February 7th, 2017 by Chris Race
Shipments arrive safely when properly packed.
Domestic US shipping involves more than choosing the right carrier – UPS, FedEx, USPS, or freight. Packing for shipping requirements vary and are based on the following factors:
- Size – length plus girth over 166 inches
- Weight – total weight over 150 pounds
- Fragility – antiques, electronics, artwork, glass
- Orientation – item must remain in upright position
- Value – high-value items require additional packaging
Pictures speak a thousand words.
- The keyboard needed to remain upright throughout its journey.
- The blanket-wrap freight carrier required a crate for the large, fragile glass table top. The table and chairs will be wrapped in blankets for transportation.
- The small parquet table was wrapped in protective blankets and secured with Styrofoam. It shipped as a small package with FedEx Home.
- The USAFA graduate‘s trunk and totes weighed 235 pounds and shipped as freight on a pallet.
Palletizing a Freight Shipment for a USAFA Graduate
Parquet Wood Table from Goodwill Packed for FedEx Ground
Large Glass Table Top in a Crate for Blanket Wrap Freight
Protective Packaging for Keyboard Shipping on a Pallet
Posted in Dimensional Weight, FedEx, Freight, Packaging, Packing, Shipping, UPS, US Air Force Academy, USPS Priority Mail
January 19th, 2017 by Chris Race
Grateful for Packing and Shipping
Last year provided quite a ride and lots of reasons to be grateful.
Thank you to our customers! Some customers have been with us “forever,” some joined us recently, and some are yet to require our services. Whether it’s a private mailbox and a safe place to receive packages, notary services, a small gift shipping to Aunt Millie, documents shipping overnight, a custom box with protective packaging, or a large shipment requiring a pallet, rely on Pak Mail.
Thank you!
Pak Mail offers shipping with FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS postal, and large freight carriers.
Lift gate is used for large freight and estate pickups.
Pak Mail private mailbox offers safe and secure package receiving.
A small move shipment ready for pickup by freight carrier.
Posted in Community, DHL, FedEx, Freight, Local Business, Mailbox Rental, Moving, Package Receiving, Shipping, Small Move, UPS, USPS Priority Mail
March 8th, 2016 by Chris Race
Jim with Yoda
A breakfast networking meeting with folks from the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce was the beginning of a delightful day. Upon my return home, my husband Jim invited me to stay home for the day. Perfect!
First on the agenda was clearing my mind. A brisk two-mile walk and then fiber spinning did the trick. Spinning tends to empty my mind of clutter and focus it on a specific task. Today the rhythm of the wheel and the creation of yarn from fluff – llama, wool, and mohair – pushed me to look around at the collections acquired throughout a 40-plus-year-and-counting marriage. Then I started thinking about some of the treasures we ship for our customers – assortments of sentimental photos, stamps, coins, antique dolls, porcelain figurines, and a high-value Star Wars® prop.
This reverie brought to mind packing and shipping collectibles in our Pak Mail store. Books, photos, letters, and other non-fragile items may only need protection with acid-proof paper or simple poly bags. Kachina dolls are packed with lots of packing peanuts and then double boxed. Lladro® or Hummel® figurines and pottery are wrapped in bubble wrap, floated in peanuts, and boxed or double boxed, depending on the value and/or sentimentality. Intricate and very fragile porcelain pieces are floated in mini-peanuts surrounded with bubble wrap and then floated in standard packing peanuts and double boxed. High-value collectibles like Yoda are secured in custom crates.
The shipping method is based on package size and weight, fragility of the item, total number of boxes, value, and destination. Smaller items ship with UPS, FedEx, US Priority Mail, or DHL (international only).
Simpich Doll Collection
Larger items or larger quantities of boxes ship with various freight carriers. The small move of household goods that included Yoda was shipped to Hawaii via ocean freight.
It was nice to have a day to reflect and create, and see how it all ties together. See you in the store.
Posted in Air Freight, Crating, Creativity, DHL, FedEx, Freight, International Shipping, Local Business, LTL Truck Freight, Ocean Freight, Packing, Shipping, Small Move, UPS, USPS Priority Mail
February 10th, 2016 by Chris Race
Shipping sentimental pieces to the next generation is one of our pleasures. Interesting stories often lie behind the items we ship. Our customer sent us this message about an antique pencil sharpener.
Pencil Sharpener was given to me by Eleanor Whiting (Aunt Eleanor), wife of composer Richard (Dick) A. Whiting and mother of Margeret & Barbara Whiting, who were a group in the 50’s. Dick had passed away in the late 30’s I grew up with his wife Eleanor at all family events and hearing the stories about their lives. In the 70’s on a regular visit to her home, Eleanor presented and gifted me ‘Uncle Dick’s’ pencil sharpener the he used while writing many of his scores, that same day I was show and told that the original score to ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop’ was to be given to my younger sister.
With social media (Margaret Whiting on Facebook) and the growth of the ‘Whiting’ family and interest in their legacy, many of them have been researching and gathering this history, knowing I had this item of the immediate Whiting family, I let my children know the story and history while reaching out to the daughter of Margaret Whiting and Grand Daughter of Richard’s, the pencil sharpener was sent to Richard’s Great Grandson.
Thanks for your help in getting it to him,
~Richard
Richard A. Whiting on Wikipedia
Wrote Hooray for Hollywood, On the Good Ship Lollipop.
Wrote with many other composers including Jonny Mercer.
He is an inaugural member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Posted in Estate Shipping, FedEx, Shipping
November 12th, 2015 by Chris Race
The Christmas season is upon us. Where did the year go? Pak Mail offers secure packing services and shipping — UPS, FedEx, DHL, USPS. You do the shopping and gift wrapping… we’ll do the rest! We’ll help you choose the most cost-effective method to ensure your Christmas holiday gifts arrive safely and on time.
Quick tips for shipping holiday gifts:
- Keep all receipts for gifts purchased.
- Come prepared. Information includes:
- Ship-to name, address, & phone number;
- Contents of the package being shipped;
- Which items are fragile;
- Value of the item(s) being shipped; and
- When you would like the package to arrive.
- Ship early in the season.
- Perfume, wine, and liquor cannot be shipped.
- International & APO shipments require an itemized contents list for customs.
- Shipping guarantees can be interrupted by inclement weather, so ship as early as possible to allow for possible delays.
- There are no deliveries on Christmas Day.
Shipping holiday gifts is simple and easy at Pak Mail!
Posted in DHL, FedEx, International Shipping, Packaging, Packing, Seasonal, Shipping, UPS, USPS Priority Mail
May 30th, 2015 by Chris Race
UPS – FedEx – DHL shipping
Most cable companies provide pre-paid UPS or FedEx shipping labels for returns. CenturyLink, for example, provides pre-paid UPS shipping labels for cable and modem equipment returns. Sometimes a cable company will claim that the returned equipment was not received and will not issue an account credit.
Here are some easy steps to follow when returning cable and modem equipment:
- Make a copy of the pre-paid label before attaching it to the return box.
- Drop off the pre-paid shipment at an Authorized UPS or FedEx shipping store.
- Ask for a receipt with the tracking number.
- Keep the copy of the pre-paid label and the drop-off receipt until the account has been properly credited. This is the most important step!
Usually the copy of the pre-paid label is sufficient, since it shows the carrier tracking number. The drop-off receipt shows the carrier tracking number and the drop-off date. It is challenging to track a package without the carrier tracking number.
Pak Mail 232 addresses this challenge by recording the drop-off customer’s name and information before the shipping label is scanned. If the receipt is lost or discarded by the customer, we have the ability to search for the receipt, track the package, and provide proof of delivery.
Posted in Community, Consumer Tips, FedEx, UPS
April 21st, 2015 by Chris Race
Packed Boxes Ready for Pallet
This is not about “motivating” a student. That’s a separate topic. This is about how to move a student from Colorado College or UCCS home for summer break, a new college for extended classes, or abroad for intensive studies. It’s about shipping the accumulated stuff after a year in a dorm room or small apartment – a small move.
Students have a full plate at the end of a semester, particularly at the end of the school year. Making the necessary shipping arrangements to move a student before final exams checks one thing off the list and clears the plate for studying, final projects, and, of course, socializing.
Start the process by organizing. Ask some questions.
- What can be recycled? Organizations like Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado thrive on donations of gently used clothing, household goods, furniture, and electronics. Old cell phones can be donated to Cell Phones for Soldiers.
- What can be sold? Books can be sold on Amazon or on campus. Savvy students sell electronics and other items online. Get a shipping estimate for larger items before posting them for sale.
- What can be discarded? Get rid of the items that have outlived their usefulness and cannot be donated or repurposed.
- What is absolutely needed for the final few weeks at school? This is anything that can be safely packed in a suitcase. Everything else can be shipped ahead. Pak Mail can also pick up, pack, and store all of the non-essential items, and ship them when the final boxes are ready.
- What items require special packing? It’s a definite no-no to pack electronics in the middle of clothing. Leave those items for the professionals.
There are several ways to ship a student… their stuff, that is. If there are three or four boxes, UPS or FedEx (DHL for international) is probably the best option. If there are more boxes and a myriad of sports equipment, shipping them all together on a pallet with an LTL truck carrier is more cost effective. US Air Force Academy foot lockers are best shipped on a pallet.
Get an estimate, arrange for pickup and shipping, and get on with studying.
Posted in DHL, FedEx, Freight, International Shipping, LTL Truck Freight, Moving, Packing, Small Move, Student Shipping, UPS, US Air Force Academy
January 20th, 2015 by Chris Race
UPS and FedEx rang in the New Year with ground service rate changes based on dimensional weight. Dimensional weight shipping is not a new concept and is now being applied to smaller packages.
What is “dimensional weight” and how is it calculated?
Multiply the outside measurements of a box (length x width x height). Then divide the answer by the applicable UPS and FedEx dimensional factor (166 for domestic shipments or 139 for international). The result is the dimensional weight. A 12”-cube box measures 13”x 13”x 13” on the outside. Its dimensional weight for domestic shipping is 14 pounds. Even if the actual weight of the box is five pounds, the shipping rate is calculated using 14 pounds. If the box weighs more than 14 pounds, it ships at the actual weight.
See FedEx and UPS Dimensional Weight Change for 2015: Time to Measure the Cost, a blog post by Charles Moore of Parcel Logistics, for an excellent discussion about dimensional weight shipping.
USPS Priority Mail can be used effectively for domestic shipping of smaller items and for items with a value under $50. UPS and FedEx are typically more cost effective than Priority Mail for domestic ground shipping of 12”-cube boxes and larger, and for items with a value over $50.
Non-fragile items should be packed in the smallest box possible to accommodate the item without causing the box to bulge. A two-pound box of shoes measuring 13”x 11”x 5” should be packaged in a 14”x 12”x 6” box, not a 14”x 14”x 14” box. The domestic dimensional weight for the smaller box is seven pounds; the larger is 17 pounds. Fragile items require more protection (see Packaging Fine China and Crystal).
Shipping stores like Pak Mail pack items securely and cost effectively by choosing the appropriate box for each shipment. Pak Mail is authorized to ship with UPS, FedEx, USPS, and DHL. Pak Mail helps its customers choose the best shipping option for each situation.
Posted in Dimensional Weight, FedEx, Packing, Shipping, UPS
August 10th, 2014 by Chris Race
Pak Mail 232 signed the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) contract for US Air Force Academy cadet package receiving services on June 1. Our immediate goal was to improve the level of service for our customers, the cadets. The changes and improvements have been tremendous in the last eight-plus weeks. Our cadets have noticed and are providing us with lots of positive feedback.
Highlights of our service enhancements are:
- automation and complete electronic tracking of all incoming and outgoing packages (UPS, FedEx, DHL, OnTrac)
- email notification of package receipt
- storage modifications in package area
- customer friendly extended hours
Out of all of these enhancements, the cadets are most excited about receiving email notifications when packages arrive for them. Knowing that our cadets and future leaders maintain hectic schedules, this service implementation is a priority for us. Cadets no longer have to wait in line wondering if they have packages.
As we “march” through the school calendar, we will be looking for more opportunities to provide the level of service that the Academy exemplifies. Pak Mail is an authorized shipper for UPS, FedEx, and DHL, and brings these services and appropriate packaging techniques to the Academy as well.
On a personal note… a special thanks to Lorrie for your invaluable input and dedication to excellence. We could not have accomplished these changes without you!
Chris
Posted in DHL, FedEx, Package Receiving, Packing, Shipping, UPS, US Air Force Academy
June 22nd, 2014 by Chris Race
Shipping a package to another country can be a daunting task for a do-it-yourself-er. Packing and shipping store personnel like those at Pak Mail are experienced in UPS, FedEx, and DHL international shipping. They know where to find country-specific export and import rules and regulations, some of which are more stringent than others.
Shipping clothing to Mexico? New clothing items cannot be made in China; used clothing must belong to the recipient and requires proof of recent travel to the shipped-from country. Used computers can be shipped to Mexico, but only for repairs. Mexico has a “zero” duties and tax gift allowance, while Canada and many European countries allow $60 US-equivalent for gifts. Advertising literature, brochures, catalogs, and other bound documents shipped to India and other countries are subject to import duties; they cannot ship as samples or non-dutiable documents.
Dutiable shipments must be accompanied by a commercial invoice containing a description of the package contents, Schedule B export code, and value. Any declared value coverage must match the commercial invoice value. An Electronic Export Information (EEI) filing may be required for a shipment valued over $2,500.
Find a knowledgeable packing and shipping store to ship your international packages. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches.
Posted in DHL, FedEx, International Shipping, Packing, Shipping, UPS