How the Shipping Crisis Will Impact your holiday Shopping

Did you know that there is a shipping crisis going on? This disruption of the current supply chain is going to impact the holiday shopping season. Companies all round are dealing with this, and currently, the industry for shipping also has a disruption that’ll impact your holiday shopping in many cases. With a ton of shipping rates going higher than ever, and the delaying of Christmas packaging, you’ll want to make sure that you start out early. You also might wonder just how this is going to be affected. Here, we’ll discuss how this can happen. 

Right now, there are three major shipping issues that are going on: 

• The companies have more demand

• There are still snafus in the current global supply chain that are causing shipping delays 

• The retailers that are there don’t’ have the means in place to help shoppers get the help they need, and usually can’t get it till after Christmas 

The coronavirus has exploded our world for over 18 months, and it's continued to ruin the supply chain. The consumer product shortage is there, while the costs are definitely going up for a lot of things.

There is also the delta variant, and a lot of other things that are causing disruptions that have been continuing, and the year-end period is definitely hard on everyone involved. 

Probably the most recent issue is that there were parts in China where their terminals were closed for a wider period of time due to the employees testing positive for the coronavirus.  This of course, impacted a lot of the shipping that does occur on an international level, and it's something that’s caused problems and delays for many.

The ports that shut down have impacted not only Chinese ports, but other major ports too, and it’s caused a lot of supply chain issues that have impacted other areas too. 

The container shortages, closures of factories, and also the Suez canal situation that happened has still created a lot of impact. A lot of container shippers are definitely anticipating the crunch there to continue. The costs of the transport of freight can potentially exacerbate a lot of the prices. 

Right now, we’re still wondering when the market will improve. Some are saying it’ll be after the 2022 fiscal year; others say it might be later.  When it comes to the arrival of ships and their time period, right now, there is around a 40% chance that it’ll get there ahead of schedule, and that’s even different compared to the whopping 80% that they had last year. 

There is also the fact that shipping costs are still high and are up almost 400% from even the previous year.  It’s increased a ton, and these freight rates are climbing right now, due to the shortage of the supply. Right now, the capacity for this isn’t nearly what’s expected.

There is also the port congestion, which means that due to a lot of the docks shutting down, there are more and more being stopped up, and this congestion does carry to the other ports that are there too. 

This has of course, changed the way that a lot of companies are trying to get their orders in. The factory and port closures are now even more sensitive too, as it’ll delay the shipments internationally during these peak seasons.  Of course, we may see some changes, but right now, it’s still a shipping nightmare, and something to keep in mind when you’re shopping for the holiday season and looking into what to buy too.

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.