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Couriers for fragile items

November 20, 2009 By

There is an art /skill to delivering fragile items and as a supplier of fragile mirrors, glass and bathroom ceramics you need to establish what type of service you require. Using cheap can be a false economy here.

parcels on a conveyor belt..
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Small items less than 25kgs in weight, well packaged can go through a parcel carrier. The key here is well packaged. Polystyrene rigid supports as well as bubble wrapping in a strong cardboard box is well packaged. We have seen fragile items wrapped in bubble wrap and then parcel paper and marked fragile – that is not enough. Fragile items need more support especially when using a parcel carrier as they use cages, conveyor belts and will trans-ship the goods several times before it reaches your customer. Your parcel is going to be squashed, thrown, pushed and pulled and it needs to withstand it all, if not then the item breaks or cracks and you will be sending out another to your customer.

Bear in mind, almost all parcel carriers offer very little or no insurance for glass, mirrors and ceramics, you will need to check the small print. So a parcel carrier could cost you twice the amount of postage and the cost of the item, twice. That’s why packaging is so important. Saving on packaging can cost you dearly, so get it right first time.

For larger fragile items a pallet network may be an option, again your item needs to be packaged really well.

If your item cannot go buy parcel (too fragile, too valuable) or by pallet network then an express or same day courier is another option. Your item goes on a dedicated vehicle. This means your fragile item is the only item that is being delivered, the driver who collects it, will be the driver that delivers it (no trans-shipping, no conveyor belts, no throwing the item about – none of this happens when you use a same day courier). The overall cost is more expensive. Your items are delivered safely and without worry, no extra costs and no extra deliveries leaving you with happy customers and unbroken, fragile items.

Regards

Kevin Arrow

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Cupcake Delivery: Delivering cupcakes safely

October 9, 2009 By

Over the last few weeks we have been in talks with various companies that produce cupcakes, and how to deliver

courier delivery for cupcakes
Image via Wikipedia

them. Up until recently, the safest and most secure way of delivery has been via same day courier, as it’s the only way to guarantee the cupcakes won’t be turned upside down during their journey to the customer. Sometimes the baker plain mistrusts the courier to complete safe delivery, and wastes valuable baking time delivering!

Unfortunately all that makes delivery very expensive for the people who hand bake and ice the cup cakes. For example, we would charge £15 per delivery / drops of cupcakes, minimum of 5 orders. This can make it too expensive for customers to buy.

Obviously there are still the marketing companies and companies who understand the powerful message that delivery by express courier send, but they have yet to embrace sending out baskets of designer cupcakes to their clients and potential clients….

The problem is, by sending the cupcakes the cheapest method possible means sending them by Royal Mail, and that means they may get bashed, and rotated a number of times before they arrive on the customers doorstep.

The solution is to prevent that, and the way to do that is through the creative use of packaging.

Cupcakes by Courier

Cupcakes by Courier

The original ‘cup a cake’ container was devised in the US for holding the cupcakes, their icing and keeping them fresh. Last week, I spoke to Kim at the Cup a Cake company and she said the containers can be shipped to the UK for around $100 to $150

So if you are looking to ship cupcakes around the UK, here is the solution for your airtight cup a cake containers. The cupcake company may have to take a deposit from the customer, and the customer promise to wash and return the empty containers so they can be re-used.

A small investment in the right packaging, and you can deliver cheaply and safely to your long distance customers.

Kim Fuga from Cup A Cake can be contacted via kfadmin@cupacake.com

Delivered safe, even upside down via the cupcake courier Essex

Delivered safe, even upside down

and as you can see from the image, they stay in place upside down.

Kim’s website is here http://www.cupacake.com/default.asp

We hope that helps with the safe despatch of your cupcakes, we suggest you try it out with one or two local postings to be sure the method works to your satisfaction.

Here at Arrow Light Haulage, we have enjoyed getting creative and thinking outside the box (and right back in it) to solve your courier delivery problems with cupcakes.

Alternatively, you know where we are if you would like an express delivery quote.

Sarah

safer cupcake deliveries

PS, if you found this blog useful, please leave a comment – it helps us to know what are the right things our readers would like to see from us.

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Filed Under: Courier Business, Moving awkward /fragile goods, Packing for transportation, Sameday Courier Tagged With: , , , , ,