Pak Mail Offers Advice on Surviving Holiday Gift Shipping

Getting those holiday gift treasures shipped to friends and family far away doesn’t have to take on the drama of the latest reality television show.

Whether the gift is going across town, across the country or overseas, it is extremely important to ensure that the varying packaging requirements and holiday mailing deadlines are met. Pak Mail, with locations nationwide offering a variety of packing and shipping services, has recommendations to help people survive gift shipping and get on with more important things like enjoying holiday celebrations.

Don’t Get Weighed Down. For individuals traveling over the holidays, it makes good sense to ship gifts on ahead. Avoid enduring the hassle of the enhanced security at the airport and the chance of paying additional fees for extra baggage currently imposed by some airlines.

Ship Early. December 3rd is the recommended deadline for military and international shipping and mailing. For U.S. destinations, December 10th is the recommended deadline. After that, air transportation is recommended and will be more costly. Your local Pak Mail Center can advise you of all the major carrier shipping guidelines as well as deadlines and will help you be sure that your packages get out on time.

Size Restrictions. UPS: Maximum 165 inches in length and girth; maximum weight 150 lbs. FedEx Ground: Maximum 130 inches in length and girth; maximum weight 150 lbs. U.S. Post Office: Maximum 130 inches in length and girth; maximum weight 70 lbs. Pak Mail Centers enforce no size or weight restrictions; they can ship anything anywhere.

Consolidate your packages. Shipping one 20-pound box costs less than shipping two 10-pound boxes. It also means that there is only one package to track.

Enclose extra address labels inside of the package itself. This is an added precaution in case things go awry and the package is damaged.
If possible, ship to a business address. This will ensure someone will be there to receive the package.

Shipping packages during the holidays should be about saving time, convenience and peace of mind, not about survival.