So, you’ve safely packed your goods using all the right stuff. You’ve carefully chosen your courier and now your parcel has been shipped…now what?

As your parcel travels the nation, or maybe even globally, it can be damaged during transit!

From big businesses to small businesses, it’s good to know what happens to your parcel once it has left your hands. We explore the ways your parcels can be damaged along their journey in our guide.

Why quality packaging is important

For any business, customers are key. What they want and what they expect from you as a business and brand can make or break your reputation.

Customers expect their goods to remain intact upon delivery and well packaged at a minimum.

When this doesn’t go right, customers become dissatisfied with the level of service provided, expect refunds and want to return their goods – maybe even submitting a bad review.

Whilst it is expected that not all customers will have the same great experience, it’s important for businesses to be aware and realistic with what they can offer to their customers.

This includes using quality sustainable packaging materials and having a great returns or refund policy to anticipate damaged or unwanted goods.

It’s also good to know what exactly can happen to packages you have shipped and how they can be damaged during transit!

Using the wrong packaging

Whilst it’s easy to package a parcel, packaging a parcel correctly is a different story. Using the wrong box, the wrong type of tape or not having enough void fill can lead to unsecure goods. This can allow the contents inside to shift about or collide with other parcels, causing damaged goods.

We suggest using the correct type of void fill to safely cushion your parcel, as well as using the correct size box or bag to begin with.

Incorrect Labels

You may have correctly packaged your parcel, but have you correctly labelled it? Whilst you may know what the contents are, the handlers of your parcel will not. That’s why using the right labels is so important.

This helps to ensure maximum protection and care given to any parcels that are fragile or require additional attention. So, remember those fragile labels!

Weather

Depending on the destination, courier and delivery service, your parcel will go through many days of travel and potential weather conditions too.

Whilst it would be great to be able to control the weather, unfortunately weather damage to parcels is something beyond your control.

Exposure to extreme weather conditions such as rain or heat can weaken your packaging materials, leading to your parcel becoming more at risk to damage during transit.

We recommend using a fast and reliable courier service to ensure less travel time to the delivery destination and to use high quality packaging materials to minimise damage.

Tampering

Though not that commonly heard of, your parcels can be damaged due to tampering during transit. Poorly sealed parcels are easier to open and tamper, so are likely to be the main target.

Choosing a safe and reliable courier service is recommended, as well as using strong adhesive tape, security labels and tamper-evident seals. This will help to reduce the chances of your parcels being damaged, tampered with or potential theft!