If you are thinking about expanding and growing your business in foreign markets, there is a wide range of things that you must know and understand when it comes to how you pack your goods, as well as how you ship them. After all, they might be traveling for quite some time, hence, you’ll need to ensure that your goods are not damaged during transportation.
For starters, you must know that the packages traveling across international borders are more likely to be thrown around, dropped, and shoved, and they will also be passed from one sorting facility to the next. Additionally, they’ll also be transported by several vehicles, which means that you need to ensure that you opt for proper packaging and cargo option.
But, if you never shipped your products to foreign markets, you might be wondering – what are some of the top international and transportation tips that I should use for my company? Fortunately for all business owners, this is exactly what we’ll discuss in this article today. Let’s take a look at the list of tips:
1. You Must Choose High-Quality Boxes
Before you do anything else, you must guarantee that you choose high-quality boxes. Naturally, it will probably be tempting to use a cheaper option, however, the box you opt for needs to be sturdy and large enough in order for you to fix your product, as well as the extra material that you’ll use for securing a safe shipment.
Since the trip might take some time, the box needs to be sturdy enough to withstand transportation, but more importantly, it needs to sustain the sorting facilities as well. Keep in mind, if the goods are sent in the original packaging, keep it and send the entire order in a high-quality box.
Aside from standard shipping boxes, other types include corrugated cardboard rolls, moving boxes, and heavy corrugated boxes. Corrugated rolls or sheets have superior item conformity because they’re made from flexible papers and used as pads to protect fragile objects. On the other hand, moving boxes have foam inserts for shock absorption intended for moving purposes.
Heavy corrugated boxes come in various shapes and sizes. They’re highly durable and can withstand shipping challenges. When choosing packaging and shipping supplies, business owners must find reliable manufacturers or suppliers. In that way, they can ensure buying high-quality boxes to protect the items that customers order.
Find out more information about high-quality boxes for businesses at The Boxery or any other trusted packaging suppliers.
2. Always Check The Weight Limit on The Box
If you ever looked at the bottom of a box, you might have noticed that there is usually a stamped weigh limit. If you do not follow the weight requirement, the box you ship can easily break, causing the goods to be damaged or lost in the entire process. In a situation where you need to ship heavy objects, you might want to use crate boxes since they are sturdier and more durable.
3. Don’t Forget to Add Cushioning Materials
No matter if you are selling jewelry, tin boxes of cookies, or coffee, you must use bubble wrap and foam pads to secure your product. You should use the bubble wrap for wrapping your product, and the foam pads should be placed under, on all sides, and on top of the item you are shipping. This will provide sufficient cushioning and it will also lower the risks of the item being damaged.
4. Check it There is Movement
Once you are done with the aforementioned thing, you need to ensure whether or not there is movement inside the box. You can do this by giving it a gentle shake. If you packed your goods well, you should not hear anything move. However, if you do notice movement, add more cushioning materials until everything fits properly.
5. Seal And Label it Properly
Firstly, assure that there are no old stickers or bar codes on the boxes and also, do not wrap it in a paper that can easily tear during transportation. Instead, use plastic tape to seal all the flaps, and ensure that you cover the seams as well. The heavier the shipment, the more tape you’ll want to use on the box.
Besides sealing it properly, you also need to label it in the right way. Hence, write the address in uppercase letters to avoid any mistakes during sorting, and the label you place needs to include the full name of the country, as well the address, name and surname of the recipient, and any other information that needs to be included.
Hazardous items, such as lithium batteries, need proper packaging. Dangerous or hazardous items are materials or substances that can pose unreasonable property, health, and safety risks during transportation. Packaging supplies, such as corrugated boxes, for hazardous materials usually have labels that indicate this information.
Insulated cardboard boxes, on the other hand, are designed to contain temperature- and static-sensitive objects. It’s crucial to label these boxes properly for safe handling. Otherwise, your customers will likely receive the items damaged, which can cause frustration, mistrust, and low sales.
6. You Must Choose The Right Shipping Option
Now, there are various companies that deal with international shipping. However, you need to ensure that you choose the most suitable one for your business. Hence, the very first thing you must do is make a list of potential companies. Next, you’ll want to read the reviews of previous clients and if there are more negative than positive ones, go to the next option right away.
Additionally, it is always wise to compare everything, since different companies provide different options and services. For example, FlagShip offers you the possibility to get insurance for your shipment, while other options might not include this. Hence, when you are going through your list, ensure that you compare the prices, services, and options offered by each organization.
7. Follow All The Laws And Regulations
When you send something to a foreign country, it is important for you to know and understand specific laws, rules, and regulations a particular country has. If you are not careful about this, you might end up breaking the law unintentionally, which is something that can have serious consequences.
Hence, before you actually send your goods, you must do some digging online and ensure that you are not sending something that is not allowed to enter the country. Some of the items that are restricted for all countries include tobacco, weapons and ammo, beverages, perishable food, as well as perfumes, animals, and gasoline.
8. Make Sure You Can Track Your Order
Last on our list, but not least important is the fact that you need to make sure that you can track all your orders. By doing so, you’ll know exactly where the product is, but more importantly, you’ll be able to answer any inquiries your customers have such as providing them with an estimated arrival time.
Conclusion
When expanding your business abroad, it is crucial that you pack and ship your goods properly. By following some or all of the tips mentioned above, you’ll be able to avoid your products from getting damaged, which in return, can provide you with an increased customer satisfaction level.
So, now that you are aware of all the things you’ll need to do in order to ship your package without any worries, you might not want to lose any more time. Instead, you should open up your browser and start with the first tip we mentioned – which is choosing high-quality, sturdy boxes.
