While they are not the most fragile items, books need to be properly packaged to ensure shipping to prevent damage in transit. Wrapping paper and masking tape are not enough, and in the case of bound books, a padded envelope is not adequate. Here is how to pack the books for shipping so that they arrive at their destination in the same conditions as they started.
Steps
Step 1. Clean the book
If the cover is paper, you can remove marks and stains with an eraser, but with caution.
- If the cover or dust jacket is plasticized, you can clean it from dirt and marks by gently wiping a cloth, paper or fabric, with glass cleaner. Be careful not to smudge the pages. Sometimes a slightly damp cloth is all that's needed. Wait for the cover to dry before packing the book.
- Lighter liquid can be used to remove glue residue from the cover, leaving it in contact for 20 seconds before removing the glue - keep in mind that this liquid is bad for the skin. Be careful and wash your hands as soon as you're done.
Step 2. Protect the package contents from moisture
When the cover is dry, wrap the book or books in plastic wrap in case the package gets wet in transit.
- Choose a suitable sized sheet or plastic bag, and wrap the book inside sealing with tape.
- Don't go overboard with duct tape, just close the corners and seams of the plastic (the recipient may be bothered by unwrapping yards of duct tape to free the book). Then wrap the book in bubble wrap for extra protection.
Step 3. At this point, insert any letter or message you are sending to the recipient
- To ship like fold of books with the relative fare, do not enter correspondence or other items. Eventually, send the message by letter separately, announcing that the book travels separately (usually the letter arrives first). For other countries, ask the post office for rates first.
- If you have not provided a shipping label, copy the address and insert the copy in the package in case the address on the outside becomes illegible due to deterioration.
Step 4. Consider sending a paperback book in a padded envelope
A box is still the best packaging method, especially if the book is valuable to you or the recipient.
- The paperback editions have no protruding parts like hardcover books, so they can be shipped in a padded envelope without worrying about them getting damaged.
- Use a box that is larger than the book. For hardcover books, find a slightly larger cardboard box, even among those available in post offices. Check the shipping rates for these packages.
Step 5. Give a cardboard box a new lease of life
If you reuse a box, you can make it pleasant for the recipient by ungluing the joint (usually only one on the side) and turning the cardboard inside out, then closing the joint in reverse. Voila, here is a box as good as new! If you want to reuse a box but don't want (or can) turn it around, remove the previous addresses and labels, or cover them with stickers.
Put duct tape on the bottom. Do not just fit the bottom flaps to save adhesive tape, the result in fact does not give the certainty that the book will not come out
Step 6. Fold in the shorter flaps, then the longer flaps so that they are perfectly aligned, and then close with tape, continuing to the sides of the box, to reinforce the seal
Duct tape gives the box more strength and a better shape than simply snapping the flaps together.
Step 7. Add volume material
Place the box with the top open, and cover the inner bottom with styrofoam flakes, bubble wrap, paper or crumpled bags, or newspapers (pay attention to how much shipping weight increases).
When the bottom of the box is filled, place the book (already lined with bubble wrap) inside. Then fill the spaces around the book with other material that makes volume, and so on top of the book itself up to the edge of the box. Eventually the book must be firmly held in place in the box, without it being able to move
Step 8. Can the book still move?
Remember to bring the top flaps of the box together but don't close them yet, and then shake the box. If you feel the book move, add more material until there is enough to stop any movement. This will protect the book from knocks, regardless of how the box is handled.
- Write the address, or apply a label, to the top of the box before sealing it with tape.
- To facilitate delivery, write down the zip code you find on the Poste Italiane website.
Step 9. Write in ink that does not dilute on contact with water, and cover the address with clear tape
Step 10. Seal the box with tape
Close the flaps with a long piece of tape first, then seal the edges with pieces of tape to make the box stronger.
Then take the package to the post office, and evaluate the shipping rate, considering a possible insurance in case of volumes of value, in case they are lost or damaged
Warnings
- If you sell books online, make sure the buyer doesn't have any complaints. It is not the fault of the Post Office if the book arrives damaged due to carelessness in the packaging. Book packages can take two weeks to reach the recipient, and in those two weeks they can be dropped, kicked, or buried by dozens of heavy boxes.
- If you are applying a printed barcode label, do not cover it with adhesive tape, which will make it difficult to read. If the label is printed on plain paper, it can be easily torn off, so it is best to cover it entirely with clear tape.
- For some types of parcel, it is possible to have the tracking of the shipment on the website of the Post Office.
