We have probably all had the bad experience of someone shipping something to us, only to be disappointed finding it damaged upon opening it. The natural response is to blame the shipping company. As someone who has seen literally millions and millions of packages in my day, I can tell you this: there isn’t much I could think of that cannot be shipped from one end of the country to the other with no damage incurred and most damage is not caused by your shipper.
You can ship a dozen eggs, grandma’s fine china, heck, an ice cream cone if you truly wanted to! Anything, if packaged properly, will make it without an issue. The issue becomes, is it worth it? It would actually cost quite a bit to ship an ice cream cone and have it come still frozen and intact. Hence you don’t see that. Most of us ship things that aren’t so fragile and need just reasonable packaging but that’s where we fail. As businesses, we are faced with rising costs, cut-throat competition, inflation, higher wages, the list goes on. We look to cut cost wherever we can.
Unfortunately, I have seen way too many packages go through with inadequate packaging. Much of it comes from an inexperienced shipper that didn’t understand what their package would go through. They failed to use enough buffer material, supporting cardboard braces, to fill air space. Another big culprit I have seen is cheaply made packaging material that just doesn’t hold up in transition.
There is a strong urge to cut cost in packaging material itself and use inferior product. Surely if you are faced with the situation where cutting back is essential, packaging costs should be looked at, as with everything else, but you need to make logical decisions. In discussions with customers that have had damaged packages, I have heard them say that it is not too big of a concern as the shipping company always pays their claims. So it is not a concern? Do you think that makes your client feel better? I can guarantee you it doesn’t.
At ProPack, with 23 years in business, and talented, knowledgable people with many more years of experience, we make sure we always have the right packaging for your product. We have resources that can test your packaging to see how it holds up under the pressures of going through the automated sort systems and determine weak points that are likely to fail. You’ve heard the old saying that you only get one chance to make a first impression. Every time you get a new customer, you are being presented with the opportunity to make that first impression, and determine whether you will have repeat business, or someone who is complaining about you on Twitter. Let us help you make that first impression.
