You cannot control everything and you cannot avert untoward instances when your shipment can get damaged or be compromised. But untoward incidents are rare and they are becoming increasingly rarer. In most cases, packages in transit get damaged due to one of the many avertable reasons.
When you hire an international courier to send your package from one place to another, you rely entirely on the company to get your package delivered safely. But before you rely on someone else, you need to ensure that you have taken the right steps.
Significance of Packaging
It all starts with packaging. How you pack your content will determine how safe it would be in transit. Now, you don’t have to invest a ton of money on packaging. Surely, the packaging cannot be half or more as valuable as the contents. But you need to pick the boxes made of sturdy material and they should be of the right size. You will be amazed to find out how many people use boxes of wrong sizes while shipping items. It is not the responsibility of a courier service to Germany to attend to your packaging, unless there is an explicit arrangement in place to that effect. If you are packing your contents, make sure they have the right kind of cushion. There should be enough space so the contents don’t get cramped or crippled. But there shouldn’t be enough space that the contents will keep dangling around.
If your contents are valuable, then it is worthwhile to look for corrugated cardboard with outer liners, heavy-duty and double-layered boards, some kind of padding or cushioning materials and you may consider strapping.
Type of Transport
Not every item can be shipped or transported in the same way. Some items need environment controlled trucks. Some items can be hand delivered by a guy riding an e-bike. Some contents are so heavy that they will have to be hauled mechanically. When you choose an international courier, bear in mind this requisite. Don’t hire any courier service to Germany that doesn’t have the kind of vehicles and expertise you need for the type of contents.
Get Insured
Finally, have insurance. You may argue that insurance will not save the item from being damaged but it will avert a financial loss. Even rare artworks cannot get replaced if they are stolen or damaged but their financial worth is protected with insurance.
