Whenever you decide on any form of parcel delivery, you want to make sure that whatever it is you are sending arrives in the same condition that it left. You definitely wouldnt want to send a valuable item to then find out that it has been broken during delivery. Therefore, whenever you are sending any items, it is important that you make sure that they are packaged correctly. Below we have given you the first part of our selection of useful hints and tips for when you are packaging anything to be sent.

All boxes should be heavy duty and preferably dual-walled. Remember that items will get stacked in transit and therefore your packaging may need to support the weight of other packages. Boxes may be transported between different depots which means they will be handled a number of times.

Choose the size of the package according to its content. Under-filled boxes are likely to collapse; overloaded ones may burst.

Do not tape any items together, if you have more than one item that needs to be sent together then make sure you choose an appropriate size box to fit them both in.

Make sure to use the best materials you can when shipping any items. Take the strength, durability and cushioning of the boxes into consideration when you are choosing which ones to use.

Choose boxes made of corrugated cardboard, with good quality outer liners. Use heavy-duty double-layered board for fragile items.

Make use of cushioning materials, especially to stop your packaging contents from moving.

Use strapping or strong tape to seal and secure your box.

Make sure that any items that are fragile are placed in the middle of the package so that they dont touch any of the sides. Your item should be well cushioned on all sides.

Ensure liquids are stored in leak-free containers, packed with a lightweight, strong, internal material (for example, Styrofoam) and sealed with a plastic bag.

Make sure that any pungent substances or those of a greasy nature are sealed with adhesive tape and wrapped in grease proof paper. Always remember that bad packaging may cause damage to surrounding items.

Any powders should be kept in secure plactic bags and sent in rigid fibreboard packaging.

Use an "arrow-up" label for non-solid materials.

By following the advice mentioned above you will have done everything possible to ensure that your parcel delivery arrives at its destination exactly as you intended it to.

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