2 Packing Materials that Might Protect Your Bottom Line

Posted on: 29 September 2015

Do you make your living by finding great used merchandise and reselling it online? After you build a company website and hire a few employees to handle customer care, you might be ready to scour local estate sales for items other people can't live without.

Unfortunately, if your shipped products don't get to customers in pristine condition, your business might have to foot the bill for damaged merchandise. You might be able to fend off product damage and keep your customers happy by investing in better shipping supplies. Here are two packing materials that might protect your bottom line, so that you can stay in business.

1: Custom Cardboard Boxes

Don't assume that you have to settle for run-of-the-mill cardboard boxes for your shipped products. Believe it or not, there are companies that can evaluate your packaging needs and customize boxes just for you. Here are just a few of the reasons you might love customized cardboard:

Cell Inserts: As those boxes are tossed into trucks and dropped off at customer's houses, the internal contents can take a hit. Fragile items like dishes and flower vases can smash into each other or the sides of boxes, chipping or breaking before they ever see the light of day. Fortunately, custom cardboard manufacturers can create cell inserts for your packages, so that each item has its own compartment. In addition to reducing breakage, cell inserts can also help to keep package organized and attractive. 

Tape-Free Designs: Have you ever added up the amount of time and money it takes for employees to tape up those packed boxes? In addition to paying for the miles of actual packing tape, you might also be worried about workers getting cut by sharp tape guns and potential workers compensation bills. Fortunately, you can actually order custom cardboard boxes with tape-free designs. These boxes contain pre-glued strips, making it easy for workers to pop open boxes and secure the flaps—without ever using a tape gun. 

Anti-Static Bags: Static electricity can damage electronic devices like DVD players and computers, frying delicate microprocessors and motherboards. Fortunately, cardboard manufacturers can even use boxes lined with anti-static wrap, which keeps static electricity from building in the first place. 

Before you meet with custom cardboard manufacturers, take a few minutes to evaluate your shipping procedures and the reasons for customer returns. If you can pinpoint costs, custom cardboard manufacturers can design a box to address your concerns.

2: Stretch Wrap

Are you tired of watching carefully packaged products fall to the floor as pallets of stored merchandise are moved around your warehouse? Consider investing in a little stretch wrap. Stretch wrap, which typically comes on handheld rolls, can be used to envelop entire pallets in a strong, easy-to remove covering. In addition to keeping pallets of product clean and dry, stretch wrap also keeps items in place—protecting your employees from falling products.

If you are worried about that stretch wrap bursting open, you shouldn't be. Stretch wrap, which is composed of thin layers of liner, low-density polyethylene, is incredibly strong. In fact, some films are capable of stretching to 500% their original size without breaking, although most wraps are only stretched between 100–300%.

Stretch wrapping is also helpful if you need to ship products that can become unfurled during the journey, such as area rugs. Instead of worrying about finding a large box and keeping those box cutters away from those delicate threads, all you need to do is roll up that item, wrap it with stretch wrap, and send it on its way. Because stretch wrap is applied in layers, you can even tuck invoices or packing slips between the product and the wrap—so that paperwork isn't lost along the way.

By investing in better packing supplies, you might be able to reduce frustration and protect your financial future.  

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