When you start your business, there are a lot of factors you need to consider, especially if you are dealing with the shipment of products across the border. The first stage is always challenging, and with any mistake made, your shipment may be delayed, and you may lose lots of money.
Having a user-friendly website when selling your products online and employing excellent marketing professionals is not enough if you don’t deliver the goods fast and in great condition to your customers. There are a lot of obstacles during the shipment, and to overcome them, you need to know the tricks and safety measures to take to ensure the products are not damaged or get dented during the process.
Ensuring this helps make your business more reliable and reputable, attracting more customers and increasing their loyalty, which means more revenue.
This article will explore top tips to ensure the safety of your business shipment.
Evaluate and Pick Your Packaging Wisely
Packaging starts your shipment journey and ensures your product is secure. Choosing a good packaging material, such as a sturdy box, can help keep the products safe. However, when dealing with more fragile products, you can consider using corrugated cardboard since it’s durable and hard enough to protect the products.
Additionally, you need to be careful when reusing boxes as they are often prone to open and collapse, which may result in delays, damage, and loss of the products. This can be costly to replace, and you can lose the customer’s trust, ruining your reputation. When shipping anything flexible and light, you can consider using bubble mailers and mailing envelopes. These are cheap to buy compared to other packaging materials such as boxes, and you don’t need to buy more supplies like packaging tape as most of these have peel-and-seal fasteners.
When choosing a packaging material, it’s essential to consider one slightly larger than your product to include the cushioning materials to protect what is inside. However, having a large packaging material can lead to your package being flagged by international customs. Further, using a small packaging material will lead to the product getting dents and becoming prone to bumps since there is no space for movement.
Consider the Inside Packaging
When packing your products, it’s crucial to focus on the inside by filling the package void with bubble wrap to help support fragile goods during transportation. You can also consider using more attractive filler like confetti for less fragile goods.
Ensure Proper Documentation
You need to meet regulations, especially when shipping overseas. This is why it’s important to have the right documentation to avoid delays. You will need to have the sender’s information and the recipient’s information. Additionally, clearing at customs may be time-consuming, so it’s crucial to consider contacting customs brokerage for any shipment to help clear your products faster without any delays. It’s important to inspect and confirm that the package is in good condition.
Choose the Best Delivery Service
When planning for transportation, choosing a reputable delivery company is crucial. A good courier service will guarantee your product standard is well maintained. When vetting, you need to consider their professionalism and integrity as some of the products are expensive, and a loss or damage can cost you a lot. When shipping overseas, ensure the courier service is capable and that they have the safety procedure in place.
Establish Good Communication
Communication is key to ensuring you control your package and know its progress. Always communicate with the warehouse and your clients daily to know the progress and update your customers daily. You can also consider suspending new orders or renting new storage space if the warehouse is full.
Insure Your Packages
There are many risks involved when shipping your products, and anything can happen. To avoid all the unseen risks, such as damage, dents, and losing your package, you need to insure your product. Some of these products are very expensive, and any damage can lead to great financial loss. Having a good insurance company, you are assured of being compensated with the declared value of your package. Consult with a good insurance company to get a cover that meets your needs and considers all the risks involved.
Wrapping Up:
The above are incredible tips to ensure the safety of your business shipment. It’s essential to have the right documentation to avoid delays and have constant communication to know the progress of your shipment. So, always update your customers on the progress to help assure them and help them relax. This helps increase loyalty and attract more customers, which means more revenue.
