UAE residents’ guide to shipping your gifts safely, just like Santa

The boxes, the bubble wrap, the cling film, the tape and thermocol packaging sheets… you’ve got everything handy to secure your gifts before you ship them out of Dubai to your loved ones abroad. And yet, it doesn’t seem foolproof. Did you do it right?

After spending hours in different malls shopping for gifts for family and friends and ensuring that it reaches on time, the last thing you’d want is any kind of damage to the items you have picked.

Make sure your Christmas freight is as safe as Santa’s by following these packaging tips from FedEx.

1. Get your gift ready to be packaged

The first and the foremost step is to determine if your gift is sturdy or fragile. Then wrap items securely with bubble wrap.

2. Select your shipping box

After wrapping your gift securely in a bubble wrap, select your shipping box. Experts recommend using a sturdy box with no holes, tears, or corner dents. It’s not advisable to use an old one that you may have picked up at a grocery store.

If a used one is the only choice, ensure that you remove old labels. If your gift is fragile like a vase or glass ornaments, consider placing one small box inside a larger one for additional protection.

3. Seal the box on all sides

Most of us do not give much thought when picking up tape for protection. All it should do is stick. Not so, say the couriers. Use packing tape, not duct or masking tape. Use the H-tape method and very importantly, don’t wrap the box with paper or string.

4. Label the box inside and out

Make sure to label the box properly so that it gets into the right hands. While labelling, add label to the largest surface and include your full address and the recipient’s. It should ideally have the name, address, PO Box and a 24-hour phone number. As an added precaution, put a card with contact/delivery information inside the box as well.

5. Cushion the gift

To doubly secure the gift, you can use padding material such as a bubble wrap or shredded paper. Don’t use newspaper [it adds extra weight to the package] and you may end up paying more in shipping costs.

Image by www.shutterstock.com

 

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.