Introduction
The process of shipping clothes is not complex if you know what you are doing. In order to experience a smooth journey, you need to know how to pack clothing items, what are the shipping prices, and what steps are involved in doing this. Whether you are a professional seller, or just sending clothing items to your loved ones, consider reading this guide where we tell you what you need to do. Let’s dive in.
What to Consider While Shipping Clothes
Clothes are easy to pack and ship. However, if you are a new seller, or sending clothes for the first time, you need to consider the following factors. This section covers the details of what to consider while shipping clothes.
Shipping Agencies
While sending clothes, it is important to get to know about the shipping companies that will take your items and deliver them to your customers. When selecting shipping companies, we recommend you make a list of questions. Those questions will help you filter out the right shipping company. Here is what you can ask.
Destination address: Ask shipping companies if they can ship clothes locally, internationally, or both.
Delivery time: Ask how much time will you take to deliver the package to the end user.
Weight handling: Check for weight handling by asking what the maximum and minimum weight limits are.
Tracking and insurance: Ask the shipping company if they have tracking available. Moreover, look for a company that offers insurance.
Marketing and Packaging
It is important to consider the factors of packaging and marketing while shipping clothes. See, the packaging is directly linked to the marketing. If your packaging is high-end, your customers will experience a great unboxing experience. Hence that will lead to people getting attracted towards your brand. All together, make sure you are packing the clothing items the right way.
Shipping Prices
Lastly, you need to consider the shipping prices because, in the end, you need to make sure that it stays within your budget. Moreover, the shipping prices will also affect the product price. You can have multiple options in order to get the right influence of price on your product.
Real-time charges: With this strategy, you can let your customers pay the shipping charges. They can select between express and normal delivery and pay the corresponding price.
Flat rate: You can have the option of paying the flat shipping charges. However, this is economical if you have a single clothing line. For multiple, this might not work.
Free shipping: Customers tend to love free shipping. However, somebody will need to pay the price. You can either adjust the shipping price in your selling price or set a minimum order quantity to offer free shipping.
Packing Clothes for Shipping the Right Way- How to Do That?
Clothing items are not fragile or perishable items. You can easily pack them in cardboard boxes and ship them away. If a clothing item is a single shirt, a mailer box will do just fine. However, for clothing with buttons and trickles, padded mailers will do the trick.
For larger shipments, corrugated cardboard boxes help in delivering the items to the final destination. While packing, insert each cloth in the polybag and seal it. This will save the clothes from water and moisture. After doing that to every item, place them in the shipping box and place bubble wrap and kraft paper to fill in the rest of the space. This step will give a snug fit and prevent the shifting of clothes during shipping.
There is always an option to use branded boxes for your products. You can ask your shipping company for that. Or, you can get custom packaging from Rean Packaging. In this age of eco-transformation, it is a good idea to use recycled boxes. That will turn the attention of your economically-eccentric customers to you, leading to more sales.
On a side note, try to use smaller shipping boxes because that will lead to lower shipping costs. Clothing items like jeans are heavier than shirts, so tend to consider flat shipping for those items.
Step by Step Process of Shipping Clothes to Customers
Packing Clothing Items in bags and Mailer Boxes
While shipping clothes, it is important to take note of what type of clothing there is, and how to neatly pack those clothes. Let’s talk about how to pack different types of clothing.
Packing Single Shirt
If you want to pack a single shirt, start by folding the shirt with sleeves folded in the backward direction. Then place the shirt in the poly bag and seal it with tape. Afterwards, place the shirt in the mailer box, and wrap it up using tape.
Packing Multiple Shirts
The process of packing multiple shirts requires you to arrange a shipping box that is made of thick material. This will prevent the shirts from getting wrinkled up. Add the shirts in that box and pack it up.
Packing Jeans or Pants
Talking about jeans, fold the jeans from the seam, and then fold it again from the center. After folding, place it inside the sealable bag. Add a kraft paper layer to prevent wrinkles. After that, pack it in the mailer’s box or a shipping box if there are multiple pants.
Packing Sensitive Clothing
Packing clothes like wedding dresses, suits, and delicate wear requires extra care. If you want to pack such items, you will need bubble wrap, kraft papers, and padded boxes. After folding the items, place them inside a poly bag. Add bubble wrap and paper to the bag to prevent wrinkles.
Take a box that is slightly bigger than the dress size. This will prevent it from squishing or damaging. Add the packed dress to the box and add packing peanuts to secure the package. In the end, use the packing tape to seal the box.
Applying The Labels and Stickers
Pasting the labels and stickers is an important part of the shipping process. The labels provide important information such as destination address, handling instructions, and more. After you have packed, add the necessary labels such as fragile stickers, box maker’s certificate, and address information.
Getting The Paperwork
If you want to send the clothes to international clients, you will need proper paperwork. The paperwork includes the conformer’s certificate, export license, custom papers, and QA reports for fabric. Gather the papers and send them to your agent for review.
Duties and Customs
Customs duties are taxes that are assessed by governments. This tax is applied whenever an item enters the country. When shipping clothes internationally, the items will be held by customs offices of that country until you pay the duties. To pay the duties, you will need a commercial invoice and packing list. These papers show the real value of clothing items, and based on that, the tax will be calculated.
Selecting The Right Carrier Option
In the above sections, we talked about the shipping companies and the ways through which you can choose the right shipping option. Follow those steps, and reach your shipping carrier option. Send the packed items along with the papers to the shipping agent and they will handle your packages.
What Do You Need to Know About Shipping Clothes?
Now that you have an idea about how to pack and ship clothes, let us give you the opportunity to talk about some information that we think is necessary for you.
What Are The Cheapest Ways to Ship Clothes?
If you want to ship clothes the cheapest way possible, it is best to start doing research and compare the prices. For domestic shipping, the local delivery services are perfect for sending the items. As for international, options like FedEx, and UPS are available. But, ensure to compare the prices and select the one that suits you the best. Another option is leveraging the use of China Post if your clothing suppliers are from China. China Post is economical for both local and international shipping.
What Are The Packaging Options for Packing Clothes?
Clothing items are not sensitive because they are not fragile. However, you need to ensure the packaging is robust so that the items can withstand the traveling. In order to pack the items, here are the options you can use
- Mailers box
- Shipping boxes
- Padded boxes (For delicate clothes)
- Poly bags
- Bubble wrap bags
- Kraft paper boxes
- Paper bags
How to Weigh Clothing Items for Shipping?
The weight of the package has a huge impact on the shipping charges. Shipping charges are also calculated by factors such as
- Distance
- Dimensions of box
- Type of carrier service
- Speed
But, weight is the main point that is considered a lot. The charges are calculated using either by size or weight, whichever one is higher. In order to calculate the weight, ensure to weigh the complete packed box. This will include the weight of the item, packing material, and the box. Leverage the use of weight machines to calculate the weight so that you can have the exact shipping rate.
Conclusion
Sending clothes is not a hefty task, but it is important to know how to ship clothes. From packing to arranging documents to getting your shipping agent, every step defines the journey of sending products to your customer. If not done right, anything can go wrong, But, why will it go wrong if you have gone through this guide? For more information, consider contacting ReanPackaging so that you can have a great shipping experience.
