A parcel in a courier network is not carried carefully from A to B. It is loaded, tipped onto a conveyor, sorted at speed, stacked under other parcels, moved between three or four vehicles, and handled by people working to a schedule. Pack for that reality and damage claims almost disappear.
This is the process we would use ourselves, in order.
Start with the right box
The box does most of the work. Get this wrong and no amount of bubble wrap saves the contents.
- Use double-wall cardboard for anything heavy or fragile. Single-wall is fine for clothing and soft goods; it is not fine for a 6kg box of books.
- Size it to the contents plus about 5cm of padding on every side. Too big and the item moves; too tight and there is no cushioning at all.
- Check the corners. Corners take the impact. A box that is crushed or soft at a corner has already failed.
- Reuse boxes only if they are genuinely sound — rigid, dry, and with all old labels and barcodes removed or completely covered.
Seal the box, then shake it firmly next to your ear. If you can hear or feel the contents shifting, open it and add more void fill. A parcel that rattles on your desk will rattle for 400 miles.
Right-sizing also saves money. Couriers charge on volumetric weight when a parcel is bulky for its weight, so an oversized box costs you twice — once in the quote and again in the risk.
Wrap each item individually
If two items can touch each other, they will, repeatedly. Wrap them separately:
- Bubble wrap, bubbles facing inwards, taped closed — two layers for anything breakable.
- Fill hollow items. A mug, vase or boot packed empty collapses inwards under load. Stuff the cavity with paper.
- Separate hard items with card dividers so a picture frame cannot chip the item next to it.
- Bag anything that could leak in a sealed polythene bag, then wrap. Liquids should be double-bagged and upright.
Fill every void
Void fill stops movement and absorbs shock. The item should be suspended in the middle of the box, touching nothing rigid.
| Material | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Air pillows | Light items, filling large gaps cheaply | Poor under heavy weight — they compress |
| Kraft paper | General use, recyclable, good bulk | Needs plenty to resist compression |
| Bubble wrap | Direct wrapping of fragile items | Not a substitute for a rigid box |
| Foam inserts | Electronics, precision or high-value goods | Cost, and awkward to source in odd sizes |
| Loose fill / chips | Irregular shapes | Items migrate to the bottom in transit |
Do not use newspaper against unprotected goods — the ink transfers. Never use food-grade materials such as popcorn as padding.
Seal it properly
Use 48mm or wider polypropylene or reinforced paper packing tape. Apply the H-taping method: run tape along the centre seam, then along both edge seams at each end, top and bottom. Three strips per face.
Do not use masking tape, duct tape, household cellophane tape, string, or staples. String catches in sorting machinery and staples injure handlers.
Fragile items: double box
For glass, ceramics, screens, artwork, or anything you would wince at losing:
- Wrap the item in two layers of bubble wrap and tape it closed.
- Place it in a snug inner box with void fill around it.
- Put that box inside a second, larger box with at least 5cm of void fill on all six sides.
- Seal with H-taping and mark the outer box Fragile and This Way Up where relevant.
Double boxing works because the outer box absorbs the impact and the gap between the boxes absorbs what gets through. It is the single most effective thing you can do for a breakable item.
Some goods cannot travel by courier at all, and others need declaration — aerosols, perfumes, batteries, paints. Read what you cannot send by courier before you pack. A prohibited item is removed from the network and is not covered by insurance.
Labelling: where good packing gets undone
A perfectly packed parcel with a bad label still fails. The rules are simple and worth checking every time:
- One label, on the largest flat face. Not over a corner, not over a seam, not wrapped around an edge — a bent barcode will not scan.
- Do not cover the barcode with tape if you can avoid it. Glossy tape over a barcode causes glare and scan failures. If you must, keep it flat and bubble-free.
- Remove every old label and barcode from reused boxes, or cover them completely.
- Include the full address with postcode, plus flat, unit or company name. "Flat 4" missing from a block of 40 is a failed delivery.
- Add the recipient's mobile and email. This is how we send delivery notifications and resolve problems without returning the parcel.
- Put a duplicate address slip inside the box. If the outer label is destroyed, this is the only thing that saves the parcel from the unidentified pile.
- Print at 100% scale — "fit to page" shrinks barcodes below scannable size.
Common items, quickly
| Item | Approach |
|---|---|
| Clothing, soft goods | Polythene mailer is fine; compress to cut volumetric weight |
| Books | Corrugated book wrap or a snug single-wall box; heavy for size, so keep boxes small |
| Electronics | Original box inside an outer box; anti-static bag for bare components |
| Glassware, ceramics | Individually wrapped, cavities filled, double boxed |
| Framed pictures | Tape a cross over the glass, corner protectors, flat in a picture box |
| Bottles (non-hazardous) | Sealed bag, purpose-made bottle insert, upright, marked This Way Up |
| Duvets, bedding | Vacuum bag then smallest box that fits — big volumetric saving |
Before it leaves your hands
A thirty-second final check:
- Shake it — no movement, no rattle.
- Press the faces — no give, no bulge.
- All six edges taped, H-pattern top and bottom.
- One current label, flat, barcode clean and uncovered.
- Address slip inside.
- Weight and dimensions match what you declared on the quote.
If a parcel is damaged anyway
Photograph the parcel before unpacking it, then the packaging and the damaged item separately, and keep all the packaging. Report it to us as soon as you can — every Fleet Express parcel includes £100 cover as standard, with higher cover available at booking. Our guide to delayed, lost and damaged parcels walks through the claim.
Frequently asked questions
Packing questions we get most often are below; there is more on insurance and claims on the FAQ page.
Packed and ready?
Get an instant price with the Fleet Express quote tool. Measure the finished parcel rather than the item — the box is what gets charged.
