Test your own parcel: five checks before you send it off
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
5 min reading time
You only hear that a package is damaged when the customer calls. With five quick checks, you can prevent most problems before you take the box away.
You never notice a damaged package yourself. You seal the box, ship it, and only two days later an email lands in your inbox with a photo of a dented corner or a broken jar. At that moment, you've lost the product, the shipping costs, the new shipping costs, and a part of your customer's trust.
The strange thing is that most damage is already visible before a package is shipped — you just need to look for it. Below are five checks that together take less than a minute. Do them for every package for a week, and you'll naturally see where your packaging is weak.
1. The shake test: do you hear anything moving?
Lift the sealed package, gently shake it back and forth, and then slowly tilt it on all six sides. If you hear or feel the contents shifting, there's space. That space is precisely where damage occurs: the product gains momentum and collides with the wall.
Rule of thumb: your product should fit snugly, but not be clamped. If there's still space, fill it until the shifting stops. A roll of bubble wrap measuring 500 mm x 500 m (€12.95) is the cheapest per meter for daily use; if you only ship occasionally, a smaller roll of bubble wrap measuring 50 x 500 cm (€5.00) is sufficient.
2. The thumb test: how sturdy are the walls?
Place your thumb in the middle of each side of the box and press with normal force. If the wall feels like a drum skin that yields until you hit the product, then the box is too large or too thin for what's inside. When stacked on a roll container, the weight of other packages will be added to it.
Two solutions. Choose a box that fits the contents — a cardboard shipping box of 15x15x15 cm (€1.99) is often enough for compact items, while for bulk, you'd better grab a moving box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm (€3.50). Or fill the hollow space so that the walls receive support from within.
3. The tape test: does the seam open?
Hold the package by two opposite corners and try to slightly pry open the top flap. If you see the tape yielding or the adhesive layer detaching from the cardboard, then that seam won't hold during transit either.
Where it usually goes wrong:
Too little overlap. Let the tape extend at least a few centimeters over the side on both ends, not just over the seam.
One strip on a heavy box. If the package weighs more than a few kilograms, also tape the two transverse seams.
Cold or dusty cardboard. Tape adheres poorly to a cold, damp, or dusty box. Store your stock indoors and wipe the box before taping.
4. The weigh and measure test: does it match what you entered?
Weigh and measure the package as it is now — including padding and tape. That's the size your carrier looks at, not the size of the empty box. A box that just crosses a threshold can end up in a different tariff or no longer fit through the letterbox.
If you regularly send letterbox-sized items, also measure the thickness at the thickest point, including tape and label. Ready-made letterbox boxes save hassle here: the recycled letterbox box of 180 x 115 x 28 mm (A6), bundle of 100 pieces (€17.95) and the A5+-variant of 255 x 160 x 28 mm, also per 100 (€24.00) have a fixed height, so you don't have to determine that size every time. Always check your carrier's website for exact requirements — these vary by parcel service and can change.
5. The reading test: is everything on the outside correct?
The last check takes five seconds and prevents the most annoying errors. Read aloud what's on the package: name, street, house number, postcode. Is the label flat on the box, without creases or tape over the barcode? Has the old label from a reused box been completely removed or made illegible?
If you're sending something valuable, a security seal with VOID sticker, 60 pieces (€9.95) is a useful addition. Such a seal leaves a visible trace if someone removes it, so you can see if the package was opened during transit or only upon arrival at the customer's when a complaint arises. For small, flat shipments, a bubble wrap envelope of 20x26 cm (€0.90) does the same job as a box, provided the contents are not breakable.
What to do with the results
For a week, note which test your packages fail. Usually, you'll see one pattern: boxes that are too large for small orders, or too little tape for heavy ones. That's a cheap lesson — you adjust one thing and complaints disappear.
Also combine the tests with the feedback you receive from customers. If you get a damage report, repackage the same combination of box, padding, and product and perform all five checks. Nine out of ten times, you'll know where it went wrong within a minute.
One last tip: have someone else pack a package the way you do, and test that. What's obvious to you — the second strip of tape, that extra sheet of film — often turns out not to be documented anywhere.
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