With the current shortage of baby formula, many shippers and individuals have asked us how they can ship baby formula and what is the correct way to do it. The good news is that there is no wrong way to ship baby formula, as it is not considered a hazardous material by carriers to ship…however, there are a couple of things you will want to be aware of in terms of the type of packaging to use and the type of service you should opt for. This guide is about how to ship infant formula, how to best package it for shipping, and how to save the most money on your labels. read on to get the scoop!
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- use a corrugated cardboard box instead of an envelope to ship the infant formula
- use protective packaging material such as bubble wrap or air cushions to take up space in the box
- opt for expedited shipping like usps first class package or usps priority mail
- save money on usps labels with online shipping software
use a corrugated cardboard box instead of an envelope to ship baby formula
First things first: If you’re thinking of using an envelope or poly bag to ship your formula, think again! You should never use an envelope to send formula; instead, use a corrugated cardboard box. Most formulas come in relatively delicate cans or cartons, and using a box gives you much more protection than an envelope in case your package comes under any pressure during transit, which, let’s be honest, most likely is. so be it. In this case, the worst that can happen is that the can or package breaks under pressure and spills the formula everywhere; that would defeat the whole purpose of sending it in the first place!
if you’re looking for boxes, uline has many new cardboard boxes of all sizes on their website. USPS also allows you to order free Priority Mail packages outside of their website, which you can check out here.
use protective packing material, such as bubble wrap or air cushions, to take up space in the box
once you place your formula container inside your carton, you may notice there is quite a bit of room left inside. Again, to prevent pressure from rupturing the formula container, you’ll want to fill this empty space with as much packing material as you can. A couple of great packing materials to accomplish this are bubble wrap and air pillows. the more you can fit inside your box, the better!
To see if you used enough packing material to protect its contents, a good test is to toss the package up and down and turn it over several times. If you can feel the formula containers move inside, it means you need to put more packing material inside the box.
opt for an expedited shipping service like usps first class package or usps priority mail
When it comes to shipping infant formula, you’ll want to consider two things: temperature and speed. plus, formula won’t necessarily spoil if it sits on the road for too long… but considering the current shortage of formula in the country, speed of delivery is essential.
That said, you don’t necessarily need the fastest service possible, but you also don’t want to choose a longer ground service that can take up to a whole week for delivery. our recommendation is to opt for one of the usps air services that have packages delivered within 1 to 3 business days. those services are listed below:
- usps first class parcel
- priority mail
- express priority mail (overnight service to most urban locations)
For the best combination of affordability and speed, we suggest a First Class package or Priority Mail. If your package weighs less than 16 ounces, the First Class package is the cheapest service you can get; if it weighs more than 16 ounces, priority mail is your best option. Both services have delivery between 1 and 3 business days, depending on the distance the package must travel.
Express Priority Mail will get your baby formula shipment to its destination the quickest of the three options… but it can be quite a bit more expensive than regular Priority Mail, so it may not be worth it. the sorrow. however, it’s up to you at the end of the day!
save money on usps labels with online shipping software
just like shipping anything else, you should never go to the post office to send your package! instead, buy and print your own labels with online shipping software. When you use online shipping software, you not only give yourself the gift of convenience by purchasing your labels from the comfort of your home (or office); It also puts money back in your pocket by accessing special discounts that carriers like the USPS typically only reserve for large carriers.
for usps, that special level of discounts is called commercial pricing. Historically, the USPS generally only allowed large commercial carriers to ship more than 50,000 packages per year. however, by using online shipping software, you can access those discounts for free in most cases. depending on what you’re shipping, those discounts can save you 89% of what you’d pay to ship the same package at your local post office. if you’re shipping a lot of packages, that can mean a lot of savings!
Another amazing thing about buying postage online is that you can avoid those headache-inducing lines at the post office by simply leaving your package in the lobby. To go one step further, you can even schedule free USPS pickups, where they’ll come pick up your package at the same time your carrier delivers your mail. That means you can ship your baby formula without ever leaving your house and save as much money as possible in the process. Talk about a double whammy!