Moving is never fun. Especially, when it’s not even you moving and instead is a friend that you’re helping. Often times you wind up eating up an entire Saturday, or even an entire weekend in order to help your buddy move. But, of course you do it because it’s all in the name of friendship right? While this is true, if your friend is a packrat things may not only be not fun, but can get downright difficult very quickly. So, whether your friend is a hobbyist collector, an indecisive type who seems to keep everything, or borderline hoarder. We’re here to help you strategize how to help make their move just a little bit easier.

Step #1: Allow Enough Time For Sorting

Chances are if your buddy is a packrat, it’s going to take far more than an afternoon to sort through all their junk. So, plan ahead and make sure that you’re giving yourselves plenty of time to sort through all of their staff and organize it before you even start the moving process. Also, because of their hoarding tendencies, you’re going to need far more packaging supplies than you otherwise would have. So, make sure that before you start, you have more than enough packaging supplies to help get your friend through their move.

Step #2: Consider Their Emotions

Even though you may become extremely frustrated when you see the amount of work that needs to be done, don’t forget that this is hard for everyone. And, you did say that you were going to help. Therefore, take their feelings and emotions into consideration and try to be as patient as you can. And even though all of their stuff may seem like garbage to you, more than likely they are treasures to them. So as you go through each room work slowly and listen to what they’re telling you about each item. And try your best to see things from their point of view.

Step #3: Set A Plan To Declutter

This step will probably be the most difficult during the entire process. After all the definition of the packrat is someone who doesn’t throw anything away. So, odds are there will be a lot of stuff in their home that isn’t truly needed, but will be very difficult for the owner to want to get rid of. So, do your best to make the owner feel better about the process of decluttering by keeping the memory alive and donating some of their items. Suggest that you even donate them to their favorite charity. This may help make the process go a little bit more smoothly, and hopefully will also allow you to get rid of more junk.

Step 4# Have A Battle Plan

This step is probably the most important part in helping a packrat move. This is because having a plan can dramatically cut down on time, as well as emotional and physical strain. Make sure that you clearing areas so you can store your items into different piles such as keep, giveaway, and trash. Once you have your designated drop points, start in one room and don’t move on to the next until that room is complete. We also suggest to carry a durable laundry basket or large plastic bin with you so you can quickly move items to the right spot. Don’t expect this step to be easy, but with proper planning you can make it far less of a headache.

Step #5: Keep Deadlines

More than likely your packrat friend is probably not the most organized person in the world. And when you combine that with the fact that they’re probably already emotional because of the move, you’ll want to make sure that you help then to keep on track with their deadlines. You can do this by incorporating creative methods such as scheduling a charity donation pick up. This makes it so you and your friend are forced to hit your deadline in the proper amount of time.

No matter which way you look at it, moving isn’t fun. But, it’s one of the many reasons why you have friends. And you, being the good friend that you are, you’ll want to do your best in order to help your friend’s moving process goes smoothly as possible. So, give yourself plenty of time in advance, stay focused, make a plan, be patient, and you can better help your friend start their new adventure.

Consider this scenario: you have an exercise bike at point A, and it needs to be shipped to point B.  Right around now is when an ad for a new exercise bike pops up on Craigslist.  After all, this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of the old exercise bike and get the new and improved exercise bike, the one you’ve always wanted.  But what if you already have the exercise bike you’ve always wanted?  Well, darling, it looks like you’re going to have to ship it.  Therefore, the first thing we are going to have to talk about are packaging supplies.

It goes without saying that packaging supplies are going to make or break the exercise bike shipping experience.  Obviously, you aren’t going to wrap your high-tech gym equipment in garbage bags and send it on it’s way.  Well, what do you wrap it in?

First, make sure the bike is clean.

Second, take a lot of really good, clear pictures of the bike, from every angle.

Third, remove any moving parts or parts that stick out.  Consulting the manual will be extremely helpful for this.  If you don’t have a hard copy still, you can usually find a PDF on the internet.  Basically, you should be removing the pedals, the handlebars, the seat, any control panels, stuff like that.  You’re going to be using the most obvious packaging supplies, like bubble wrap, tape, shipping boxes, and poly bags.  It’s how you put them to use in this case that is the most important.  All of these pieces should be wrapped securely, put in their own boxes, and labeled correctly. You can ship those boxes individually or put them all in a larger box. Be sure to wrap the power cord to the frame of the bike and secure it.  Also, leave the legs on the frame of the bike, which makes for more manageable shipping (double check that this is what your carrier prefers).

Speaking of carrier, who are you going to use to ship your exercise bike?  There are a couple of recommendations and things to consider:

• You’re going to need to use an LTL carrier because the bike is simply too large for parcel shipment.
• LTL carriers usually specialize in what they carry, so you are going to need to look for one that specializes in awkward household items.
• If you choose a provider that does not specialize in what you are selling they wont have the experience or the equipment necessary, which is going to add to the cost. Even though you hear the word “specialized” and think “more expensive”, in this case a specialized carrier is the cheaper option.

Freight shipping is a pretty costly enterprise, and one that is completely unavoidable if you own a company or manage a business.  It’s also getting more costly with more regulations.  How could this be, with ecommerce companies at an all-time high and continuing to rise?  The problem arises with the simple fact that there simply isn’t enough physical space available to move everything that needs to be moved.  Drivers are at an all-time low.  Profits are too, so equipment is breaking and proper repair is not being invested in.

These are some challenges in the shipping industry that you simply can’t avoid.  There are, however, some that you can:

Don’t Guess How Much the Package Weighs

Weigh every single package for an accurate number.  Shipping carriers often re-weigh the items and charge a fee if there is a disparity.  Not only will you avoid the fee, you will probably save yourself a bunch of money on shipping in general.

Properly Classify the Packages

There are eighteen freight classifications, all of them of different specifications, and even the type of shipping supplies that you use factors in.  You stand the chance of being upcharged if you choose the wrong classification, so be sure to communicate with your carrier if you have any questions.

Properly Package the Packages

This might seem obvious, but it still needs to be said.  Choose the right shipping supplies depending on what you are sending.  Carriers have begun to charge based on the size of packages and not just how much they weigh.  Choosing proper materials will also help you save money on shipping supplies, as well.

Palletize when Appropriate

Items that are going to the same place should be put on a pallet and wrapped tightly with plastic.  Not only will this reduce the risk of items being separated and an order being messed up, it will protect what you are sending.  On top of that, you will have a lower carrier fee because the pallet will be much more manageable for shipping and handling.

Have Adequate Insurance

A lot of carriers offer insurance, but you might want to consider looking at third party insurance providers to get the most coverage for your money.  Some online research should help you find the best companies to choose from.

Manage Your Paperwork Well

Make sure that all of the shipping paperwork is properly completed.  It would be a great idea to have someone who is solely designated for making sure that there are no disparities in the orders.  Unfortunately, it’s the shipping paperwork that most often results in shipping issues, and that will cost you dearly.

If you are in the packaging and shipping world, even if its distributing shipping supplies and not actually doing the packaging or shipping, then you probably know what dimensional weight is.  If you don’t know what dimensional weight is, you probably aren’t even reading this post, but I will still take a minute to make sure that we are all (present or not) starting out on the same page.

Dimensional weight is the volume of any given package (DIM weight, for short).  For shipping purposes, this refers to the amount of space a package takes up, and not what it actually weighs.  So if your brain is beginning to wonder at the possibilities, then wonder no more.  Yes, it will cost more to ship a large box of pillows than it will cost to ship a smaller box of rocks.  Seems kind of ridiculous?  Maybe.

Maybe not.  With ecommerce at an all time high, companies aren’t paying close attention to the size of what they are sending.  Ever gotten a package in the mail and the item was about a quarter of the size of the box being used?  This oversight costs a shipping carrier money.  Don’t worry, there are still ways you can save money, even with dimensional weight:

1. Even decreasing a box size by a couple inches will greatly decrease the dimensional weight. If you are shipping pillows, for example, what about vacuum sealing them?  This will not only save you on shipping supplies, but on dimensional weight as well.
2. Talk to your shipping carriers, especially if they are FedEx or UPS. Go over your contract and negotiate a rate based on your shipping volume, how much you ship with them over a given period of time.  This is a really great way to save the most money.  If you do a lot of shipping, any carrier will recognize your potential.  If not, you can take your business elsewhere.
3. On the other hand, you might need to consider splitting your shipping options. You might need to go with with a different carrier for your larger, lightweight options and stay with FedEx or UPS for the smaller stuff.  Try to negotiate a rate, first, but if that fails you have other options.
4. Quite simple, pay attention to the size of the item you are shipping and the size of the package. Just because you have shipping supplies laying around doesn’t mean you should use them.  There is going to be a lot of waste if you go this route.  Not only for you, but for your carrier, and even for your customer.

Have you ever been traveling?  Of course you have.  At least, most of us have.  Even if it was just as simple as jumping on a plane for a couple hour flight that took you to Universal Studios.  Even if your flight was short, and direct, you probably noticed how uncomfortable the whole business was.  From start to finish you are lugging around heavy equipment, you can’t dig into your carry-on for chapstick because you packed it so full that you would never be able to close it again… The scenarios are never ending.

However, traveling isn’t limited just to flying.  Packing up your minivan and driving to your in-laws a couple states over is still considered traveling.

At this point in time I’d like to recommend that you consider introducing shipping supplies into your traveling experience.  What on earth?  You may find yourself saying this in all caps inside of your brain.  Hear me out.

How many times have you pulled your Louis Vuitton suitcases off of the baggage claim conveyor belt only to discover that the luggage crew was treating them like a couple of cardboard boxes?  (#notcool) Although I’ve never gone the couture route, I have probably wound up spending just as much money on multiple sets of cheap suitcases that keep getting decimated in transit.

So why not just handle the dilemma and actually use cardboard boxes?  See?  Cardboard boxes are shipping supplies.  So are masking tape and shipping labels.  Tape your stuff up in a cardboard box and you stand less chance of having your crap broken into and pilfered (#alsonotcool).

The same thing goes for driving.  Instead of trying to wedge a bunch of different shaped boxes in the back of your vehicle, use boxes.  Label the outsides and stack easily.  Who would have thought that a couple standard shipping supplies could make your traveling experience so much better?

On a different note, there are a couple tips to keep in mind when packing for a trip.  Contrary to popular belief, rolling your clothes does the opposite of saving you room.  When you fold something it lies flat, essentially using up all potential space. When you roll clothes, you wind up with a lot of unused cracks and crevices.  Put any fragile items in the very center of your suitcase.  This is also where you should pack delicate clothes, like suits or bridesmaids dresses.

Nowadays, TSA saves you the hassle of not knowing what to do with your toiletries.  You still need to pack tiny-sized personal care items and make sure they all fit into a pint-sized plastic bag.  This not only saves you a ton of space by forcing you to pack light, but it also saves you the possibility of your bottles busting open in transit and ruining the rest of your stuff.

The business world has become so competitive that it has become absolutely crucial to market your product in a way that sets you apart.  Most of the time businesses are trying to sell similar items with a different take, which makes packaging design a key player.  With the right marketing strategy and packaging supplies you should be able to brand your product in a way that will allow it to sell itself.  Here are some great ideas from businesses who are successful because they are creative:

A company that sells eggs found a way to draw attention to their product by indirectly incorporating it into the packaging design.  How is this possible?  Well, if you are trying to convince your customer that your eggs are the freshest compared to your competitors, how would you do that?  You would ask yourself: when is an egg at it’s freshest?  And then you would ask yourself: how do I translate that into the packaging design?  That’s right… Envision a chicken looking over it’s shoulder as it’s laying an egg.

A chewing gum manufacturer found a clever way to include their actual product into the packaging.  You can save a lot of money on packaging supplies when you choose a simple strategy that completely focuses on your product.  Sound impossible?  Not when you are trying to sell gum and your overall product design consists of a smiling mouth, using the gum to represent the teeth.  Now that’s clever marketing.  It just makes you want to chew gum.

Sometimes a simple and direct approach will give you the most results.  Consider the business that sells earphones.  They spent very little on packaging supplies because the earphones were the center of the design.  A simple cardboard sheet was all that was needed, and the earphones were folded in such a way as to represent a musical note, with the actual buds becoming the flags of the note.

Sometimes a completely different approach is what it takes to draw in your customers.  Sugar cubes aren’t that exciting, right?  Design them into a puzzle, with each cube being a piece of the puzzle, and you will give a consumer a reason to choose your product over your competitor’s boring, standard option.

Is there a way to make your packaging supplies interactive with the consumer?  For example, design your tea bags to look like a t-shirt and put them on a little hangar that hangs from a tiny wooden rod inside of the tea box.  People will buy them purely for the novelty of the experience, even taking into consideration how proud and pleased they will be to present it when they ask a friend if they’d like “a spot”.

Most of the time, when we have something we need to ship we purchase the necessary shipping supplies, wrap it up, take it the post office, and send it off.  However, there are some general shipping tips that can help your package arrive in the best shape, at the best price.

• Think about what you are shipping and the conditions it will be under. Sending a box of chocolates to your sweetheart is a great idea, unless it’s in the middle of the summer.
• Use your best handwriting, clearly distinguishing between problematic characters: put a slash through a zero to separate it from the letter O. Put a slash through the letter Z so that it doesn’t get confused for the letter S.
• Hang on to your receipt! That proof of shipping, which includes the date it was shipped and the address you shipped to, is going to make the difference if your package doesn’t wind up arriving at its destination.
• Even though we like to assume that all personnel handling our boxes will treat them with respect, accidents do happen. It’s best to assume that at some point during a busy day in the shipping industry your box will be dropped, so make sure your items are properly protected.

• Keep in mind that your package may very well have been successfully delivered on time, even if the tracking isn’t showing that it has. Not all services require that the package be scanned and updated.
• Padded envelopes are often a forgotten member of the shipping supplies family, but you can wind up putting more in them than a small box and paying just about the same.
• If you are trying to ship internationally, check the size and weight limitations for where you are shipping to before you go shopping. It can be shocking what a couple inches and extra ounces can do to the price of what you are trying to send.
• Make sure that you check limitations of what you can and can’t ship across state and country lines. For most states it is illegal to ship alcohol.  Some countries will not accept certain materials, and they can be completely random.
• Be sure to include customs forms on your list of shipping supplies if you are shipping internationally. Also, be sure you fill out those forms as accurately as possible, and label it is a gift to help your recipient avoid any extra customs charges.
• Finally, stick to the USPS when shipping out of country. Courier services like Fedex and UPS charge customs fees.

• If you need to, take pictures of any items you are trying to sell and then package and weight them immediately. This provides accurate shipping information for your customer but also for yourself.  Trying to calculate shipping often results in an overcharge of your customer or your company having to absorb excess costs.
• Use proper shipping supplies to carefully package your item. The whole point of sending them in the mail is for it to get to its destination in the same condition.  Proper packaging is crucial for this to happen.  Use boxes that are the right size, use enough filler to take up any empty space, and use the H taping method when securing the package.
• The US Postal Service offers free package pickup, which will save you both time and money. You can purchase shipping online through your business, through the USPS, or even through third-parties (like stamps.com).  Don’t forget to purchase insurance!
• You might assume that people want the cheapest shipping options, but you would be surprised by how many people prefer the fastest shipping options, regardless of the price. It is recommended to offer same day business or one business day handling, and then notifying your customer as soon as their item has been shipped.

• Make sure to be stocked up on shipping supplies at all times. You can order them through the US Postal Service, or you can order them from online retailers.  Reuse shipping supplies like packing peanuts and bubble wrap when you can.
• If you print your shipping labels at home you don’t have to stand in line at the post office. This one simple step will save you a bunch of time and frustration.  It’s definitely worth the investment in printer ink.
• A lot of tracking is available for free when you print out your shipping label at home. Be sure to include this information for the customer, so that they can keep track of their item.  But you should also be keeping track to make sure that your product is getting where it’s supposed to on time.  If you monitor your service carrier you can more effectively calculate what your shipping needs are and even what kind of a discount you could be getting from them.
• I like to include a business card or some other gift or note when I send off a package. I want to connect with my customer, recognizing that even though we will probably never meet face to face I still think they are important and I want to thank them for their business.  This tends to bring back repeat business and helps for being recommended to others.

The goal of sending a package is for it to get to its destination in the same condition as when it left.  Sound too obvious?  Well, it’s not.  Packages are frequently arriving at their final destinations in an altered state, and its not always the fault of the carrier.  Any carrier that takes pride in itself will handle packages appropriately and be staffed with professionals who make a living off of deliveries, so they aren’t going to jeopardize their own jobs by poor work ethic.  On the other hand, an improperly packaged item is susceptible to damage and destruction along the way.

A properly packaged item starts and ends with the shipping supplies.  These are the common denominator of all packages, but also the hidden key to a successful shipping experience.  Shipping supplies usually consist of four categories: cushion, sealant, boxes (or envelopes) and labels.  Let’s look at each category a little more closely:

CUSHION: shipping supplies don’t have to be an obvious product that you purchased at the post office.  Crumpled newspaper makes a great filler.  It’s incredibly important to fill all empty spaces in your package so that nothing is moving around inside of the box in transit.  Wrap each item individually with some kind of cushion, like the newspaper or bubble wrap, making sure to pad fragile items with extra care.

BOXES: Whatever you are sending, make sure it is being sent in a sturdy, outer box.  Compartmentalize your items in smaller boxes, or even bags if you need to protect them against possible moisture or pests.  Use double wall boxes for shipping heavier items, and make sure that any box you are using is in good condition and properly sealed.

SEALING: Not all tapes work well for shipping.  It is important that whatever tape you do use adheres to following the guidelines- plastic tape should be pressure sensitive, paper tape should be water-activated, and reinforced tape should be water-activated as well.  Any tape that you choose should be at least two inches wide, and you should use the H taping method on the top and bottom when sealing your box.

LABELING: Delivery information should be included inside of the package as well as outside, including both addresses.  Make sure that any other addresses or stickers have been removed or covered.  Packaging slips and labels should be facing the same direction, and be on the same side of the package.  The labels should be on largest surface.

Most carriers can’t promise continual compliance with any instructions you may have annotated on your package (such as “this end up”), but it would still be a good idea to indicate them all the same.

Is it possible to  have a well-organized and smoothly operational moving experience?  Yes!  The answer is yes.  So, naturally, the next, most obvious, question is: How is it possible to have a well-organized and smoothly operational moving experience?

Here are five super simple and yet uber helpful tips to set you on the right course:

Create Your Hub!

The first thing you should do is create a space that will be your “headquarters”.  This could easily be a box that you write “moving headquarters” on and fill with stuff like shipping supplies (tape, scissors, labels, any important paperwork regarding the move, phone cords).  Your contents list is going to be stationed at your headquarters, and that’s going to be explained in the next tip…

Have A Contents List!

Keep a spiral notebook with you while you pack, so that you can write down a more detailed description of  what is going in each box.  This way you don’t have to say “misc kitchen” you can say “mixing bowls” and “measuring cups”.  Give each box a letter that coordinates with the room it’s going into (K for kitchen) and then a number (K1, K2, K3…).  When you want to know what is in K3 you go to your spiral notebook and look it up.

Don’t Skimp on the Supplies!

Make sure you have lots of shipping supplies on hand.  Lots of tape, lots of boxes, sharpies… That sort of thing.  You don’t want to run out right when you are in the thick of things.  That would be super inconvenient.

Pack Ahead, and Pack Smart!

Don’t leave packing until the weekend before you move.  If at all possible, begin packing weeks in advance.  Packing always takes so much longer than we think it will, and it always winds up using way more supplies.  So buy your supplies far in advance, probably from an online retailer that sells packaging and shipping supplies.  Then, maximize the supplies that you have purchased.  If you are using wardrobe boxes, fill the bottoms with shoes so that you aren’t wasting space.

Protect what is dear! 

If you have the space in your car, keep your most valuable and personal possessions with you.  It’s one thing to lose your couch and clothes in the moving process, it’s another to lose the love letters you sent back and forth with your spouse in college, or your adoption papers.