Lost in the Mail: How to Make Sure Packages Ship Securely

We’ve designed our custom shipping tape to help our customers get noticed. But that’s only part of our goal. We also work with tape that’s built to stick, keeping your products secure when they’re in the mail. With options ranging from custom paper tape, branded polypropylene tape, and printed PVC tape custom tape can boost your shipping security.

We think about package security quite a bit, but probably not as much as Dave Nelson, a packaging engineer for FedEx.

“He actually tests packaging and redesigns it to cost-effectively protect the contents,” the company writes on its website. “He’s looked at packaging for everything from quarter-million-dollar race car engines to 75-cent coffee mugs, hens’ eggs, and seedlings.”

And he offers six things to consider for ensuring packages ship securely:

1. Dropping – Is your package cushioned against the impact caused by being dropped?
2. Vibration – Packages can be subject to a lot of vibration, whether it’s from trucks, airplanes or conveyor belts. And that vibration can open jaws, cause components to become loosened and lead to damage.
3. Compression – Can your package withstand pressure from above and on its sides as loads shift?
4. Temperature – Depending on where and how your package travels, it might undergo some dramatic shifts in temperature, which might affect the product.
5. Humidity – Humid conditions can cause boxes to deteriorate as they absorb moisture and may even lead to condensation.
6. Air pressure – Did you know a sealed potato chip bag can inflate and pop at certain elevations? Keep in mind that changes in air pressure – caused by changes in elevation – might affect the condition of your packaging and your product.

The security benefits of custom shipping tape

In addition to all of these tips, we can’t overstate the benefits of using custom shipping tape when it comes to security.

Printed tape gives you an additional level of protection against pilfering along your shipping route. It’s not that it will prevent theft. Someone who wants to steal the product can just swipe the box.

But with printed tape, you can easily spot when someone has pilfered your product. There will be considerably less temptation to steal when someone sees a package secured with custom shipping tape.

What do we mean by that? Imagine two packages, one sealed with custom printed tape with your logo, the other sealed with regular clear tape that you could buy at an office supply store.

If someone was tempted to pilfer from a warehouse, they could easily cut open the second box, take what they wanted, and close the box up again using whatever tape they had on hand.

With custom printed tape, that scenario couldn’t work. Once the tape seal was broken, the pilferer wouldn’t be able to replace it with regular tape.

That’s why custom shipping tape printed with your name or logo can serve as a security measure. You can tell customers not to sign for packages that don’t come with your chosen tape.

We even sell custom tamper-evident tape designed to stop pilfering. It’s printed with messaging like:

• IF SEAL IS BROKEN OR DAMAGED CHECK CONTENTS BEFORE SIGNING RECEIPT
• CAUTION: IF THIS SEAL IS BROKEN CHECK CONTENTS BEFORE ACCEPTING DELIVERY
• DO NOT GIVE CLEAR RECEIPT IF SEAL IS BROKEN

Phoenix Tape takes security seriously. We’ve spent more than 30 years providing custom shipping tape to help companies like yours ensure their products get to where they need to be. Contact us today to find out how our tape can secure your next shipment.