Shipping Guidelines

With the holidays approaching, keep in mind these simple tips to help your boxes arrive intact!

--Ship using shipping grade boxes. Items like shoe boxes, gift boxes from department stores, and moving grade boxes are typically not strong enough to withstand cross-country shipping.

--Alcohol boxes are prohibited by all shippers and the US Mail Service. Items in an alcohol box of any kind will have to be re-boxed.

--Use only clear packing tape - not duct tape or masking tape.

--Tape the top of the box and the edges. Tape down any flap that could catch in the sorting machines.

--The post office prefers that you do NOT wrap packages in brown paper. The paper gets caught in the machines and damages their equipment. When the paper tears, it is often damaged beyond repair and then the package address is lost. Packages wrapped in paper are typically handled by hand which significantly slows thier delivery.

--Put an address label with your address and that of the recipient inside the box in case of exterior damage.

--Boxes that have an irregular shape (including a large bump-up from overfilling) are charged a surcharge by shippers. Their theory is that they cannot easily stack on top of the box, so it takes up more room on the truck. Typical charge for UPS, FedEx, DHL is $8.95 extra for an irregular box, so don't overfill!