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Pack a box for shipping by choosing a sturdy box, cushioning the item on all sides, filling every gap so nothing shifts, and taping every seam with wide packing tape. Put the label on the largest flat side, and keep a copy of the tracking number for yourself.
Most shipping damage comes from movement, not from a single hard drop. A parcel gets tossed, stacked, tilted, and squeezed on its way through sorting machines and trucks. If the item can slide even a short distance inside the box, it builds up speed and hits the wall. Good packing stops that movement before the box leaves your hands. The steps below work for most ordinary parcels in Canada and the United States.
Use a new or nearly new corrugated cardboard box that is slightly larger than the item plus its cushioning. A box that fits too tightly leaves no room for padding. A box that is far too big wastes filler and costs more to ship, since carriers charge by size as well as weight on larger parcels.
Check the box before you use it. Press the corners and the bottom. If the cardboard feels soft, damp, or crushed, pick another box. Reused boxes are fine when they are still rigid, but remove old labels and barcodes first, since a stray old barcode can send a parcel to the wrong place. Avoid boxes with holes, torn flaps, or a bottom that has already been taped and re-taped.
As a rule, put at least two inches of cushioning on every side of the item, including the bottom and the top. That means the item should sit in the middle of the box, surrounded by filler, never touching a wall directly. Bubble wrap, foam, crumpled packing paper, and air pillows all work. Newspaper works too, but ink can rub off onto light-coloured items, so wrap those in plain paper first.
Wrap each item separately when a box holds more than one thing. Two unwrapped items in one box will knock against each other all the way to the destination. This matters most for anything with a finish that scratches, like coated metal, painted wood, or polished plastic.
| Item type | Best cushioning | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Sturdy, light items (clothes, soft goods) | Crumpled paper or a plastic bag inside the box | Leaving empty corners that let the load shift |
| Medium items (books, small electronics) | Bubble wrap plus paper filler | Packing books flat against the box wall |
| Breakable items (glass, ceramics) | Double boxing, with each piece wrapped alone | Using only one thin layer of bubble wrap |
| Heavy items (tools, parts) | Foam or dense paper, in a double-walled box | A single-walled box that splits at the bottom |
Use wide packing tape, not masking tape, duct tape, or string. Tape the bottom seam with one strip down the middle, then one strip across each edge, in an H shape. Do the same on the top after sealing. This H pattern keeps the flaps from popping open if one strip loosens. Press the tape down firmly and run your hand along it so it bonds to the cardboard.
One detail people miss: tape sticks poorly to dusty or damp cardboard. If the box has been sitting in a garage or basement, wipe the taping area with a dry cloth first. In winter, tape applied in a cold garage may not bond well until the box warms up, so tape indoors when you can.
Put the label on the largest flat side of the box, fully visible, with nothing folded over an edge or a seam. Cover it with clear tape if the label is printed on plain paper, so rain and handling do not smudge it. Do not put the label on the bottom, and do not tape over the barcode itself with cloudy tape, since that can block scanning.
Write the return address on the box as well, in case the label comes off. A second copy of the address inside the box, on top of the packing, gives the carrier one more way to get the parcel back to you if the outside label is lost.
Do the shake test. Close the flaps without taping, pick the box up, and shake it gently. If you hear or feel anything moving, open it and add filler until the contents sit still. Then weigh the parcel and measure it, since the label price depends on both. A parcel that weighs more than its label states can be billed later or held up.
Take a photo of the packed box and the label before drop-off. If a claim ever comes up, that photo shows how the parcel looked when it left your hands. Keep the tracking receipt until the parcel shows as delivered.
LetterAgent provides Canada Post Xpresspost shipping labels for parcels within Canada, up to 5 kg. You ask your AI assistant for a label, approve the exact quoted price, pay once through Stripe, and receive a label PDF. Packing the box itself is your part: the guidance above still applies. LetterAgent labels cannot cover parcels over 5 kg, shipments outside Canada, or freight. For those, use a carrier counter or a freight service directly.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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