Shipping a Gift: Tips and Information

Shipping a Gift:
Tips and Information

Shipping a gift requires secure packing and the choice of a shipping company. Here are packing tips and a comparison of USPO, UPS, FedEx and DHL services.

With friends and family members so geographically scattered these days, almost everyone has occasion for shipping a gift at least once or twice a year. Sixteen adults in my family (we 3 siblings, 2 spouses and 11 grown children) live in eight states from New England to California, plus Canada, Cyprus and China. So we’ve gotten friendly with the shipping services.

Preparing Your Gift for Shipment

• Before shipping a gift, it must be packaged properly. To hold your wrapped gift, find a strong, corrugated shipping carton. If it has been used before, be certain it is in tiptop shape with securely fastened seams. Remove old labels or use a marker to blank them out. Your address label should be the only one showing, and it should be very obvious and very legible.

• Your shipping carton should be large enough to allow room for plenty of protective packing material (2 inches all around) if you are shipping a gift that is breakable. I use bubble wrap or foam popcorn, or a combination. Crumpled paper is not recommended as a protective wrapping material.

• When shipping several gift packages in one carton, protect each breakable item individually. Then you can use crumpled paper to fill in any spaces that remain between them. Use enough filler so nothing rattles around, but don’t pack it so tight that anything will be crushed when the box is snugly shut.

• You can protect bows or decorations with throwaway containers – perhaps a box that strawberries came in from the market, or a margarine tub. You can also cut the bottom from a milk or OJ carton, but be careful that sharp edges don't tear your wrapping paper. Instead of a bow, I often tie the wrapped gift with curling ribbon, leaving it uncurled for shipping so it won’t get crushed inside the carton. Then my recipient can freshly curl the ends to ready the gift for presentation.

• Tape the shipping carton securely with strong, wide tape. I found a small dispenser of Duck brand “EZ Start” clear 2-inch tape at the supermarket – it’s great for shipping a gift! If the cut end sticks onto the roll, it’s easy to peel up again, and the tape is nice and strong.

• You can write the shipping address directly on the box or a shipping label, and the same for your return address. Either way, it’s a good idea to protect the shipping address with clear tape so it won't smear from handling or wet weather. Now your gift is ready to ship.

Shipping Options

The four most commonly used shippers here in the United States are the US Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS Store), Federal Express (FedEx), and DHL. There are some differences in the services they provide, and I urge you to visit their websites for help in making the best choice.

You will want to consider convenience, pricing, and speed of delivery, but the weight and physical dimensions of your package may determine which services you can use for shipping a gift that is very large or heavy.

All four services ship domestically (US) and internationally; all offer packing materials, standard and express services, insurance, and shipment tracking.

United States Postal Service (USPS)

One advantage of the US Postal Service is that there is a post office in just about every town in the United States and they will deliver to street and P.O. Box addresses. Ship-it-yourself stations for domestic packages are appearing in post offices, resulting in shorter waiting lines.

If you are shipping a gift overseas to military or government employees at APO and FPO addresses, the USPO charges domestic rates. Also, the post office usually requires fewer, less complicated forms than other services.

The major disadvantage of the USPS is that most deliveries are not guaranteed. Check this carefully, and be sure to insure valuable packages and track your shipments. Weight limit is generally 70 pounds, size limit 130 inches total, length plus widest girth.

Services: First Class, Priority Mail, Express Mail, Parcel Post, Media Mail; Global Express, Global Express Guaranteed, Global Express Priority
http://www.USPS.com

United Parcel Service/UPS Store

UPS has become more easily accessible since they acquired Mail Boxes, Etc. and opened UPS Stores in local neighborhoods. UPS has earned a reputation for being reliable and efficient, and they are the carrier of choice for many companies I have worked with.

One nice advantage of shipping a gift from the UPS Store is that for a reasonable fee they will pack your shipment for you. This is very helpful if your package contains several gifts, as the UPS Store will provide a proper shipping carton and first-rate packing materials.

All UPS shipments include insurance up to $100 and higher amounts can be purchased as needed. Shipments are easily tracked online or by telephone. Some locations offer pick up service for a fee, and most can provide shipping options for very large packages. UPS does not deliver to P.O. Box addresses.

Services: Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, 3-Day Select, UPS Ground and International.
http://www.theupsstore.com

Federal Express (FedEx)

FedEx is one of those companies like Xerox, Coke, and Kleenex, whose names have become a generic term for their products or services – when you want something delivered overnight, you “FedEx” it. FedEx guarantees delivery, and shipments are easy to track. I have used FedEx in a business setting and found them very reliable for overnight letters and freight, and quick to issue refunds on the few occasions when they missed a deadline.

Now that they’ve added Home Delivery routes, FedEx is a good option for personal use in shipping a gift to a distant loved one. The main disadvantage is that FedEx does not deliver to P.O. Box addresses. Another is that the paperwork is somewhat more tiresome than that of other services. Weight limit is 70 pounds for FedEx Home Delivery; size limit is 108 inches in length or 165 inches total, length plus girth. For businesses, FedEx Ground has a substantially higher (100-150 pounds) weight limit.

Services: FedEx Express (domestic and international), FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery.
http://www.fedex.com/us/about

DHL

I have not used DHL for shipping a gift, but in a business setting for both domestic and international overnight letters they have been reliable and somewhat less costly than FedEx. However, their fuel surcharge may diminish any price gap, given today’s high gasoline prices, so consider this when comparing prices among delivery services.

The DHL website is informative and offers assistance with forms and labels. Like FedEx, DHL does not deliver to P.O. Box addresses. For guaranteed domestic shipments DHL Ground has a weight limit of 150 pounds; overall dimension limit is 56” x 36” x 25” with no dimension exceeding 56”. For Worldwide Priority Express there is no size or weight limit.

Services: Same Day, Next Day, 2nd Day, Ground (1-6 business days); DHL Global Mail (letters and small packages); Worldwide Priority Express.
http://www.dhl-usa.com

All of this may sound tedious, and you may be tempted to forget the whole thing and mail out gift certificates instead of shipping a gift!

But there’s something festive about receiving a gift package delivery, and your recipient will receive an extra bit of excitement from your extra effort.

Once you decide which service is best and most convenient for you, the process of shipping a gift will be easy.

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Logo photo by Jane M. Sawyer, courtesy of morguefile.com