Shipping Books at Affordable Price
At some point you might find yourself in need of shipping books. When that happens, it's important that you use a service that you know will not only handle your delivery with care and ensure that everything goes smoothly, but also won't cost you a lot of money. This is especially important if you're sending books that are high in value, for example, first editions. However, with so many delivery services available to you, comparing all of them to choose the right one to ship books with might seem like a challenge.
Well, Packlink might be just what you're looking for - compare the shipping costs of several couriers, and pick the right one for you.
Why Ship Books With Packlink
You might be wondering - there are so many other shipping services, why should I use Packlink for shipping books? Well, the answer is actually quite simple - let us tell you all about it.
First of all, Packlink is very easy to use - all you need to do to know how much you will pay for shipping is add the measurements of your shipping boxes, including their weight and size, and the address from where to where will the packages be delivered. You'll get an instant parcel quote from several different shipping companies.
Also, as we already mentioned, Packlink allows you to compare several different shipping services so that you can choose the one that will be the best for you - whether you're looking for the cheapest shipping rates or fastest delivery times, we're sure we can find an ideal match for you in just a few minutes.
You can also choose whether you like to go to a post office or a drop-off location, or you'd prefer to have a courier come and pick up the parcel at your house, which makes the process of shipping books and a lot more convenient.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship Books?
Truthfully, there isn't one answer to that question, as there are a few things you need to take into consideration. First of all, there's the question of where the delivery is going - shipping to some countries might be more expensive than to others, same goes for when you ship books within one country.
Another thing is weight and size - the heavier and bigger your package is, the more you are probably going to pay for the service. Finally, the courier service you decide to use and whether you want to add any additional services, such as package insurance, affect the shipping costs.
Parcel Insurance
When you ship books, you most likely want them to arrive to their new owners in the shape you send them. However, as you are probably aware, anything can happen during the delivery, including things that are not the fault of the courier. This is why the best protection you can get when you ship boxes of books is getting parcel insurance.
When your package is insured, you have peace of mind that even if something happens to it during the delivery, you will get compensated for it.
How to Pack Books for Shipping
When you are shipping books it's important that they are packaged properly so that you can be sure nothing happens to them during the shipment. Here is a short instruction on how to do it:
- Prepare the supplies you need. You will most likely need a book shipping box, either bubble wrap or a clear plastic bag, corrugated cardboard roll, scissors, stapler, packaging tape, some kind of protection, such as packing peanuts, craft paper or bubble wrap if you're using it already and of course your books. If you want to ship books that are quite light and small, you might be able to put them in a padded envelope, but even then adding a bit of protection is recommended as it ensures your books won't get damaged even due to rough handling.
- Wrap your book. Once you have your supplies ready, you can wrap each book individually in bubble wrap or a plastic bag. If you have a zip lock bag, make sure it is properly closed, and if you choose bubble wrap or a regular plastic bag, make sure that you securely tape all the open ends. If you're sending old books, bubble wrap will be the best option.
- Add more protection. Protect your book even further by wrapping it in corrugated cardboll roll and stapling the open ends.
- Place the books in a shipping box and add extra padding. Once you have wrapped your books, you can place them in a cardboard box. The best option would be to pack multiple books into the same box and place additional padding inside of it to protect them.
- Tape the box, remove old labels if there are any on it, and print the shipping label. Now your books are ready for shipment.
Book Business Shipping
If you have a business that requires you to send books frequently and you need to find the cheapest way to ship books, you'll be glad to know that Packlink offers a Packlink Pro business account. Thanks to it, you can be sure you will always be given the cheapest option to ship your books and that the delivery will go smoothly.
Also, no matter how many different shipping companies you use, you will be able to see and keep track of all of your packages on one page. Finally, Packlink Pro can be integrated with the most popular shopping platforms, including Amazon and eBay, to make the process of getting the books to your customers even easier.
The Bottom Line
Shipping boxes of books is similar to shipping other parcels - the only major difference being the way you prepare books for shipping.
It's crucial to know how to prepare your books for shipment. If you're shipping single books, then a padded envelope might be the best choice. On the other hand, if you have larger shipments, or if you, for example, want to ship hardcover books, which are slightly heavier, cardboard shipping boxes will be the best way to package your parcel. Make sure they are packed properly, and if you don't remember how to do it, peep above.
Shipping books can be quite a stressful experience - especially if you send books that are high in value, whether it's sentimental value or monetary one. However, with Packlink, it doesn't have to be - you get the quote instantly after providing just a bit of information, so that you know right away how much it will cost you, and you also receive a tracking number so that you know when your package has been shipped and delivered..