Successful shipping for parcels, cartons, and boxes.
So, shipping isn’t as complicated as it sounds, especially if you know what you’re doing. Shipping might sound tricky, but trust me, with a bit of know-how, it’s a breeze. This guide will walk you through booking and sending your shipments through One World Courier. We’ve created an easy way for small businesses just like yours to ship faster. Shipping can be straightforward when you’ve got the right support and backing of your own freight management team behind you. Let’s get started!”
Typical questions shippers ask us.
- What is the process to send a box, parcel, carton etc?
- How do I measure the parcel?
- Which packaging is best?
- What documentation do I need to include inside the parcel?
- Where to get shipping labels? Who supplies them?
- How to attach shipping labels?
- How be sure the parcel is picked up and delivered.
- How do I pay for the shipping?
- Where is the shipment now, today?
- How do I make sure nothing goes wrong and the parcel is missing?
- What happens if the parcel goes missing or is damaged?
Steps to successful shipping.
This might sound like child’s play, although you’d be surprised how many businesses still struggle with organising their freight and shipping. As business owners, we all want our customers to get their stock, purchases in as fast as they can – at a price that doesn’t break the bank. They want the goods to arrive undamaged, and on time. With such a lot riding on it, sending and receiving freight should be easy, fast and reliable…and now it is!
We’ve built and easy to use shipping platform, where getting competitive shipping quotes from multiple carriers and couriers is uncomplicated and fast.
- Choose the perfect container to keep the goods safe and secure from
damage whilst in transit. Select a box, carton or even a crate.
- Print the customer’s invoice, receipt or packing slip to help your customer identify which shipment they are receiving.
- Get quotes and select the preferred courier service. (will the
courier pick it up from your place, or does the package require dropping
off at a collection point?)
To get courier quotes, start with the country you are shipping from and to. Add the pickup and delivery postcodes, then choose the pickup and delivery location type (Commercial – a business address or Residential – a house, apartment etc). Add the length, width and height (CM) of the parcel, box, carton and carefully weigh the goods (KG). These two measurements are important, because it is the dimensions and weight of the packages which set the baseline for shipping costs. - Print a shipping and address label as supplied by the courier. This will be available via the website you’re making the booking from. Manual consignment notes, where the courier driver has to manually create a note for you may incur extra costs. Using a shipping portal like One World Courier’s Shipping and Freight Management Platform is one of the easiest solutions.
- With the packing list, invoice, receipt ready to go, either place them inside the box and seal the parcel with strong packing tape.
- Firmly fix the shipping label to a flat surface on the parcel. Taking care to make sure the label is clearly printed and especially the barcode is unobstructed and there are no creases over it.
- You’re ready for the goods to be handed to the courier driver.
Tips for perfect courier pickups and deliveries.
- Remember, the courier driver has many challenges to face during the day. Courier companies run a tight pickup and delivery schedule, so as life can get in the way, you can expect the unexpected to happen from time to time. Unexpected events could be a blocked road, weather conditions or even a flat tyre. For the most part, we rely on people to pick up and deliver our parcels, boxes and satchels, and of course, they can suffer all manner of ailments which can affect how they perform on the day.
- Make sure the driver can collect your goods without issue.
- Make sure the path to pickup is clear, with easy access and free from potential hazards.
- Make sure someone in your business, or home, is ready to hand the package(s) to the driver. If no one is on site, or the driver can’t get to the premises, additional charges such as a ‘futile pickup’ fee can be incurred.
- The same goes for delivery. Depending on the delivery instructions, it’s important to liaise with the receiver and coordinate the delivery time frames. Delivery drivers work on painfully tight deadlines. They fight traffic and weather conditions every day, so it pays to give them some leeway when it comes to deliveries. If they are late, don’t go off and throw a tantrum – they’re human, just like you. If a delivery can’t be made, ‘futile delivery’ fees can be added to the total cost of delivery.
Checklist for perfect shipping.
- Preparation:
- Choose the Item: Ensure it’s legal to ship and properly packaged. Are the goods classed as ‘Dangerous Goods (DG)? If so, what do you need to do to make sure the items can be shipped. Examples of Dangerous Goods are batteries, perfumes, liquids, gases etc.
- Box Selection: Use a strong, appropriate box, carton etc. If shipping fragile items, double-box with cushioning such as paper, polystyrene beads, bubble wrap in between.
- Measure & Weigh:
- Dimensions: Measure the length, width, and height of the box in centimeters. (Length x Width x Height = volume)
- Weight: Use a reliable scale to weigh the package in kilograms.
- Documentation:
- Invoices: Not mandatory for domestic shipments but good to have a copy inside, especially for business transactions.
- Packing Slips: This details the items inside the package. Include one inside the box.
- Shipping Labels:
- Creation: Once you’ve chosen a courier (e.g. TNT, Startrack etc.), you can create and print labels through the online portal.
- Placement: Affix the label on the top surface of the box. Ensure it’s clearly visible and not on a seam or closure. Take extra care to make sure the barcodes are not creased and are flat. Barcodes are read frequently during the pickup and delivery process and are the key indicator for successful shipping. Typically, there are 4 stages to the shipping process, they include:
- -> To Be Collected
- -> In-Transit
- -> Delivering
- -> Delivered
- -> Problem. Should there be any delays or issues with a shipment, an additional status called ‘Problem’ can be used.
- Drop-off/Pick-up:
- Pick-up: Prepare for the pickup. Make sure someone is available to hand the parcel to the courier driver at the agreed date and time window.
- Drop-off: If using a parcel drop off service, take your parcel to the nearest courier drop-off point, or hub.
Additional Services:
- Tracking: Tracking is automatic these days. With accurate GPS surveillance and multiple scans of packages along the entire delivery cycle, tracking the location of goods is easier and more reliable as ever. Every One World Courier booking has a unique tracking number e.g. OWC123456789AU, which is used to track the progress of a package in the shipping portal. Additionally, every courier and carrier also provides their own unique tracking number (e.g. 1Z30ABC494029AR08). This is handy to also track the shipment progress on the courier/carrier website, where additional tracking information can be available. It’s always advisable to keep both tracking number handy for reference, to allow for fast lookup instead of having to log into a website whenever you need an update.As with every shipping service, technology is as the forefront of everything, therefore as well as visually tracking the status of a shipment, frequent delivery status notifications can be delivered by email or SMS.
- Freight Warranty: One World Courier offers AUD $250.00 free Transit Warranty with every shipment booked through the platform. Warranty covers the cost of the goods only.
- Insurance: Consider insuring your goods if their value is high, and/or there is a risk the goods may be subjected to accidental damage due to the nature of the product. Think delicate electronic equipment and devices, or fragile glass and digital products.
- Signature on Delivery: Proof of Delivery (POD) ensures the recipient signs upon receiving the package from the delivery driver. This signature is mapped to the booking and is available for inspection at any time via the One World Courier platform.
- Payment:
- Pay for the shipping service. This can often be done online when the booking is finalised. Paying for shipping is as simple as adding a payment method (for new shippers) or for recognised business shippers, payment can be on account, with payment terms (usually 14 – 30 days after invoice creation).
- Communicate:
- As always, there’s a human element to the shipping process. Always let your customer know every detail bout the shipment coming their way. Good customer service means providing them with the tracking number(s), estimated delivery date, the courier service delivering the goods and additional information such as ‘invoice inside’, ‘packing list contained inside the package’. To become a memorable shipper, and creating an everlasting, positive about your company, why not include a small gift inside the package, as a token of your appreciation for choosing your company over everyone else. This works!