Parcel shipping continues to grow worldwide. People and companies, with the great impulse of e-commerce in the background, have an increasing need to send packages of any size and weight to any part of the world. However, doing it in the best way is not always as easy as it might seem. That is why we are going to compile some fundamental tips so that you can do it in the best way.
8 tips for sending packages
Know your needs
Although it may seem strange, many of the problems when sending packages come from not really knowing our needs. How much merchandise do we need to ship? In how much time? Could it be enough quantity and in a sufficiently short time to be able to group it and send a pallet more economically?
It is also important to know how fast we need to send it. Transport companies know that materials are often delivered using express service, but in the end they were not in such a hurry. And delivering ahead of time not only implies an additional extra cost, but it can also cause inconvenience for the recipient: excess merchandise in their facilities, a nuisance for having to travel to receive it, etc.
In the same way, not being aware of the urgency of a shipment can put us in trouble if we do not choose a fast enough option.
convenience points
The development of e-commerce has also meant an evolution in the way of making deliveries. Individuals are less available than companies and if you are going to send shipments to this type of recipient, it will be convenient for you to find out what alternatives are available to you. Among the most common, and that we offer in our parcel services, are the convenience points. In other words, public establishments -generally shops- close to the addressee’s residence, where logistics companies leave shipments for buyers to pick them up when it suits them best.
Where do you have to send?
This point links to the first and points out that you must define your needs. If you are going to make international shipments, make sure that you have a transport provider that will give you a good service. You can even go further and not just think about shipping internationally in general, but look for the best solution for your key country or countries.
Also keep in mind that the price will increase when leaving your borders. You would not be the first company -or the first individual- that does not take it sufficiently into account in its e-commerce when it comes to controlling its margins.
Learning to calculate can save you price scares.
learn to cube
When you are faced with a rate, keep in mind that usually the weight will not be the only way to value your shipments. Perhaps the term cubing sounds familiar to you, which is the tool used to price those shipments in which the physical volume of the shipment is high but its weight is low.
The way to calculate it is to multiply together the height, width and length of the package measured in meters. The number that gives you as a result must be multiplied by the cubic capacity of your supplier. That is, by the kilos of weight that your supplier assigns to each cubic meter of merchandise. For example, a shipment of a 100cm x 50cm x 100cm box, with a supplier that measures 200kg/m3 would be: 1 x 0.5 x 1 x 200 = 100 kilos. Those 100 kilos will be the weight scale that your provider will surely apply to you.
Knowing this simple rule can save you trouble and scares with prices.
Make sure you have good packaging
When it comes to packaging, being superficial is a positive aspect, because the exterior matters a lot. If you are a company, when designing your packaging, do it taking transport into account. This does not mean that your packaging stops being striking, elegant or any other adjective with which you want to associate your brand. It only means that you must keep in mind that this object has to be transported to its recipient and that, for your sake, it needs to be done in the best conditions. For example, establishing the dimensions to optimize your pallets or the shelves in your warehouses to the maximum.
In addition, the parcel has some logistics processes in which it suffers more than when the merchandise is palletized. Saving a few cents on the quality of your boxes can end up being much more expensive in the long run. And you don’t have to be a large multinational to see for yourself how much sending things without packing them correctly can affect you.
Do not limit yourself to understanding by packaging the box in which your merchandise goes. Using materials inside the box so that the merchandise is protected – bubble wrap or foam for packaging – and signaling that your merchandise is fragile or cannot be reassembled can be a great solution. In addition to being resistant, use lightweight materials, since they will keep the cost of shipping under control.
be safe
By default, transport companies work with mandatory insurance to cover possible accidents that may occur. However, when sending packages we may need to transport more expensive objects, which exceed the compensation of the basic insurance.
Check what additional options your transport provider offers you when it comes to insuring your merchandise and do not assume unnecessary risks.
Know your limits
The dimensions of your merchandise may be very standardized or may change a lot depending on each shipment. In any case, investigate to find out what maximum sizes and weights each logistics company allows when sending packages. Although the differences are not usually large, they can be vital for your business or for a specific shipment.
choose provider
Once you have defined your needs, those of your client and the best way to pack and prepare your order so that it arrives perfectly, you are missing a fundamental step: finding a reliable logistics provider that adapts to what you require. All the people who have had a bad experience with the delivery of a product know that this bad image is immediately transferred to the brand that sells us the product, even if they are not the ones who deliver the package.
We need to be as demanding with the quality of our products as with the quality of our transport company. In other words, we need a company that we feel is going to respond and that is going to treat our customers as we would.
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