What your package experiences during transit — and what that means for your packaging
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
From drop-off point to doorstep: what physically happens to your parcel at every step of the journey, and the logical box, tape, and void fill to go with it.
A customer sends a photo: the corner of the box is dented, the label half torn off, but fortunately the contents are intact. You packed that parcel yourself, and it looked fine when it left. What happened between your packing table and that front door, you never see. Yet, it is precisely this journey that determines which box, which tape, and which void fill are sensible choices.
Below, the parcel's entire journey is outlined: from drop-off to delivery. Each step details what physically happens to your shipment and which packaging choices are appropriate.
Step 1: From your table to the drop-off point
The first leg of the journey is often the calmest, but it's not without risk. Your parcel might be stacked at a collection point, usually with other shipments on top. What goes wrong here is due to pressure from above: a box that isn't completely filled will collapse.
The practical conclusion is boring but effective: fill the box until it no longer dents when you press on it. An empty space of a few centimeters is a crease in the making. For small items in a large box, it's often cheaper to solve this with void fill than with an extra box size: a 500 mm x 500 m Bubble Wrap Roll costs €12.95 and will last a small webshop for months.
If your shipment goes through the letterbox, height is the main concern. For PostNL letterbox parcels, the maximum height is around 3.2 cm; always check the current dimensions and rates on postnl.nl, as these can change. A recycled A6 letterbox box of 180 x 115 x 28 mm (bundle of 100, €17.95) or the A5+ variant of 255 x 160 x 28 mm (bundle of 100, €24.00) remains well below that limit at 28 mm — even with tape over it.
Step 2: The sorting center
Here, the nature of the journey changes. Your parcel moves over conveyor belts, past scanners, and through chutes. It doesn't rest quietly; it rolls, tilts, and falls over short distances. This isn't carelessness; it's how large-scale sorting works.
Three things follow from this for your packaging.
Your box must be able to withstand an impact from any angle. Not just the bottom, but also the corners and sides. So, distribute the weight, and don't place heavy components loosely against one wall.
The label must remain readable. On a flat, clean surface, not over a seam or a corner. A label half covering a gap can cause scanning problems.
No protruding parts. Loose flaps, a bow, or a raised handle can get caught on a conveyor belt. Tape down loose edges flat.
One strip of tape over the center seam keeps the flaps closed, but not against twisting. Tape the center seam, and then add two short strips perpendicular to the ends of that seam. This absorbs the lateral force created when a box rotates on a conveyor belt. Extra rounds of tape around the entire box offer little additional benefit, cost material, and make opening inconvenient.
Step 3: The delivery van and the final miles
In the van, your parcel usually stands upright among other shipments, sometimes for hours, sometimes in the sun or in the cold. Movements here are gentle but constant: jolts when accelerating and braking. What didn't break in the sorting center can still shift here.
For fragile or sharp contents, this means: wrap each loose component separately, not just together in one layer. Two glasses resting against each other in the same air layer will break each other. For small, flat shipments, a metallic bubble mailer 33 x 23 cm starting from €0.80 may be enough; for a single small item, the 21 x 14 cm variant starting from €0.80 is appropriate.
If you're sending something heavy or bulky, consciously choose a box that is not at its maximum capacity. A cardboard shipping box of 15x15x15 cm for €1.99 is fine for compact items; if it's larger, a moving box of 480x430x330 mm (50 liters) for €3.50 is a cheaper starting point than three smaller boxes taped together.
Step 4: Handover at the door
The last few meters are short but visible. This is the only time your customer consciously sees your packaging. A neatly presented box inspires confidence; a box with four layers of tape and a crooked label looks like something happened along the way, even if it didn't.
If the parcel is not personally received, it may be left with a neighbor or behind the door. If you want to be able to prove that it arrived unopened, a seal helps: VOID Security Seal Stickers - 60 pieces cost €9.95 and leave visible traces if someone removes them. This is not a guarantee, but it significantly shortens any subsequent discussion.
Four choices that cover the entire journey
Box size that matches the contents, not just what you happen to have in stock. Filling empty space costs less than a collapsing box.
Tape pattern instead of tape quantity: center seam plus two perpendicular strips.
Void fill per component, so loose items don't touch each other.
A clean, flat label area without seams, corners, or old labels underneath.
If you notice that one type of damage keeps recurring – always the same corner, always the same item – the problem is usually not with the carrier but with one of these four points. Change one thing at a time, so you know which adjustment made the difference.
Organize your packaging yourself
If you want to review your current setup: in Packaging & Shipping you'll find the complete range, with Letterbox Packaging for everything that needs to go through the letterbox, Boxes for larger shipments, Tape for sealing, and Protection & Void Fill Material for filling. Unsure which box size or bundle quantity suits your volume? Email your question to info@verpakkingdeals.nl – tell us what you send and how much per week, and we'll help you figure out a suitable combination.
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