Roughly 10% of packages get damaged in the mail. Naturally, this is not a comforting statistic if you are in the business of shipping fragile items.
Our source here is the Fulfillment Lab, which considered the average damage rate over 15 billion packages delivered in 2022 and 2023. As you can imagine, for fragile items, the risk of damage is even higher.
The numbers above imply something truly shocking—about 1.5 billion packages are damaged in the mail. How much glassware has been shattered? How many electronics have been ruined? It’s impossible to say for sure.
What we can say for sure, though, is that damaged shipments aren’t just a hassle—they are a huge problem that causes serious economic damage. Broken packages cost businesses money, hurt their reputation, and frustrate customers. And on the buyers’ sides, receiving a shattered item can be disappointing, especially if it’s something rare or sentimental.
In this post, we’ll break down the most common reasons fragile items get damaged and how to pack them properly to lower the odds of damage. Then we’ll talk about what to do if you’re the buyer stuck with a broken package.
4 Common Reasons Items Break in the Mail
We were curious as to why the damage rate for packages sent by mail is so high. So we reached out to Will Schneider, a fulfillment expert at Warehousing & Fulfillment. When asked why packages break in the mail, he cited four common causes. Among them, he lists “poor packaging, mishandling during transit, improper labeling, and inadequate cushioning.”
We’ll briefly expand on each of those causes:
- Poor packaging: Packages move a lot when they’re on the road. Packaging deteriorates over time, meaning that it may fall apart before it reaches its destination.
- Mishandling during transit: A lot of people and machinery handle packages as they go from origin to destination. It’s not uncommon for packages to fall once or more during the shipping process, potentially damaging the contents.
- Improper labeling: Fragile items need to be clearly labeled as fragile. Not everyone remembers to do this, though, leaving postal workers with no idea if they’re picking up a box full of clothes or a box full of fine china.
- Inadequate cushioning: Because of the high risk of mishandling, shippers should pad the inside of packages with cardboard, paper, air cushions, and other similar materials. Not everyone remembers to do this, though, leaving items vulnerable to damage.
Taken together, these four factors lead to a lot of items being damaged in the mail. Luckily, though, shippers can eliminate some of these risks and, if nothing else, mitigate the risk of mishandling by proper packaging. We explain how that works in the following section.
4 Tips To Safely Ship Fragile Items
The risk that packages will be mishandled is a fact of life for shippers. But that doesn’t mean shippers can’t take steps to reduce the odds of items being damaged in the mail. Here are four practical tips that any seller can follow.
1. Use a well-sized rigid box.
The first rule of shipping fragile objects is to choose a rigid box. The last thing you want to do is ship a Faberge egg in a polybag or padded envelope!
Of course, you can’t just grab any box that’s available. It’s tempting to choose a very large box since you would be able to fill it with more bubble wrap, but this isn’t a good idea. According to Packlane, you want to choose a box which has 2 inches (or 5 cm) of extra space on all sides of the fragile item.
The reason for this is simple: you want to have enough room to pad the fragile object without giving the item(s) enough room to rattle around inside the package.
2. Fill excess space with cushioning materials
Once you select the right box, cover the fragile item in bubble wrap. Use as many layers as necessary.
After that, you will want to fill the extra void space with different materials. Your options include paper, bubble wrap, Styrofoam, peanuts, and air pillows. Paper and cardboard based alternatives are excellent as well, if you’re especially environmentally-conscious.
3. Label your box as fragile.
This is a fairly obvious recommendation, but nevertheless not one that you want to skip. Be sure to write “FRAGILE” in all caps on the box. Write the word on at least three different sides so that people will be more likely to see it. You may also want to add a “THIS SIDE UP” label as well.
4. Insure your package if it’s valuable.
If you’re shipping something really valuable, or even if you ship fragile items regularly, consider insuring your package. You can do this directly through carriers like USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL. However, if you ship fragile items regularly, you can also receive a discounted rate from third-party parcel insurers such as Shipsurance.
What should buyers do if they receive damaged items?
Despite the sellers’ best efforts, some packages will inevitably break in the mail. Buyers should be aware of this fact so that they can take action when items arrive damaged. We wrote about this at length in our article, “Who to blame when your package gets lost in the mail.”
But if you’re in a hurry, Will Schneider has simple advice you can follow if your package arrives damaged. “Document the damage with photos, contact the seller immediately, and file a claim with the shipping carrier if needed.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Though it is worth remembering: shipping damage happens all the time and businesses have processes to resolve these issues. You will most likely be able to resolve your issue and get a replacement item without too much trouble.
Final Thoughts
Shipping damage is very common. But shipping fragile items can be done safely if you take a few precautions.
When in doubt, choose a rigid box that’s the right size, add a lot of padding, and label the package. If all else fails, rest easy knowing that shipping insurance can and often will reimburse you for damages!
