Wrap and pack
We take great care of every item that passes through our system and you can help us by making sure that it is properly wrapped and packed. Even small items such as pens, keyrings etc. should be adequately wrapped to prevent being damaged by mechanised sorting equipment.
To help you, we sell a range of postal packaging at our Smith Street and Envoy House branches and our retail team can advise you on the best postal service to use to ensure timely delivery and appropriate insurance is secured.
A bag or a box?
For small items such as books, a padded bag is often sufficient. If you think that it needs more protection, put it in a box: the kind of stiff cardboard boxes that supermarkets recycle can be ideal. Make sure that it is big enough to take the item with room to spare, then pack that extra space with plenty of cushioning. Pack it all around. Scrunched-up newspaper, kitchen towel and tissue paper are readily available and quite effective; corrugated paper can be good. Even better are polystyrene chips or bubble-wrap but whatever you use, make sure that you use plenty. If there are parts that stick out - teapot spouts, handles, etc. - make sure that they are properly supported. Fragile items such as glass and china should be sent by parcel post only with the appropriate level of insurance.
Mark the package “FRAGILE” if it contains anything which could be broken in transit. Unfortunately we cannot take responsibility for anything which is insufficiently protected. It is your responsibility to pack it correctly and to mark it if it needs special handling.
Seal it up well
Seal the package securely with strong, wide tape. If you wrap the whole thing in paper or plastic, make sure that it is strong enough and again seal well with tape. As an extra precaution it can also be tied with string; if you do this, please keep the ends short. If staples are used, please make sure that there are no dangerous edges exposed to avoid injuring anyone handling the package.