How Tape Reduces Harm During Transit

Product and package damage is an unfortunate fact of life during the shipping process, but using the correct tape for your boxes easily helps to reduce this harm. Approximately one in every ten packages shipped in the United States will be damaged while in transit, which results in high costs and added wait times for everyone involved. How can online sellers and distributors minimize the chances of harm, save money, and keep their customers happy? One easy method to help achieve all of this is to use the correct tape when packaging your products to be shipped. The Many Downsides of Improper Sealing According to UPS, improper seals are the leading cause of box closure failure during transit. When a box opens while riding in the back of a truck, its contents can spill everywhere, resulting in lost items, extensive damage, and added costs. Further, when a box isn’t closed as securely as possible, it becomes more susceptible to theft and tampering. This is because it’s much easier to break open a box that isn’t tightly closed than one that is. Worse yet, if you ship sensitive products or consumable goods, box failure can quickly lead to contamination. At this point, if your customer even receives their purchase, you’ll need to provide a replacement at no cost to them and many added costs to you. To make up some of these expenses, you can always try to file a claim with your shipping company, but this generally takes up a lot of time that could be better spent elsewhere. It’s also highly likely that your claim will be denied if the shipper determines that your box or boxes failed due to poor closure, as bad seals are a result of your packaging methods and not the fault of the transit business. Proper Box Seals Save Fortunately, all of these problems can be easily solved with a proper box seal. This is simple to do and all you need is the right tape for the job. Tape is a tool we often tend to forget about and frequently seems like it’s always around to just grab any old roll and create the closures we need. While this attitude is a common one, it can be very dangerous for the safety of your shipped goods and packages. Using a tape that’s specifically designed for the task at hand goes a long way in keeping your products securely in their box without damage, tampering, or harm. What Kind of Tape Should I Use When Shipping Products in Boxes? There are numerous pressure sensitive adhesives that can do an effective job creating a tight seal around your box. Acrylic carton sealing and natural rubber box closing tapes are very budget friendly and available in multiple styles. These are easy to use and can be applied by hand or with a manual applicator to form a durable seal. Acrylic and natural rubber tapes are both highly effective, but there’s one other variety of tape we very much recommend considering. Water-Activated Kraft Paper Tapes For one of the strongest box closures available, look no further than water-activated kraft tape. This durable paper tape is made up of multiple layers of paper with fiberglass yarn reinforcements between each of those layers. Because of its powerful construction, it offers an impressive array of benefits for sealing corrugated surfaces and boxes. This remarkable box sealing tool instantly bonds to corrugated material with just a little bit of added pressure. Use it to ship a wide range of products, as it isn’t affected by extreme temperatures and doesn’t need to be double layered to create a sturdy seal. Water-activated kraft paper tape offers exceptional flexibility in order to seal around corners and irregular angles, while remaining stronger than other pressure sensitive adhesives. Better yet, it will immediately show a broken seal if the box is opened, which indicates that the products inside have been tampered with. If someone does attempt to access your goods, kraft paper tape will keep your box sealed even when punctured in order to give you a tight and long-lasting hold all throughout the shipping process. Not only does water-activated kraft paper tape provide outstanding box closure capability, it can be printed on for premium marketing, branding, and product warnings. Keep Your Products Safe and Secure Inside Their Box With the help of tape, your products will stay inside their boxes or containers. This means that they can remain undamaged and unharmed, which in turn makes your customers very happy with their purchases and coming back to buy more from you in the future.