“Fragile goods” is the term used to describe items that can be easily broken or damaged, including (but not limited to) glass, marble, tiles, porcelain and electricals such as TV screens. Whilst we at GOfers do ship fragile goods, it is important that anything classed as fragile is correctly packaged to go into the courier network.
We do have a comprehensive guide available for packaging fragile or awkward items; read more here: https://gofers.co.uk/packaging/packaging-guide-fragile-awkward-items/ – but it is important to understand how different types of items need to be packaged. Take glass, for example. Packaging glass requires a lot of care, cushioning and consideration to prevent against breakages, whereas liquids (another type of fragile item) requires perhaps less cushioning but a lot more consideration in terms of its own packaging as well as the outer packaging used for delivery.
Types of fragile goods
As above, there are a range of different types of fragile goods; these include:
- Delicate materials – glass, porcelain, china, ceramics, plaster
- Musical instruments – examples include string instruments, electronics such as keyboards, drums, lutes and anything wooden
- Collectibles such as ornaments and photo frames
- Laboratory materials like test tubes and other glass items and thermometers
- Computer components such as keyboards and screens
Labelling fragile goods
There are various ways that people choose to label their fragile goods. This rages from simply writing “fragile” on the outside to using specific “fragile goods” boxes that are very clearly labelled from the start. You can also buy FRAGILE stickers that can be used to label the outer packaging.
Whichever way you choose to make people aware that the contents are fragile, you also need to remember to add a return address. This ensures that the box and its contents can be returned in the event of not reaching their final destination, as well as giving the recipient an address if they do need to return anything in case of breakages (or indeed, for any other reason).
Insurance
If you need to ship something fragile, don’t forget to insure both the items themselves, and also add on courier insurance. All of our same day deliveries include up to £50,000 of goods in transit insurance and we can increase your insurance cover for more valuable items.
