Getting your product into your customers’ hands is not just a matter of tossing it in a box and waiting for the courier to whisk it away. While it’s in no way a complex task to properly seal and label packages, paying attention to each step can help ensure that your shipment is delivered to your client on time and in pristine condition.

Selecting The Right Package

Picking the right mailer for your product can be a balancing act worthy of Goldilocks. Choose a box that’s too big for your item and you will either wind up wasting cushioning material or risk damage as the product bounces around during handling. Overstuff a too-small box and you won’t have room to include cushioning material at all, and you place such strain on the box’s seal that it can pop open during its journey. Ideally, you should keep a variety of sizes of corrugated boxes and corrugated mailers on hand so that you can choose one that’s just right.

Sealing It Up

Once you’ve got all necessary products and padding in your package, make sure that there’s no chance of it accidentally coming open before it’s in the customer’s possession. Some mailers and boxes feature self-adhesive strips to hold things closed, but it doesn’t hurt to go over this piece with a reinforcing strip of packing tape. For boxes and mailers without self-adhesive, choose a packing tape that best suits your needs; pre-printed, security, permanent water activated, and your basic pressure sensitive packing tape all boast specific features that can make for more effective box sealing.

Labeling The Box

Obviously, the only way to get your package to the proper destination is to label it with the correct address. Additionally, you should be mindful of the role that handwriting plays in this step. Even if you double- and triple-check the accuracy of the address you’re writing on the box, dubious legibility can result in your item taking a detour to the wrong city. Unless you can print with an Arial level of clarity, the best approach is to pick up some labels that fit your printer and type them up.

Remember, too, that address labels may not be the only stickers that you require on your package. If there’s additional information that the carrier or recipient needs to know – anything from notifications about hazardous material inside the package to an indication of which end is up – make sure to apply the appropriate shipping and handling labels or packing list envelopes.

Though the actual delivery of your package may be out of your hands, following these easy steps is your part in getting it to your customer safe and sound.