It's in your best interest to make sure your parcels are packaged properly. If your parcel is not packaged adequately, it could result in damages to the item or the people handling it. Follow this list of tips to ensure your package won't get damaged during transit and to lessen the risk of paying extra fees.
Suggestions and Advice for Packaging Your Items
- Use strong and durable packing material for the exterior of your package. You can see our range of courier bags here
- To protect the item inside your parcel, use cushioning materials all around the item. The best way to figure out if you've protected the item enough is to make sure you can't feel the shape anymore. Another good rule of thumb is to ensure the item is unable to move around the box/courier bag to prevent collision.
- We DO NOT recommend using plant substances or wood shavings to act as inner packing, though this can be fine if done correctly.
- We DO recommend materials like bubble wrap, thick cardboard, packing peanuts and foam.
- As for the exterior of your package, cardboard boxes are usually strong enough for items that are of average weight and size. To check if the cardboard you have is sufficient enough for your item, see the different carton grades for more information. Wooden crates are preferred for items on the heavier side.
- Do not use boxes or bags that have been used before. Specifically, packaging that has been used to carry plants, animal matter (e.g., meat), and fertiliser bags.
- Make sure your parcels are sealed securely by using strong, self-adhesive tape. Our recommendation is to use a tape that is at least 38mm wide to ensure proper protection. Tape your box on all foldable sides to close off the openings.
- If you are sending multiple items in one package, they should be separated and individually wrapped with something (e.g., bubble wrap or thick layers of newspaper) to prevent bumping into each other during transit.
- For a heavy item, it's best to have strong inner cushioning to avoid damage to the exterior of the package.
- You must check whether the item you're sending is Prohibited or Restricted.
Measuring your Parcel
It is very important to measure and weigh your parcels correctly to avoid an under ticketing charge and possible penalty charge. More about Under Ticketing here.
On our system you will see the fields Height, Length, Width, KG, and Cubic.
As a suggestion to avoid under ticketing, if your package has measurements such as 17.3cm x 21.7cm x 32.9cm, you could input them as 18cm x 22cm x 33cm
The same rule of rounding up to the next whole number applies to the weight of the package as well. If the package weighs 17.4kg, you input the weight as 18kg.
Calculating the Volumetric Weight
Shipments are generally charged on the greater of volume or weight (except for some NZ Post international services). There is a 200kg to 1 m3 ratio that can be used to work out which one is greater. For example, if a package is 0.012m3 the equivalent weight is 2.4kg (0.012 x 200). This is called Volumetric Weight.
Our system will automatically work this out for you based on the weight and dimensions you enter.