What does this mean for the Massachusetts shipper?  In an environment of rising prices, it becomes essential to have a cost-containment strategy.  Integral to this cost-containment strategy is forming a strong working relationship with your Massachusetts shipping store.  Here are the ways that working with a great Massachusetts shipping store can help you save money on international shipping:

Reduce Breakage

Breakage, damaged packages, and spoiled shipments add exponentially to the cost of international shipping.  Contain your costs by making sure your packages are packed correctly for international shipping.  This is one area where your Massachusetts shipping store shines. They have the skills, expertise, and superior packing materials needed to ensure your shipment can stand up to the rigors of international travel.  Foam in Place technology is great for fragile items, as it provides superior cushioning and support. Talk to your Massachusetts shipping expert about Foam in Place technology today.

Your Massachusetts shipping company is also well versed in the rules and regulations major freight carriers use to determine cost. They can help you pack your shipment in the most cost-effective fashion. Something as simple as choosing the right size custom crate can save you a lot of money. International shipping paperwork is another area where you can save time and money by working with your Massachusetts shipping company.  Having insurance forms, customs declarations, tracking labels, and other critical paperwork filled out correctly is non-negotiable. Any error can result in costly delays – or even lost shipments.

Judah is not alone in his complaints.  The paperwork for international shipping is complex and confusing.  It’s essential that all international packages be addressed correctly, and that all of the shipping paperwork is completed in the proper fashion.  If there are any mistakes, packages can be lost, delayed, or refused. That’s a nightmare for small business owners who need their customer’s orders to be delivered!

Eastern MA: Customs Forms and International Shipping

If your small business sends many packages internationally, you are facing a choice.  You can spend your time and energy filling out the shipping paperwork yourself, or you can have your Eastern MA shipping store do it for you. Which choice is right for your business? That depends on several factors.

There are only so many hours in the day.  For businesses that operate with a small staff (perhaps you’re it!) it can be hard to find the time needed to package and process international orders quickly. Worse, sometimes the process gets rushed, resulting in paperwork errors that can cause disappointing and costly delays.

Working with your Eastern MA shipping store reduces the amount of time and direct, hands-on attention that your team needs to give international orders.  Delegating this task to experienced international shipping professionals means better service for your customers: packages arrive faster and in better shape when they’re packed by the pros!

Addressing Accuracy Matters! When you’re shipping packages to military personnel, it is essential to have their complete address. Military addresses look different than those you are accustomed to. Rather than including city and state information, military addresses use APO or FPO designations to make sure the mail goes where it is supposed to.  If you’re not sure of how to address your packages to military personnel, talk to the team at your Eastern MA shipping store.  We handle thousands of these packages, and we’ll make sure yours is addressed properly!

Breakable Items Require Special Packing: If you’re planning on sending your soldier an iPad, laptop, cell phone, or other delicate electronic equipment, you want to make sure that these items are packaged especially well. The journey from the civilian world to the military one can be perilous.  You need electronics to be cushioned against shocks, knocks, drops, electrical shock, and moisture.  Your Eastern MA shipping store has custom packaging solutions that provide the ultimate in protection. Foam in place technology utilizes a special expanding foam that forms in place around your electronic item. Fabulous choice for shipping electronic items.

Give Yourself Enough Time: The holidays are approaching fast. You don’t want your soldier to miss special events, such as birthdays or anniversaries.  With this in mind, ship your packages to military personnel as early as you can.  Your Eastern MA shipping specialist can fill you in on specific deadlines for target dates. Holiday volume slows shipping services down, even though they make every effort to move quickly.

Here are some helpful hints from your Boston shipping store:

Address Everything Clearly and Legibly: The gift may be great, but if no one knows where it is going, it’ll never reach your destination on time. Print or type addresses clearly. Skip the fancy holiday fonts and colored ink: simple to see and read black letters are best.  Double check your information to make sure it is accurate! Packages shipped internationally have special addressing requirements.  Your Boston pack and ship center can help make sure everything is labelled and addressed successfully.

Let The Pros Do The Packing: Did you buy your Mother a crystal vase? A painting for your best friend? Some computer gear for your whiz-kid of a son and four brilliant grandchildren? These delicate items can create a lot of joy – but only if they arrive at their destination safely and in one piece.  Talk to your Boston pack and ship specialists about the best way to pack your items.  They may recommend custom crating, which involves the use of specially sized and built cardboard boxes or wooden crates.  Foam in place technology is used to shelter and cushion even the most fragile items through the chaotic holiday shipping season. Specially packing fragile items is the best way to ensure that they can stand up to kicks, drops, knocks, and worse – and still take a place of honor under the Christmas tree!

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the many blessings enjoyed over the course of the year. We are thankful to you, our customers and friends.  Every shipment and package we handle is special and one of a kind. The same can be said of each of you.  Thank you for choosing us for your packing and shipping needs. We truly appreciate it.

Boston Holiday Shipping

For many of us, Thanksgiving also marks the beginning of the holiday season.  Black Friday shopping season starts in less than 24 hours.  After you’ve braved the crowds, grabbed the deals, and gotten them wrapped, it’s time to get those gifts on their way to their destination.  It is never too soon to ship holiday gifts, particularly if you’re shipping holiday packages internationally.  We’re here to help you make sure everyone gets their gifts on time and in great shape!

Size Matters: Shipping Large Packages, Gifts, and Parcels

Are you sending a very large package for the holidays? We know of one father who surprised his son with a drum set that needed to be shipped cross country.  Custom crating involves the use of specially sized and built cardboard boxes or wooden crates to completely contain and protect oversized packages.  Choosing the right packing material is essential to prevent breaks and damage while the gift is in transit.  Foam in place technology involves the use of a cutting edge, expandable material that is piped into the custom crate. This foam grows to form a soft, supporting cushion.

It used to be that buying art was a rich man’s game.  That’s not true anymore.  Thanks in part to the internet, it’s easier than ever before to find and connect with artists who are doing work that speaks to you, that is personally moving and beautiful.

Selecting artwork for a gift is the first step.  The second step, if you want to make somebody’s holiday special, is to make sure they receive the gift in plenty of time.  Packing and shipping artwork is a special skill. You want to select a Boston Shipping store that has experience shipping artwork.

Boston: Shipping Paintings

Paintings need protection to survive the shipping process.  Canvas is fragile and vulnerable to damage from moisture. Kicks, drops, and knocks can destroy a painting in seconds.  The larger the painting is, the more difficult it becomes to ship safely.  Custom crating is the answer.  Your Boston pack and ship store will specially design and build a crate to contain your painting, protect it from damage and careless handling, and get it ready for shipping!

Boston: Shipping Sculptures

There are many types of sculptures.  Some are created out of heavy iron, while others are made of the most fragile thin glass. Yet all sculptures have some traits in common.  Sculptures have strong points and weak points. It is essential to provide support and cushioning for your sculpture while it is in transit to avoid breakage. Foam in place technology is a cutting edge innovation used to insert a custom crafted foam cushion into the crate surrounding your sculpture.  The sculpture is protected with a protective film, so the foam never directly contacts the artwork. The foam sets in place, providing a comfortable, supportive pillow that surrounds your sculpture and protects it while it is being shipped. If you are sending sculptures this holiday season, talk to your Boston shipping store about foam in place technology.

Here are five tips from packaging and shipping experts guaranteed to make your holiday season simpler.

Start Early

The holiday season is the busiest time of year for freight carriers and shipping services. The high volume experienced slows things down. All of the major carriers have holiday deadlines in place – miss those dates and you’re going to be out of luck! That’s why one of the best things you can do to make holiday shipping stress free is to start as early as possible. Your Boston pack and ship store can advise you about holiday deadlines and the best way to get your packages to your family and friends on time.

Pick the Proper Packing Materials

Packing materials cushion and support your gifts while they’re in transit. You don’t want gifts sliding around inside the shipping box: they can get damaged that way! The best packing materials support your item without adding weight to your shipment. Talk to your Boston packing and shipping store about the best packing materials to use to ship holiday gifts. Foam in place is the packing material of choice for fragile electronics, televisions, and computers.

Triple Check Your Address

Why do holiday packages get lost? Often, it’s the address. Addresses that are incorrect, incomplete, or difficult to read can slow shipments down, cause them to be sent in the wrong direction entirely, or in the worst case scenario, be lost forever. Addresses should be complete, correct, and easy to read. Skip the festive fancy fonts – they don’t add any holiday joy to the shipping process!

Choose Custom Crating

Do you know how to choose the right size box to ship your holiday gifts and packages? The answer isn’t “this is the box I happened to have at home”! You need to choose the right size box: too small, and your packages won’t be adequately protected from the drops, knocks, and kicks of the shipping process – too large, and your gifts will shift and move inside the shipping carton, causing them to become damaged. The right size box will contain your gifts and packages as well as the necessary packing materials.

Find the Best Pack and Ship Store in Boston

Making sure that all of your packages are in the proper sized box, containing the ideal packing materials, address and insured correctly, and sent on time is a big job. Save yourself time and stress by delegating holiday shipping to the best pack and ship store in Boston. They’ll make sure your gifts get there on time – and in one piece!

Why is shipping electronics so challenging?

Computers, servers, diagnostic equipment, and other high tech items have some traits in common that make them difficult to ship.  To begin with, they’re fragile.  Electronics are vulnerable to damage by being dropped, knocked, or roughly handled. They’re also vulnerable to damage from moisture and electric shock.  Second, they’re high value. This makes them an appealing target to opportunistic thieves and criminals.

Massachusetts Shipping Electronics: A Do It Yourself Job?

Is shipping electronics a do it yourself job? Many people choose to have a professional Massachusetts moving and shipping company handle moving computers, computer systems, copiers, servers, and other electronic equipment, particularly if they are moving a business or moving a medical practice. Choose a Massachusetts moving company that is licensed and insured.

The best Massachusetts pack and ship company have access to superior packing materials.  This means custom crating for your electronics. Custom crating provides the ideally sized boxes designed and built for your computer, television, or other electronics. These custom crates can incorporate foam-in-place technology, an incredible cutting edge technology that features a special quick set foam that is pumped into place around your electronics, providing the ultimate in cushioning, protective support. Foam in place reduces the impact of any falls, knocks, or rough handling during transport.

Keeping your computers safe while they’re in transit is another concern when shipping electronics.  Your Massachusetts shipping company works closely with the most reputable and dependable delivery services to ensure your electronics reach their destination safely.  A range of insurance coverage options helps protect your interests.

You can ship your electronics yourself, but why would you? Let the Massachusetts shipping specialists pack and ship your electronics so they can make the move safely!

Now the couple is moving south. “I’m staying behind while we try to sell the house.  We’re trying to do the move on a budge.  That means figuring out the best way to ship the antiques.”

Glenn’s collection of antique furniture isn’t very large.  “We have a small dining set, some chairs, and a few pieces of artwork.”  Finding the most cost efficient way to ship antique furniture at first led the couple to consider packing and shipping the furniture themselves.

“Forget that noise,” Glenn said.  “Everything needs to go into its own box, and you’ve got to have the right packing materials, and you’ve got to take pictures of everything and fill out the insurance forms – I have better things to do with my time than drive all over Ipswich looking for large cardboard boxes.”

Glenn chose to work with a packing and shipping company that specializes in antiques. Custom crating is the design and construction of specially sized boxes (cardboard or wooden) to protect your antique furniture while it is in transit. Crates must be precisely sized: too large, and your antique furniture can shift inside the box, making it more likely to get damaged.  Too small, and there won’t be enough room for proper packing materials.

“Choosing the right Eastern MA shipping and packing company made the whole process stress free for me.”

Photo By David Zellaby

Lunch boxes have been a part of American childhood for over 80 years. It was in the 1930′s that the first metal lunch boxes appeared. However, things didn’t get really interesting until the 1950′s, when television characters began appearing on the side of lunchboxes. Today, collectors seek out vintage metal lunchboxes, as well as the thermoses that were contained inside.

What’s the best way to ship a vintage metal lunchbox?

Even though the lunchbox has survived some tough days in the school yard, you want to give it an added level of care and attention when packing a vintage metal lunchbox for shipping.  Like any antique or collectible, it needs protection from the knocks, drops, kicks and slips that can occur during transit.

Going to a Boston packing and shipping store will give you access to custom crating and superior packing materials.  Custom crating sounds expensive, but what it really is is the careful selection and construction of boxes specially sized to best hold your items. The best shipping crates will only have enough room for your item and the packing materials: you don’t want a lot of space for your lunchbox to slide around, getting dented and damaged in the process.Condition is everything in the collectible lunch box world.

Choose a Boston shipping company experienced in shipping antiques.  They’ll know to fill the inside of your vintage lunchbox with packaging material to help it remain intact and undamaged during transit. Special care must be taken to protect the surface of the lunchbox: you don’t want scratches in the image, or to have the color flaking off.(This is true for plastic lunchboxes as well, which are beginning to attract a following!)

When you’re shipping antiques and collectibles, it is important to secure the right amount of insurance coverage.  That way your interests are protected in case of accident. Your Boston shipping expert can help you secure the right amount of insurance coverage for your collectible lunch box.