Freight Quote Australia mainly gets enquiries about how to ship big items, but customers also ask us for advice on transporting breakable items. Fragile goods often need more attention when it comes to preparing them for transport. While some items can just be put in a box and forgotten, you often need to spend a bit more time packaging fragile goods to make sure they can withstand a reasonable amount of handling that comes with freight. Whether you’re moving house, shipping a pitbike or transporting a treadmill across the country, you need to make sure that the goods won’t get damaged along the way.
Take Your Time
As is often experienced, rushing a job means that something is forgotten or not done properly. This the same for freight – if glassware is quickly packed into a box with newspaper wrapping, they could be prone to damage during transport. Instead, it is better to take time to get the right materials and understand how to package the goods correctly. That way you can ship the items without wondering if you packaged them securely enough! If you find you don’t have enough time to package the goods, there are professionals who can do it for you. They have all the materials on hand to pack the items securely.
Invest in Quality Packaging Materials
The best materials to use for fragile goods are bubble wrap, foam peanuts, shrink wrap, polystyrene foam and quality cardboard boxes. You can find these either online at stores or at your local hardware store. Bubble wrap is useful for almost every scenario as it absorbs some of the shock if a box is dropped or when the truck drives over rough surfaces. Foam peanuts are small loose pieces of foam that are designed to fill the empty space in a box so that the contents don’t move around. Getting a sturdy corrugated cardboard box is also a great way to keep the contents secure.
Wrap Each Item Individually
Wrap all individual items separately, not packed together as this could cause them to break. Goods such as glasses and vases should have the inside filled with bubble wrap, then have the outside wrapped in bubble wrap. If you are sending new items, try to send them with the original packaging of the item – these often have polystyrene foam blocks custom fitted to the shape of the item
Label All Boxes
Once the goods are packaged, the next step is then to label the box with ‘FRAGILE GOODS’ on all sides of the box. A clear label informs the courier or transport company that the box needs extra care when handling. Along with the rest of the consignment, the box will also need to have a box label with the delivery instructions and address. Keep in mind that for dangerous goods freight such as Class 1, Class 3 and Class 8 dangerous goods, specific labelling is required.
Insuring Fragile Goods
If the fragile items are expensive, it can be worthwhile to get an insurance policy for the goods while they are with the courier. Purchasing freight insurance means you can be financially compensated in the event the goods are damaged during transit. While insurance and packaging may seem expensive, it is worthwhile to make sure the goods will reach their destination without any problems, and is definitely cheaper than having to replace the goods.