Shipping Out Guide for Reallocation

Moving is something that’s stressful, and if you’re going to move a lot, you want to make it as simple as you can for this. A bunch of the work is best handled now, especially before moving day, and you don’t want to do that last-minute stuff. You should try to pack and plan up to four months ahead, but for some people, it may not be possible. 

Planning and Checklists 

Before you pack this, get some tea, and then draft up a list of what you need to make, and then make sure you keep a copy around where it’s easy to be seen. This includes rentals and arrangements with the new and old landlords, and other people, offices, and services, especially for changes in address, and all the paperwork that’s needed. Finally, you need a list of the items to be packed, and their order, which is basically the plan to make sure everything is finished in time! 

The important paperwork 

A lot of people don’t realize that even if they inform the changes in their address, old paperwork still gets sent to prior addresses. So make sure to do this ahead of time, and make sure that you give them enough time for file updates. All of your utility and services should be the first ones to be notified, so water, phone, cable and TV, any electricity, and any other private services that you’re using need to be notified. You want to make sure that they know the date that you’re moving, and also any other instructions including your bank, the accountants, the lawyers, and even your kid’s schools know about the address and removal changes. 

Save money! 

You then want to start saving money. Moving is a ton of money, and if you’re making these reservations at the last minute, or canceling stuff without enough notice, you’re going to get some fees, or they may keep you going.You can make money selling different items that you don’t want to, and this works as another purpose because it also reduces the goods you have to transport and pack, and also, you may even get some deductions for this too, so worth checking out! 

Pack it Correctly 

You then want to make sure that you know which items are needed and not needed. Knickknacks, winter clothes, books and other media which are old, and so much more are definitely stuff that you need to pack. Get those packed first, and get these out of your hair, especially if you want to make sure that your labeling and packing system makes it easier to find items later on. You don’t want to mix the dishes, toys, and clothes into one box, but instead, pack everything with the right names, and categorize them into the right areas. Create what’s called a master list of the boxes, the contents, and don’t list them out directly, but instead, you should just keep it pretty vague. 

Also, don’t try to buy a ton of groceries. If you have items in the fridge, finish this first, and try to have the meat and dairy, along with other perishables initially, so you’re not throwing this out during the time of the move. 

Finally, you want to make sure that anything that’s big and bulky, such as excess furniture, garden décor, and big rugs are put in storage places. You can keep these in secure places. Moving is a stressful mess, and it’s not something fun, but these tips will help make moving more palatable, and something much more manageable for you.

Are you a Preferred Shipping Company

Preferred shipping is something that you’ll want to make sure that you have.  you’ll see major changes if you do use this. You might wonder the reason for this, and there are in fact, different reasons for being preferred shipping and receiving companies. The biggest reason is that the companies hit the criteria, and because, a lot of times the truckers who help to support the business are happy as well. When truckers bring in products and you pull them away you aren’t really caring about them, and they won't want to work with you. It can be hard to replace them, leaving a very bad taste within your mouth. 

What it is 

When you have preferred shipping and receiving, you’re basically companies that are thought of in high regard by truckers that come there.  Truckers that go here usually tend to be happier with the way businesses treat them. when they are, they identify you as the preferred shipping and receiving place. 

Why this matter? 

Besides the obvious reasons of happy truckers, there are a few other reasons why. This means that you’re basically someone that truckers want to go to. If you’re not, truckers will try to avoid this. With the trucking industry decreasing by a lot, it’s important to not disregard those that are working for you. 

They also can cause a perception of how the business looks on Google, and also other social media outlets too.  If they’re not happy, they can say that you’re a terrible shipper or receiver, and then, there goes the business.  They may leave more and more negative reviews and even comments as well on social media platforms. 

Poor reviews means that you won't be seen as much, and then there you go, there’s business. A lot of customers might see this, and this can impact potential customers coming to you. If customers see this, they won’t want to choose you, and you’re just shooting yourself in the foot with this too. 

How to tell if you are one 

This is pretty easy to tell, based on reviews and social media interactions alone. If you have truckers that give you positive feedback, this shows that you’re a preferred shipper and receiving agent too. You might wonder how to become one.  The best way is to have the trucks come in, and have them rate the business.  Give them the best service that you can, and you’ll get good reviews. If you don't give them good business, they’re probably not going to rate you higher. 

You want to make sure that you offer the best practices for these truckers. Have a good pathway so that they can get there, and optimize this for the truckers, so that it fits the needs of what they need. Remember, you want to make sure that the warehouse is optimized for truckers. Is the signage correct so that the drivers can see it and get an idea. Make the signing simple and concise so that they can navigate all of this effectively and easily. 

You should make sure that you have the right questions answered, such as the entrance that’s there.  you should make sure that you tell them where the bathrooms are, where any complimentary food is, and also, have people manning the phones when they call in. You should make sure that the whole way to get there is properly optimized. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up so that you’re a bad shipper and a receiver too, and you’ll have issues with getting future truckers there to help.

Your Guide to Eco Friendly Packaging

Packaging and its waste is still a huge issue, with a lot of plastic still ending up in landfills and other locations, and the problem is, they end up there for lifetimes. While we do still have a lot of shifts in the way we handle packaging, one of the biggest industries that’s had a shift, is of course, ecommerce. Whether you’re ordering groceries or furniture, it’s become easier than ever, and a lot of businesses are looking to offer sustainable packaging and other aspects of this. You need to choose packaging material that's more sustainable, and here’s what we have regarding this. 

Recyclable Packaging 

This is one of the most common, and it’s one that's tried and true for a reason. They have different paper=-based aspects and materials, including” 

• Corrugated paperboard 

• Molded pulps 

• Cartons made from kraft paper 

The paper-based kinds of materials are recycled, and then soaked in a solution, chopped up, strained, cooked, and then cleaned and bleached, which allows them to reform into new types of products that are made of paper, which creates a full-circle sort of process. 

While it is very true that the paper does slowly lose durability, the cool thing about this is that the packaging is fully biodegradable, so if you want to compose this, you’re allowed to do this, and your environment will thank you.

Compostable 

The next kind that we have is compostable packaging. Composting is basically taking paper the next step, offering large-scale waste composting, in order to ensure that everything’s all properly done away with.

Some of the most common composted materials include: 

• Cornstarch packaging 

• Mushroom packaging 

• Bioplastics 

Right now, the first two are still being worked on, but cornstarch and other bioplastics are being heralded for being reliable and compostable kinds of items, especially when it comes to restaurants and food. Foods and restaurants actually account for a chunk of the waste that they’re trying to fix, mostly because of the polystyrene types of materials that are used for this, which aren’t very good. The thing with compostable packaging, is that it’s hygienic, and offers a packaging that doesn't break down over a certain time period. They also are marine degradable too, so if it does get put in the ocean, it eventually does break down.

Reusable 

This is one that is simple, and you basically use this gain, extending life, and offering a more circular sort of economy. These are eco friendly, since single-use plastics get all but eliminated, which is a big thing that global packaging hopes to fix. Shipping these around the world basically does create some waste, since you may have to use something to protect it.

But the cool thing with reusable packaging, is that you can also get reusable filler too, including packaging pellets, which save so many costs and improve the ROI as well. In the end, this type of reusable sort of packaging is also totally recyclable too, so that you don't have to worry about the significant impact on the life cycle of products. 

These are some of the most commonly used types of packaging and shipping products that help to create a safe and more eco friendly sort of life. With that said, there is a lot that you can do, and a whole lot that you can benefit from. When you’re looking to improve your packaging, definitely consider these, as they are better options, and they can actually offer more use for products so that they don’t end up in different landfills as well.

Packaging Fragile Items

Packaging items that are fragile in order to ship them is important. And that also means that there might be a difference between the item reaching the destination, versus it being so badly off that you need to replace it. Items that are fragile do demand the most care when you’re shipping them. That, or else you risk items that are broken and damaged, harming the reputation of this. While the item type does dictate the protective supplies that you need to be able to use, you’ll want to make sure that you get the highest quality materials. 

Here is a guide to determine what’s fragile, what’s not, and the best ways to pack it.

The items that are Fragile.

It’s important to consider that some materials are fragile by some standards. 

Fragile means anything that breaks easily, or even shatters too.

This also includes anything made from materials that are delicate, such as paper. Remember, this does tear and crush quite easily. This can include décor for the house, glass, crockery, picture frames, and even crockery and musical instruments too. 

Some of these are also of higher value and usually, they might be exposed to air and some force, ruining them. Electronics and screens also fall into this.

Now that you know what they are, here is a guide on how you should pack these.

Choose your best product Solution for the Product 

The best way for you to determine this, is to also make sure that you have the right materials. 

Some items require different types of protection than others. 

For instance, when you transport some items that are made of glass, you’ll want something more robust in terms of protection. That’s because these break easily. If you’re transporting different items that aren’t able to be bent, like documents and whatnot, you might need different types of protection for this.

Get a Box that’s Slightly Larger 

You want something that’s slightly larger than what’s necessary.

This is because you can add the material in there to protect it from shock. If the box gets too small, then you won't have enough material to protect it. You do risk it possibly getting damaged while it’s being transported.

Choose Cushioning Materials 

You want to choose a cushioning material that works. Air pillows, crinkle paper, and bubble wrap are good for the needs of a product.

Add a Label for Fragile Products 

This is the final step, but you want to make sure that you add a label for fragile items.

While it won’t protect the items that are inside, it signals to most people who can see the label that they need to be a bit more careful for you to send this from one way or another. 

Void Fill is key 

You want to make sure that you use void fill to keep things safe. This is really important for glass, and also anything that’s super breakable. This is usually made from different items, and they now have eco friendly options too. Packaging peanuts for example are a great item. 

You want to make sure that you include void fill for anything that does have gaps. This provides it with the ideal cushioning that’s needed for this, so that everything can be protected from the impact that they’re feeling. This is great too.

You want to make sure that you use different items, including mailers that are bubble or rigid depending on your needs. 

Either way, you need to be smart with the type of items that you pack, and when you pack these correctly, use your discretion to make sure that they’re packed right.

Best Instances to Use Die cut Foam

You don’t want products to get damaged, as it makes you as a brand look bad. You also don’t want customers to regard your product any less because it showed up totally mashed. One way to prevent this is to use die cut foam. But what is it?  When should you use it? Well, die cut foam is literally an insert that’s customized for your needs. It will cushion the items safely, and it fits around the product.  That’s because it’s literally cut in a way that fits the items being protected.

This is a little expensive but die cut foam is a great choice for a lot of people’s needs. Here, we’ll go over the best situations to shell out the cash to use this type of foam. 

Shipping in Bulk 

Having items in bulk can be a bit of a challenge. This is because you want the items to be safe. You don’t want to hit each other and then break.  That’s where the die cut foam comes in, and it’s more cost effective than other means.

Die cutters can make a lot of forms with a singular press, which in turn makes producing this a lot better for a lot of bulk items, rather than one singular item. 

Electronics, automotive equipment, and even medical and recreational items all benefit from this.  you save yourself a lot on the shipping, just by giving each part of this the correct insert.  Everyone will be happy when they get the product they have and it’s all in one piece. 

Oddly Shaped Items 

Items that are weird in shape will thrive with this. For instance, if the angles are sharp, the curves are delicate, or are sized with a weird sort of fit to them, then you’re going to enjoy this type of die cutting foam. Die cutting, especially for foam inserts, also saves you a lot of money on shipping.  Think about it, if you’ve been dealing with shipping odd items in big boxes, you know how much this eats at the costs. Custom die cut foam allows you to securely ship everything you need.

Fragile Items 

Fragile items, especially those that are extremely breakable, are very hard for people to ship. This is because with one wrong move, the product shatters. You don’t want that, right? Well, you can prevent this from happening with the use of die cut foam today.  

This is great because die cut foam actually absorbs the impacts that happen during the transport process, and a lot of times, this is done in a way where the standard products and materials don’t. Plus, they are even more professional when they’re secured with this.

If you’re worried about the possible ruining of your product, you owe it to yourself to make sure that you also get the right packaging protection for this. you can talk to someone to help you get the right die cut foam.

Remember, it will cost you a little bit more if you’re worried about die cut foam being a major problem for that. A lot of times, it can be a little bit of a struggle, and if you’re sick of dealing with the headaches that come with this and want to make sure that you’ve got the products that you need in one piece, then you owe it to yourself to protect them with foam such as this. start today, and get the foam that you need, and make sure that, with each precise decision, you have the right needs for your business as well.