Save Money When Posting Your Large Christmas Presents This Year!

Save money when posting your large Christmas presents this year!

 

Christmas is already an expensive enough time without you having to pay extra for the delivery of presents, but for those with friends and relatives who live far away, there just isn’t another option. This can turn Christmas from a time filled with joy to a time filled with stress.

However, it doesn’t have to be like that. There are ways in which you can reduce the cost of your deliveries hugely, and this can come in really handy if you’ve got a lot of things to send, as just as prices can add up to a hefty cost, savings can add up to a rather pleasing sum. Here are some tips for cutting the cost of your Christmas deliveries.

1. Send your gifts early

 

Most organized people will know that leaving it too late to send your gifts at Christmas is risky, because it’s a busy time for all courier companies, and you’ll be lucky to get your packages delivered on time. However, sending gifts early can also save you money.

If you opt for next-day delivery, the chances are your packages will be put in a half-filled van. Some services, however, do not deliver packages until the van is full, to save on fuel costs (and on unnecessary journeys). If you’ve got around 10 days to spare, you can use one of these services instead and you’ll find that your delivery cost is much cheaper.

2. Reuse old packaging

 

 

This tip is not only good for your bank account but also for the environment.  The cost of delivery is not the only thing you need to pay for when sending packages. You also need to pay for the packaging itself, which can be quite expensive if you’re sending a particularly large or fragile item. If you open items you receive carefully and keep the packaging, you can use it, later on, to pack other items in without paying a penny.

3. Use a courier reseller

 

When you go straight to a big brand, you’ll find that the costs are quite high. If you use a courier reseller, you’ll be able to deliver your packages for less without compromising on service quality. That’s because these sellers have amazing buying power with big companies like FedEx. They offer the services for less money and get the companies more business in return.

4. Compare prices online

 

Another way of getting great service for less money is shopping around online. You’ll find that many courier services online come from courier resellers, and a lot of them will be smaller and lesser-known than the leaders of the market. They’ll offer their services for less to earn more business, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less efficient than the larger, more expensive brands. You can read reviews online to make sure they are trustworthy and reliable.

5. Post parcels from work

Many companies offer a benefit for staff where they can post their packages through the company and use the company discount. The cost will then be deducted from the employee’s wages, but it will be significantly less than it would have been if they posted it themselves. It’s worth asking at work if you can do this because it could save you a lot of money if you’ve got a lot of packages to post.

6. Make sure parcels are packed properly

Whilst most of the time the cost of your delivery will depend on the weight of your packages, you also need to think about the volumetric weight. If your package is taking up a lot of space in the van, no matter how heavy it is, it’s going to cost you extra. Pack your parcels as tightly as you can and make sure no tape or packaging is sticking out.

7. Separate your parcels

Different courier companies often specialize in different areas, so if you use a company that normally deals with lighter parcels to deliver a heavier one, it might cost you more. If you send heavier parcels separately with a company that usually deals with them, you’ll probably find that they’re much cheaper to send.

8. Take out insurance on expensive items

 

It might not sound like a way of saving money but it’s a good idea to have your more expensive items insured, especially if they are fragile, because if they break whilst they are being delivered, you could receive a large sum of money, or the courier company could pay for a replacement. If you don’t do this and an expensive gift gets broken in the mail, you’ll have lost out on a lot of money and your friend or family member will be short of a gift.

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source
•  License: Creative Commons image source