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The profit a company makes can be affected by the cost of replacing lost or damaged merchandise. In order to guard against these costs, and to ensure your items reach their destination in good condition, follow some basic packaging and smart packing tips. 

The High Price of Merchandise
Replacing merchandise that has been damaged en-route to its receiver is a costly affair. Not only do you lose the value of the item itself, you also have to pay the costs of returns, and there is a chance that your customer will cancel orders altogether. These unnecessary costs can be avoided with attention to packaging and packing. 

Packaging
When shipping, ensure that you use quality packaging. FedEx offers a variety of hearty packaging options for all your shipping needs. Select mailing tubes (like a FedEx Tube) and boxes (like the FedEx 10kg box and FedEx 25kg box) that are made from cardboard. If you are reusing boxes, make sure the cardboard hasn't been compromised - use sturdy boxes with flaps intact, and make sure there are no holes, tears or corner dents. 

Contents
When shipping, your main goal is to protect the contents within the package. Here are a number of helpful packing recommendations:

• Multiple items should be individually padded and separated, especially if they are fragile. Leave room for cushioning - the box should be large enough to add padding around the contents, allowing for 2-3 inches between items. There should be enough cushioning material so that the items do not shift or move en-route. Useful materials for padding are corrugated fiberboard, molded plastic material, loose "peanuts", densely packed shredded paper, or bubble wrap. 
  
  
• Important documents may require extra care. Consider using padded envelopes or one of the tear- and water-resistant variations available. 
  
  
• Sharp or protruding edges should be covered with taped corrugated panels or pads. 
  
  
• Sealing the package securely is very important. The seams and flaps should be sealed with pressure-sensitive plastic tape that is at least 2-3 inches wide. It is not recommended that you use cellophane tape, masking tape, duct tape, kraft paper tape, string or rope. 
  
  
• Your contact information as the sender must be included in the package, in addition to the destination address.

Attention to proper packaging and packing practices can ensure that your items reach your customer in good working order.