Purchasing postal cartons in Mashhad for online stores requires matching the dimensions of the box with the standards of the Post Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran, selecting pressure-resistant three-layer sheets, and supplying bulk at a reasonable price from local manufacturers. According to our technical investigations in the distribution chain of online stores, the use of standard cartons with the appropriate grammage of the inner layers prevents the box from being deformed in the mechanized sorting lines and damaging the customer's product. By purchasing directly from carton factories in Mashhad, store managers can implement their brand's dimensions and exclusive printing on the body of the carton while eliminating intermediaries.
Activists of e-commerce, Instagram pages and store websites in Mashhad metropolis are facing daily challenges in the field of packaging and fast delivery of parcels. Choosing the wrong box not only increases logistics costs, but also increases the return rate of goods due to breakage on the way.
Dimensional standards of postal cartons and their role in receiving mail
The post office and shipping companies have specific criteria for accepting packages, failure to comply with which will cause the package to be stopped or additional shipping costs to be calculated. Standard postal cartons are divided into 5 categories from envelope size to large sizes.
In practice, it has been observed that online stores use larger sizes than needed due to the lack of accurate knowledge of the volume of the product and the empty space inside the box. In addition to increasing the cost of buying cartons, this work requires more internal shock absorbing material (such as bubble wrap or paper pads). Choosing the exact size according to the dimensions of the original product significantly optimizes storage and shipping costs.
Choosing a three-layer or five-layer sheet; Which one is more suitable for an online store?
The resistance of the mail box against repeated blows and falls in distribution warehouses is completely dependent on the structure of its cardboard layers.
Standard postal three-layer cartons
These boxes include two layers of liners and one layer of middle flute and are the most effective for covering most light products weighing up to 5 kg (such as clothes, cosmetics, books and small electronic parts). The flexibility and lightness of these sheets keep the final cost of mailing low.
The need to use five-layer cardboard for vulnerable goods
To send more sensitive products such as ceramic dishes, audio and video components or fragile decorative items, three-layer sheets will not respond to the pressures of its warehouse. The use of five-layer cartons with two consecutive floating layers multiplies the impact resistance of the walls and ensures the safety of goods in long intercity routes.
The importance of exclusive brand printing on postal cartons
For an online store, the order shipping carton is the first point of physical contact with the buyer. Nameless boxes and postmarks do nothing to establish brand identity.
Using the flexographic printing technique on postal cartons, it becomes possible to insert logos, communication channels, commercial slogans and even the warning "This package is breakable" at the lowest cost. This simple appearance difference increases the credibility of the store in the eyes of the customer and makes the shopping experience more professional.
Operational methods to reduce online store packaging costs
- Classification of orders based on the average weight and dimensions of the best-selling products and the bulk order of commonly used sizes.
- Elimination of empty spaces inside the box by changing the dimensions of the mold in order to reduce the need for a large volume of bubble wrap.
- Replacing traditional manual gluing with wide industrial printed adhesive tapes to increase the speed of packaging in the warehouse.
- Basic stacking of cartons in a dry environment and away from ground moisture for Preventing defamation before use.