how some people who like Filofaxes would be so lousy at packaging them. Isn't it common sense to package something you care about/are selling properly?
ReplyDelete