How to Send a Heavy Package

Photo of a courier placing package on doorstep of home

Sending a heavy package

If you want to protect your recipient’s items properly during transit, making sure they’re packed properly before you send them on their way is a very important step – and this is even more important if you're planning on shipping heavy parcels.

Requiring sturdier packaging and a watchful eye on its weight so you don’t make your parcels too heavy, there are a few more steps to bear in mind when packaging for a heavy item than first meets the eye.

To make sure your heavier items are packed properly so they get to their destination safely, here are our 7 steps to follow when packaging heavy items for delivery.

Woman opening blue locker to place cardboard box inside

1. Choose a sturdy box

The first thing you need to get your hands on when packaging heavy items is a sturdy box. Standard cardboard boxes might not be strong enough to support the weight of large items, so a stiff box is essential to ensure your items don’t break through their packaging.

As an added bonus, a sturdy box also means your parcel can be stacked more securely during transport, keeping your items nice and safe until they reach their destination.

woman holding tape measure against cardboard box on table

2. Make sure your box is the right size

No matter what items you’re sending to your recipients, it’s important you choose a box that’s large enough to fit these objects inside. So, it’s best to choose a box that you can lie the objects down in, and then tightly wrap protective packaging around them.

For additional cushioning you can use bubble wrap, newspaper, or other forms of padding.

Photo of a woman at table cutting paper to wrap parcel

3. Wrap your items carefully

Whether you’re sending out one item or multiple, you want everything you’re packing to be protected while it goes through our system. To wrap a parcel securely, you should use packing materials like bubble wrap and cushioned wrapping to bulk it out and prevent it moving in its packaging.

A package being inserted into bag, scales receipt on wooden table

4. Fill up any negative space in your box

With your items wrapped, you now want to place them in their box along with your packaging filler. This could be more bubble wrap, newspaper, or whatever you think is necessary to protect your parcel, during transit. Remember to place this padding on the base and top of your box, as well as the sides, to ensure your items are protected all over.

woman placing cardboard box on weighing skills while child draws next to her

5. Weigh your parcel

With the last of the packing out of the way, you now need to weigh your parcel to check it meets our weight limits. Evri parcels can weigh up to 15kg, which gives you plenty of wiggle room, but you’ll want an accurate reading, so you pay the right amount for your parcel.

If you have a set of digital scales, simply weigh your parcel on these and scribble down the weight they display. Alternatively, you could look online to find the weight of the item you’re sending, and then weigh the box and packing separately, adding these totals together to get your total package weight.

woman holding tape measure to cardboard box while child draws sitting next to her

6. Tape up all your box’s edges

Now that your items are weighed and boxed, the last part of packaging heavy items for shipping that you need to worry about is taping your box up with parcel tape or something equally as sturdy.

After placing a copy of your name, phone number, address, and parcel destination inside, close the lid and tape everything securely. You want to be sure every edge of your parcel is taped, as well as its lid, base, and corners, in order to keep everything together and secure.

woman sat at table using laptop with drink and parcels next to her

7. Book your parcel’s delivery

Finally, now that your parcel is properly packaged, it’s time to decide how you want to send it. To keep things easy, we have three quick and simple options for you to choose from:

ParcelShop – Simply drop off your parcel at one of our 9,000+ ParcelShops and we’ll get it to where it needs to go. No printer? No problem. You can use our handy Print in ParcelShop devices to print off and label your parcel instead.
Evri Lockers – Open 24/7 and found in secure locations, our 7,000+ Evri Lockers are another convenient way to drop off your parcel for delivery.
Courier collection– book your parcel online for a day of your choosing and print off your label, then stick it clearly on the top middle of your parcel and wait for your Courier to collect it.

Photo of a courier scanning parcel with smartphone outdoors

Send heavy parcels internationally!

Now you know how to send a heavy parcel, you’ll be ready the next time you have to send a large item on its way.

And with Evri, you don’t just need to limit yourself to your local area. With our Evri international Courier service, you can send your parcels all over the world! Discover our international courier services, where you can discover how to send parcels to the USA, China, and more.