How to Package and Ship
How to Package and Ship
Traveling for sports activity has become commonplace today. It is no longer a thing that is reserved for the pros. Having to travel with your equipment for leisure can be quite expensive when you think about the amount airlines charge. To compensate for dropping revenues, they have made it a point to target sports’ lovers with high baggage fees. For instance, you could be hit with charges as high as $100 for traveling with your golf clubs over a relatively short distance.
That is where sports equipment shipping companies come in. A company like RunRex can affordably ship your sports gear to their next destination. Besides that, they ensure that they handle your clubs with care so that they are not damaged during flight. While airlines are notorious for losing customer luggage, it is not the same for sports shipping companies. Besides that, in the unfortunate event that something bad does happen, they offer shipping insurance. That way, you can travel with some peace of mind and without having to worry about being charged an arm and a leg.
- Know the Cost of Shipping
Before you ship your package, you will need to know how much it will cost you ship. The company offers you a detailed breakdown of how dimensions and weight will affect the amount you pay for shipping. It is important that you take these measurements seriously. Try to check if some repositioning or reducing the size of the box you use can reduce the amount you pay for shipping. Besides that, you should check how the weight would affect how much you pay for shipping. Sometimes, by removing a few unnecessary items, you could avoid a new weight category, which can help you save money.
- Use Enough Packing Material
If you fail to utilize enough packing material, your sports equipment could be damaged during shipping. It is important that you use the right type of material to ship your sports equipment. One material that is often used is shredded newspapers. However, that might present a problem. Newspapers have ink, which could leach off into your sports equipment. The result would be that the aesthetics are ruined. For instance, of you are shipping a surfboard, you do not want the newspaper ink getting all over it and ruining the beautiful designs on the board.
A good example of a top-notch material is bubble wrap. You can also consider using fiberglass or packing foam. Whatever material you decide to use, ensure that you use enough of it. Packing materials are not expensive but they could have great implications for your sports equipment. To be on the safe side, each piece of equipment should be wrapped in the padding material. Thus, the sports equipment does not collide with each other. You should ensure that there is no empty space in your shipping box. Every crevice should be filled with packing material to limit the movement within the box.
- Avoid Placing Hazardous Materials in Your Shipment
When packing your sports gear, you may be tempted to ship hazardous materials such as chemicals or explosives as part of the package. However, do not do that. If you are shipping hazardous materials, look for a specialized company that deals with the shipping of such compounds. If customs officials seize your package, you could face jail time or huge fines.
- Use Packing Tape to Seal you Shipping box
When shipping sports equipment, it can be tempting to use ordinary tape to seal your box, since it is within easy reach. However, that tape is not sturdy enough and it could come undone during shipping. To avoid such a scenario, ensure that you purchase tape designed for shipping. It is quite cheap and can be found at most local stores.
However, you should avoid using duct tape. Most shipping companies recommend that you avoid this tape to seal your boxes. Although no reason is given, it is best to assume that they know what is best.
- Use Dividers to Separate the Equipment
Depending on the kind of package you are shipping, you may have to use dividers. The dividers limit the chances of your individual pieces of equipment coming into contact with each other. That serves to reduce the chance of your expensive equipment being damaged during shipping.
- If You Are Using A Hard case, Use A Good Quality Padlock
Although shipping companies have almost no losses of equipment due to theft, an unlocked hard case containing expensive equipment could be quite inviting. However, you should ensure that you use federally approved padlocks. If you use an approved padlock, the customs officials have special tools that they use to open them. Otherwise, any non-approved padlock will be opened using a bolt cutter.
- Place an Extra Label on the Inside of Your Package
When shipping sports equipment, the shipping labels sometimes tears off or becomes illegible because of a spill. It is thus important that you have an extra label inside the package. That way, the package can still be delivered to its intended destination without any delays.
