Guidelines in making your parcel safe from damage on transit.

Below, we will guide you through the safety procedures you will need to take to pack your parcel as safe as possible in order to avoid damage on transit.
Follow these simple guidelines to help:

• Protect your parcel(s) against damage on transit.
• Protect other customers’ parcel(s). There may be liability for damage if your inadequate packed parcel causes damages to other parcels on transit.
• Protect employees such delivery drivers,  courier depot staff and equipment against fatal long or short term injury or damage.

Who’s responsible for my shipment and parcel?
As being the sender of your parcel, you are the person who is responsible for your parcels as you are the only one that knows exactly what the contents of the parcel(s) you are sending. In this case, it is your responsibility to ensure your item is packaged adequately and does not contain prohibited or hazardous goods outlined in the couriers terms and conditions. As you will be responsible for the parcel(s), the courier has to take on the responsibility of the shipment itself. for example, security, delivering and collecting  on time, etc

Packaging your parcel.

Packaging internally is, as important as external packaging. To ensure your item doesnt get damaged inside the parcel, you would need to ensure there is enough cushioning inside the parcel. This is a procedure taken in order to protect the article inside from being moved around. Parcels may be dropped at times and by having the insides cushioned adequately, your item will protected against any accidents on transit.

The materials outlined below can be used as internal cushion packaging. Use these to around all sides.

• Bubble Wrap – this material is a a type of polythene wrapping containing many small air pockets, used as a protective covering when transporting breakable goods
• Poly chips – Loose fill , Void fill, Polystyrene chips, packing peanuts — many names , but all means the same = the chips that you use to fill the gap between your item and the carton /box very cost effective
• Corrugated cardboard- different sizes available. single, double and  even triple layered.
• Shredded or rolled paper- mainly used to wrap the contents.
• Polyethylene foam sheeting- the thickness can vary, used for padding and wrapping articles. very protective and flexible.

It is best for an item to be wrapped around several times so that you would no longer be able to feel the outer edges of the item. You should be able to squeeze the item and feel no inner core. If you are combining two items together, you must wrap both items individually otherwise if they are wrapped together, they will crush against each other leaving dents and scratches.

This is quite important too. if you are sending heavy items, you must ensure they do not move withing the box itself otherwise it will cause the outer packaging to split.  so packing it tightly into a strong card board box is the way forward.

Items with parts that stick out.

If you will be sending items with parts of which that sticks out, try removing them if possible and package separately. if you cannot remove them, just wrapped them enough times until they are secure. for example, sending off a bicycle will have parts that can be removed, such as handle bars, wheels, pedals etc.  Most importantly, use boxes that meet the couriers dimensions. please see our post about parcel delivery services.

I want to send car parts.

Car parts are mostly heavy. Therefore, very secure packaging is necessary to ensure no damage to any parts of the actual car part. For the safety of everyone including yourself who will carry your parcel, you must make sure you remove any liquid such as oil, brake fluid, antifreeze, fuel as these can be very hazardous to anyone.

If you need more information with regards to prohibited items, please ask your courier. Here at nextday2go, we include this is in out FAQs and Terms & Conditions.

To ensure your parts arrives in one piece, wrap the part(s) using wrapping packaging paper or Polyethylene wrapping, then, box it up using a double layer walled card board box.

Items that contain glass.

Our terms and conditions state we do not carry anything that contains glass or clay as they are very fragile. However, you can still send them  using any of our services but, you will not be covered for any damages. If you still want to send items of this material, please ensure every part are packaged individually. Wrap them well using bubble wrap and box all. You must make sure that there is enough inner packaging between each wrapped part. Once boxed up, you can also stick or write ”Fragile’ on the surface of the box.

Different Carton Grades for cardboard boxes.

We have listed the different types of cardboard you can use to package your item(s).  It is very important to choose the right cardboard. If you choose the wrong one, it will more likely split which causes damages and also can be lost.

	Average Load	High Density Load*
Up to 5kg	111B	212C
5kg-10kg	212B or 212C	313B
10kg-15kg	313B	313C
15kg-20kg	313C or 623B	2112CB (double wall)

So next time you are buying cardboard boxes, make sure you select the correct one for your item. Heavy items will require a denser wall than lightweight items.

You can also just double box your items. This will make the walls double in size and increase the strength.

Last of all, make sure you seal your parcels.

Buy decent self-adhesive, 38mm wide tape as cheap tape will peel off after several hours after seal and these several hours will be in transit out of your hands. Seal well and seal again if you have to. Single sealing is really not enough as the contents can get loose inside causing it to hit against the sides of the box. Apply the tape along any cuts or flaps that can open and close. Any holes, entries must be sealed.

However, for large heavier parcels, use plastic strapping. Hand and Desktop machines are available.  The aim is to strap your parcels length and width creating a cross.

Happy packaging, just make sure you keep the inside packaged properly as well as the outside.

Below, we will outline the services known in the industry.

• Same Day delivery – Parcel delivery on the same day withing the same country or specific areas.
• Next Day guaranteed delivery – A guaranteed parcel delivery service. Will delivery next day for sure.
• Next Day 24hr – Not a guaranteed service but most couriers have a 98% success rate for delivering next day.
• 1-2 days parcel delivery – Parcel delivery within 48 hours (1-2days)
• 3-4 days parcel delivery – Delivers between 72 to 96 hours. very economical and very cheap usually not traceable or signed for.
• International Delivery- Parcel delivery service for sending to overseas. EU or the Rest of the world either by Road or via Air.
• Pallet Delivery – Freight services, delivering pallets with dimensions the following dimensions:

ISO Standard Pallets (ISO 6780: Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling)

• ISO 48″ x 40″ – Primarily used in North America
• ISO 1200mm x 1000mm – Primarily used in Europe and Asia
• ISO 1140mm x 1140mm – Primarily used in Australia
• ISO 42″ x 42″ – Worldwide use
• ISO 1100mm x 1100mm – Primarily used in central Asia
• ISO 1200mm x 800mm – A pallet specifically designed for European use to fit through standard doorways.

they are many more, we have just listed the most popular parcel delivery services used.

As you can see, there are many but similar parcel delivery services available to choose from. There are many criterias for each of the services listed above which you will need to study in order to choose the most efficient and suitable service for your desired shipment.

Here is a list of frequent criterias used for each of the services noted above.

• Parcel Weight – different courier companies have different weight limits for each of the services they have to offer. normally, ranges from 1Kg to 31kg.

what to look at for when choosing a service with different weight thresholds.  You can save money if you choose the correct option. e.g.  I have a parcel that weighs 13kg and needs delivering.  Choosing a 31kg service will be too expensive and it will not suit my requirements as my parcel only weighs 15kg.  I would therefore would search around and choose a 15kg service.  Most of the parcels we carry weighs no more than 15kg and normally, an item that weighs more than 20kg may not satisfy the volume requirements for shipment.

• parcel volume – This is the total size of the parcel. Normally, couriers are looking to have the volumetric size of the parcel in Cubic Feet (Cu.Ft) .  It is calculated using this formula:-  using inches.  (Length x Width x Height) / 1728 . We ship a lot of parcels and most of them average to around 14 kg.

what to look out for when choosing a service with regards to the volume of your parcel(s). Different services may have different volume restrictions and if not chosen well, you could end up with a surcharge of up to £10.  This is why it is important to choose the right service.  You should always choose a service that suits the weight and volume of your parcel(s).  A parcel may weigh 10kg but the size may be 5 cubic feet in volume, this may be a problem as most couriers have a 4.0 cubic feet limit.  A 30kg service may also have the same volume restriction therefore, although a 25kg parcel suits a 30kg service, it may not satisfy the volume requirement.  In order to choose the correct parcel delivery service, make sure your parcel(s) meet the volume requirement as well as the weight.

• Parcel Price – choosing and understanding the services couriers  offers is important in saving you money and most importantly, getting the most efficient service possible. If you want a Next Day Delivery service then you must choose a service that offers a 24 hours service. There are many couriers that state 1 to 2 days delivery, this is not next day, the maximum time to deliver is 2 days, also known as 48hour delivery. You must choose a Next Day 24 hours parcel delivery service if you want a next day service. As the price of a delivery gets cheaper, it normally means the service is not next day. If you want to save money and the speed is not important, choose a 3 to 4 day service for less.

1971:  Postal services in Great Britain were suspended for two months between January and March as the result of a national postal strike over a pay claim.

1988: Postal workers hold their first national strike for 17 years after walking out over bonuses being paid to recruit new workers in London and the South East.

2007: Official Industrial Action takes place over pay, conditions and pensions.

2009: (September) CWU opens national ballot for industrial action

From looking at the last last few years, it look like they will strike again.

What to do if it happens again?

Well, as for letters, packets and large letters, you cannot really do anything as they are the leading company that posts small to large mail for personal or business use. however, their pricing tariff for the larger packages isn’t quite competitive.

RoyalMail pricing for parcel weighing over 2Kg:

this is their service called ‘Standard parcels’. No collections, drop off needed at your local post office. Delivery times vary, they state: 2-5 days. Also, this service has no tracking and proof of delivery.

From the data above, a 10kg parcel will cost £12.61 and not a next day service. We would recommend finding other couriers with very competitive rates that £12.61. For example, We, at NextDay2Go.com, offer a service which allows you to send up to 10kg for £9.99 Next Day Delivery which includes proof of delivery as well as being traced too. thus, giving a big saving of £2.61 + bonuses!

Look out for our services:-

http://www.nextday2go.com/services.php#UK