Want to know the guidelines on boxing and wrapping Christmas gifts for mailing and what the U.S. Postal Service will accept these holidays?
The two greatest authorities on packaging for mailing, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE), suggest the following:
THE BOX - Don't use paper wrapping or string! Mail parcels in sturdy corrugated-cardboard boxes designed for mailing and secure the flaps with pressure-sensitive shipping tape, not masking tape or you-lick-'em tape.
Select a box larger than the item you want to ship. A professional shipping box will include information on its design strength, listed within a circular 'Strength Certificate.' This includes four factors: bursting test (the pounds per square inch it takes to rupture the box), minimum combined weight facings, size limit and gross weight limit (indicating the maximum weight of a properly packed item the box can hold).
The USPS considers an 'average parcel' to be one weighing 35 pounds or less in a box measuring no more than 34 by 17 by 17 inches. In selecting the proper shipping containers for other weights, select the following Bursting Test grades for items weighing: 20 pounds (125 psi Bursting Test, box having girth plus length of 67 inches); 40 pounds (175 psi BT, 100-inch girth and length); 65 pounds (200 psi, 108-inch girth and length) and 70 pounds (275 psi BT, 108-inch girth and length).
MBE suggests you use a rigid cardboard box with flaps intact and never try to use previously mailed boxes, as they have already lost some of their resilience their first time out. Select a box large enough to allow a cushioning space of at least two inches on all sides between the shipping box and its contents. Seal the outside seams and flap edges using a strong, clear shipping tape at least two inches wide.
THE GIFTS - MBE said each gift should be wrapped separately, and if shipped in a single box, separate by cushioning layers filled with ``plastic peanuts.''
PACKING - Cushion the item with wadded newspaper, foamed plastic or popped corn, by packing it firmly around all sides of the item in the box. MBE recommends using plastic loose-fill packing peanuts around, over and between items. Plastic peanuts can be recycled through participating MBE centers (1-800-828-2214).
GLASS and CHINA - The MBE experts say extra care must be taken with glass and china, packing each piece in a small box, placing it in a larger one with packing materials between the two, and the larger box in an even larger shipping box. Allow 2 to 4 inches of packing materials between the shipper and the larger. If properly wrapped, the box should not rattle.
CAUTIONS - Packages containing breakables or perishables should be marked as such in three locations: above the delivery address, below the postage and on the reverse side. Familiar cautions such as 'fragile,' 'perishable,' 'do not bend,' 'do not freeze,' 'hand cancel,' 'this end up,' 'do not punt,' etc., should be written in ALL-CAPS.
DEADLINE - Most U.S. Mail travels by air and surface transportation, and this time of year, to ensure it arrives by Christmas, packages should be mailed by Dec. 7. ADDRESSING -- MBE suggests you apply a self-stick label and not write directly on the box. Include the complete return address and ZIP code and place clear sealing tape over the label so its ink won't become smeared. Include the same information on a card inside the shipping box.
No More Pretty Cursive Addresses!
Follow these guidelines and you'll have a happy holidays with your gifts at their destination on time!