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Christmas will be here before we know it, and that means all the major carriers are already gearing up for a busy holiday season. Each year, the holidays bring a surge of package volume into carriers’ networks, with shipments containing all sorts of gifts like clothes, baked goods, and—believe it or not—Christmas ornaments to hang on trees. If you find yourself needing to ship out some ornaments but don’t know the first thing about the process, we’ve got you covered. This guide is all about how to ship Christmas ornaments, how to pack them to protect them from breaking, and how to save the most money while doing it. Let’s get ready to deck the halls!
Table of Contents
- Find the Right Cardboard Box for Shipping Christmas Ornaments
- Protect Your Ornaments by Using the Most Packing Material Possible
- USPS Provides the Cheapest Rates for Sending Ornaments
- Consider Purchasing Shipping Insurance
- Use Shipping Software to Save the Most Money on USPS Labels
Find the Right Cardboard Box for Shipping Christmas Ornaments
First thing first: when it comes to shipping ornaments, the name of the game is finding the right-sized box for the job. You don’t want to use a box that’s too small, or else your ornaments may barely fit, and they’ll likely break under the slightest amount of pressure. On the other hand, if you use a box that’s too big, your ornaments will move around a bunch inside of it during transit. This will also increase the likelihood of them breaking.
The happy medium is to find a brand-new, corrugated cardboard box that creates roughly two inches of room around every side of your ornament. That means that, if your ornament is in the middle of the box, there are about two inches of space between it and the walls. Whether you’re shipping one ornament or multiple, this should be the rule of thumb to follow as best as you can. Creating this amount of space will give you sufficient room to include enough cushioning materials around your ornament, which we’re about to talk about in the next section.
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for smaller, sturdy boxes, the ULINE website has a ton of options for every kind of shipment.
Protect Your Ornaments by Using the Most Packing Material Possible
Ornaments are some of the most fragile consumer products on the planet. Just think about any type they broke when you were hanging them on a tree! Now, imagine them rolling around inside a cardboard box with nothing to protect them, and the sound of breaking glass in your head almost seems inevitable. However, you can prevent this from happening by using the right kinds of packing material to keep your ornaments cushioned during transit.
Before you start throwing stuff inside the box, you should wrap your ornament in at least a couple of layers of thin bubble wrap. Once you’ve done that, line the bottom of your box with another type of cushioning material, like packing peanuts or air pillows. Next, place your ornament on top of that extra layer, so that it’s kind of “floating” in the middle of the box. Lastly, fill all the extra space in the box with more packing peanuts or air pillows (either one will work great). With the two inches of room you’ve made sure to have inside your box, there should be plenty of space for this extra cushioning.
To check if you’ve packed your box properly, try shaking it for a few seconds, or tossing it up in the air and catching it. If you don’t hear or feel the ornament moving around inside, you’re good to go! If you do hear or feel it moving around, you’ve got some more packing work to do.
Remember: when it comes to shipping fragile items, you can never use enough packing material!
USPS Provides the Cheapest Rates for Sending Ornaments
If you’re looking for the best shipping carrier to send your Christmas ornaments, look no further than the US Postal Service. USPS is the premier carrier for sending smaller, lightweight packages, and offers the best mix of quick delivery and affordable rates for these types of packages. Far and away, you’ll save the most money on your ornament shipments with USPS than you would with any other carrier.
For context, UPS is the best option for sending heavier packages and carrying out emergency deliveries, while FedEx specializes in business deliveries, quick document deliveries, and niche shipments such as packages containing frozen food.
Consider Purchasing Shipping Insurance
Due to their fragile nature, it’s inevitable that some ornaments break on their journey to their final destination, regardless of how well you might have packaged them. Therefore, on top of packing your box as best as you can, we always suggest protecting your package with shipping insurance. Shipping insurance often only costs a buck or so (depending on how much value you declare), and it’s well worth it to be able to file a claim in case your shipment goes missing or arrives with damaged contents.
One more thing to keep in mind is that most shipments containing ornaments will go via USPS First Class Package Service, since these sorts of items usually weigh under 1 pound (1 lb). This is all the more reason to purchase shipping insurance, since First Class Package doesn’t come with any built-in protection from USPS like Priority Mail services do. At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Use Shipping Software to Save the Most Money on USPS Labels
When it comes time to ship your ornaments, you may be thinking you’re ready to go once you’ve got your box all packaged up. All that’s left to do is take it to the Post Office, right?
Wrong!
You should never go to the Post Office to buy postage for your packages. Instead, take advantage of online shipping software companies that sell USPS postage online at huge discounts. When you use shipping software to buy shipping labels online, you don’t just give yourself the ability to print postage at home and skip those crazy lines at the Post Office. You also get access to the deepest level of discounts that USPS offers, known as Commercial Pricing. So, by using shipping software, you’re saving both time and money. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving!
Looking for the right shipping software for you?
To get the deepest USPS discounts, check out our guide:
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michelle mariconda
shipping for regional A&B packages.