Packaging is an important matter for a business. It is a great marketing tool for a retailer. Customers are more engaged when they receive a product with a beautiful packaging and they will share their good experience to their friends. This will raise your brand awareness and your business is promoted for free.
Then, does it mean that packaging is not important if you are an importer or a wholesaler?
The answer is no, it is absolutely important! Good packaging means less defect your product will have. It can bring a good reputation for your business. However, most of the importers are not paying much attention to the packaging. And then when the product is damaged or delayed during transit, packaging is often the one to blame. Thankfully, there are several easy packaging checks you can perform during inspection to help you confirm whether your product will reach your customers undamaged and on time. Let’s check out what you should never skip during the packaging inspection!
Packaging material and how your product is packed
Packaging material is playing an important role when you are importing goods. Imagine you are importing a fragile mirror from Indonesia, and the supplier does not pack it properly and does not use a good packaging material, you know exactly what will happen next. Yes, absolutely! The product is broken. This will cost you more money, effort, and time just to fix this problem. This example gives you an illustration of how packaging material and the way your product is packed is important.
Common issues with packaging material found during inspection can vary from using the wrong thickness of polybag to the wrong ply cardboard. Another potential issue is the size of the carton box. Oversized cartons will take more space in the containers, which can affect your cost as well as your product. The extra space inside the carton will make the product move around during shipping, which can result in damage.
Carton Drop Test
Carton Drop Test is the most common test conducted by the inspector to know how the supplier packed your product. By doing this test, you will have some information on how the cartons themselves will hold up the product during shipment and what potential damage could be done to the products inside. The test is based on the ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) standard.
Unfortunately, some factories are not allowing the inspectors to conduct this test due to some reasons. However, having your supplier agree to compulsory drop testing will help to ensure that your products are packaged safely and will not be damaged during shipment.
Shipping mark
A clear shipping mark on the box is important. It is to help handlers to ensure that they know what products are in which boxes, and the processes they should adopt in the handling of these goods. You should ensure that your boxes are correctly marked with relevant information to guide the operational movements in the transportation and storage of your products. By doing so it makes the handling process safer and it saves time, which can also lead to saving you money. There are also several other important markings commonly included on shipping cartons, including:
- Purchaser’s name
- Purchase order (PO) number
- Item number and description
- Carton dimensions and weight
- The number of cartons within the set (“1 of 20”, “2 of 20”, etc.)
- Country of origin in compliance with international requirements, as well as the country of destination
- Any appropriate warning labels and icons (e.g. “fragile”, “hazardous materials” or “this side up”)
If you are a relatively small importer with less inventory, it might be easy to keep track of your shipment without meticulous shipping markings. But you must pay attention to both legal regulations governing your product and your retailer’s requirements.