How to pack paint for safe transport to your online customers
As we enter the final weeks of summer holidays and the kids prepare for the return to school, many householders will focus on a décor refresh in September and October. Whipping their homes into shape for winter celebrations like Halloween, Bonfire Night, Diwali, Hanukkah and Christmas.
One of the quickest ways to spruce up the home is with a dependable tin of emulsion paint. 18 months ago, the thought of purchasing paint online probably hadn’t occurred to most people. Traditionally, we would travel to a store, pore over a colour chart, then gingerly carry the tin to the car praying it wouldn’t self-decorate the boot on the journey home.
I think it’s fair to say that online paint sales were “niche”. However, lockdown has changed all that – we are all now much more adept at placing our trust in online ordering and retailers are responding accordingly.
But, paint can be a notoriously difficult item to ship through the carrier system.
Here’s our guide how to pack paint for online ordering and shipping.
Step 1 – Bag up the tin
If your transit packaging does break, it’s important to minimise the spill of paint. Your courier team won’t be pleased if a litre of Hawaiian sunset applies itself to the inside of their vehicles or depot.
Place the tin in a sealed plastic bag before packing into the outer pack. Then securely close it with a bag tie or heat seal it.
Step 2 – Protect the tin sides
Before placing the tin into end caps, wrap the product in some outer protection. You could use bubble wrap or a paper filler like Geami.
Step 3 – Protect the tin lid and base
Use end caps, applied to the lid and base, to absorb any impact during transit. Pulp end caps are available to fit a range of tin sizes, from 0.5 to 5 litres. Made from recycled paper, they provide excellent protection and are fully kerbside recyclable.
Step 4 – Put it into the outer transit box
The final step is to put the packed paint into its outer box, which should fit the pack snugly to ensure that the contents do not move around, enabling the end caps and protective filler to do their job and hold the tin in place. A double wall box should be used for strength and to reduce the chances of pack punctures.
Step 5 – Seal the outer pack for shipment
The pack should be securely sealed using a tape that will stay fixed for the entire journey. This ensures that the box will not open whilst in transit. Much stronger than standard packing tape, gummed paper tape would be the best option. Once applied, it creates a “bond” with your box, making the entire parcel stronger and more secure.
Always check your courier’s policy for shipping paint to ensure that it’s not a prohibited item and that your pack meets their criteria.
If you need help or advice on shipping paint tins, our team at Macfarlane are here to help. Why not contact us today?
