How to Deliver Large, Fragile or Awkward Products to Customers

It’s easy to figure out how to get everyday items to customers, take the average package; if you are sending a document or a small rectangular box, then you can easily find out the exact cost from a courier’s website or the post office. But what if you have an irregular product to send? It may be fragile; it could be very large, an awkward shape, or even dangerous or toxic? Here we offer a guide on how to deliver these items and get the best possible deal for your business.

Be Sure You Know Exactly What Your Items Are

This will sound like a strange concept telling you, as a business owner, to know what your products are. But it is one that makes sense once you give it a little thought as many delivery services, especially the postal service, can have restrictions on certain items. These restrictions can be for several things, such as chemicals, dangerous items like blades or weapons, and many other too numerous to list. 

Packaging

When transporting irregular items, it’s essential to ensure you use adequate packaging. This can include strength of material used, the last thing you need is your items spilling out or pulling out. Even more critical is ensuring that dangerous or hazardous materials are secure, take, as an example, transporting blood; any breach would be messy, not to mention incredibly wasteful. 

Be Sure to Use Experienced Couriers

Whatever it is that you are transporting, it is vital to consider how established and experienced your chosen courier is in handling your product. Get in touch to ask questions including how they handle the packages, and if they have any specialist equipment needed, I worked for a carpet firm once upon a time and essential to that operation was the courier to have a boom truck to move the rolls without damaging them. Inexperienced delivery firms in this situation would be disastrous. In addition to specialisms, a suitable courier such as ReliableCouriers will get you a reliable tracking system for you and your customer. 

Using Your Own Vehicles

For many specialist businesses using their own vehicles is the only way to go when transporting niche items. If your loads are an unusual size, weight, or shape, then you can set up your vehicle for this. Couriers often charge a premium as abnormal loads take up a disproportionate amount of size in their vehicles. You can also make your van heated or refrigerated if you are moving food products.

Have Adequate Insurance in Place

Any motorist will know full well that when you take out auto insurance, you have to answer a list of questions as long as your arm and one of these is what purpose for which you will be using the vehicle? It’s essential to be sure to answer this as honestly and accurately as you can as the urge to be a little economical with the truth to save a few dollars is often a strong one. It is, however, important to resist this urge as if you do and need to claim later your whole policy could be invalidated.