When you are a small business owner that ships out products to customers, making sure your goods reach their destination undamaged goes a long way towards retaining the trust of your customers. However, if you sell odd-shaped merchandise or products that need to be rolled up and shipped in tubes, you cannot rely on using standard boxes for delivery.
If you are trying to figure out the best way to send your goods, you need to make sure that you include mailing tubes in your list of shipping supplies. The following primer on these type of containers can help you get started in choosing the right mailing tubes for your business.
Choosing Custom Mailing Tubes Instead of Generic Tubes
While you can purchase mailing tubes from a big box office supply store, the generic tubes you purchase will not offer the protection you need to secure your goods properly during shipping.
It does not matter if you are shipping banners, blueprints or construction parts like metal rods, the mailing tube must be crush-resistant and not prone to tears or punctures. The cardboard tubes you purchase in an office supply store cannot give you that type of protection.
Retailers that specialize in custom mailing tubes can offer a variety of products to meet your exact specifications. If you are worried about waste, you can request that your tubes be manufactured from recycled materials.
Protecting Delicate and Odd-shaped Merchandise
If you need to ship liquids, powders, food items or very long objects in a tubular container, custom mailing tubes are your best option for safe shipping. Suppliers of these items can provide containers that are created to fit any length and circumference.
You will need to provide the exact dimensions of your product as well as the weight so your supplier can choose the right materials for the tube and make them the right size. Tubes can be made of cardboard, fiberboard, plastics and metal materials such as aluminum.
The specifications will also help the supplier choose the right lining for the tube such as wax, foil, plastic or cardboard.
Sealing Tubes
Mailing tube covers ensure that your merchandise does not spill or fall out of the tube during transit. You will probably need caps that are of better quality than the cheap, low-quality plastic ones that come with standard store-bought tubes.
Covers for custom mailing tubes come in a variety of materials such as heavy-duty plastics and metals. You will not need to use extra adhesives such as masking tape or put staples around the cover to keep the cap in place.
Well-designed plastic caps will not pop off during shipping and can come in a variety of colors as well. If the tubes require a metal cover, your supplier can provide caps that lock into place and have serrated edges to help keep them secure.
Customizing Tubes to Fit Your Company's Branding
One of the aesthetic advantages of custom mailing tubes is that they can be designed to match your company's branding. Instead of receiving merchandise in stock white mailing tubes, your customers will receive a package that reinforces your company's message in an unobtrusive way. A custom printed tube will make a good impression on customers and reinforce your professional image.
Tubes can be in any color and include your logo, tagline and any other information you want to include. Since many types of tubes are reusable, you also provide your customers with a useful product that they can use for storage.
The custom containers can also include designated areas to affix postage and labels that you print. Some custom mailing tube suppliers will also provide pressure sensitive labels that you can use on your tubes.
For more information and ideas about custom mailing tubes, contact a company like Chicago Mailing Tube Co.
