How to Pack and Ship Internationally with PackageHopper

So, you’ve decided to trust PackageHopper to take care of your shipping overseas, but you find yourself wondering if there are any special demands or extra steps you might need to take before shipping with us. There aren’t!

The thing is, preparing your package for shipment and dropping it off at a location are the easiest last steps that you’ll need to act on your part. Just follow our short and practical checklist to an impeccable shipping experience.

First and foremost, make sure you’re not breaking any laws by checking if your item is on the Restricted and Prohibited List. Then, except for your precious product (of course), you’ll be needing:

1. The Right Box for Your Item(s)

This is important for two reasons:

• Payment is based on weight only, so you might end up paying more if the box is too big for the item. Don’t forget that boxes larger than your items will definitely require more padding, so this will add to the package’s total weight.
• If you use too much or too little padding for the box-to-item ratio, you’re increasing the risk of potential damage.

As a business owner, you might already have a box supplier. If not, we highly recommend that you get new, sturdy boxes and never reuse old ones that you’ve had at home for some time. Boxes can be bought online, at your local market or even at a bookstore, in bulks or as a single piece; the choice is entirely yours.

2. Lots of Cushioning Materials

In our article about Shipping Delicate and Fragile Items Safely and with Ease, we talked about the importance of padding/cushioning materials. These will keep your item(s) in place, prevent their movement inside the box, and bring additional protection to the goods during transport i.e. one box being put on top of another, boxes bumping into one another, etc.

To sum up, use wrapping paper and bubble wrap for the item itself, then fill in the empty space with packing peanuts or packaging foam. And don’t forget to use padded dividers if you’re shipping a number of smaller boxes into a single big one!

3. High-quality Packaging Tape to Seal the Box

Naturally, once packed and filled in, the box needs to be sealed tight.

Tapes of high quality have strong adhesive bonds and are preferably waterproof because you’ll be shipping overseas. This is why Choosing the Right Packing Tape is of utmost importance for a safe delivery. We offer the best solutions for different sorts of packages in our article.

4. Correct customs forms and the right labels

And finally – have your customs forms and shipping labels filled out and printed correctly. 

We know how unsettling this may seem to those of you who are new to shipping, but we’ve got you! Here are our in-depth blog posts about Filling Out a Customs Form for International Shipping and Printing Shipping Labels.

Reminder: Don’t forget that the labels must be visible!

Oh, and we offer real-time package tracking, so you’ll always know how your shipment is progressing and where your goods are headed. Here’s How to Track Your Packages!

 

Once the package reaches its destination, tell us about your experience with PackageHopper on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!