Shipping Cases

Okay, after all your hard work, you've finally got your products ready to go. But what kind of shipping cases do you need for them? This may not be a question you want to think about, but it's important. Your customers won't be happy with a smashed product!

A Wide Range of Shipping Cases Available

There are a lot of questions to be answered before you can make a confident choice among all the varieties of shipping cases that are available to you. Will your product be shipped by air or by overland transport? How heavy is it? How fragile? Does it need special safety precautions? Will you need something custom-built or can you use a standard case?

Goods in transit are heir to a thousand shocks. Even relatively gentle vibrations can throw sensitive components out of whack. Will a plastic case work better in your particular instance, or aluminum? What kind of foam cushioning should you use? Do you want your shipping cases to be reusable, or for one-time use?

You might want to consider a rackmount case. This allows for stacking merchandise for quick deployment. Be certain that the sides are sufficiently reinforced for stacking, and that they are airtight, with air space inside for equipment cooling.

Military and Government Agency Shipping Cases

Military and government shipping cases are in a class of their own. These cases must be manufactured to stringent specifications. They must be deployable in hostile environments, necessitating fungus control, salt-water corrosion resistance, and the ability to remain watertight under extreme circumstances. They may also need to be dropped from airplanes!

The first things you need to consider when choosing among shipping cases are size and weight. Do you want something with wheels and a handle that one person can easily move? Or does your case need to withstand a forklift? Will it be lifted by a crane? If so, you'd better check on its altitude drop specs.

Next, consider the internal padding. Foam-filled cases are completely filled with 2-inch layers of foam, which can be easily cut to fit odd shapes. Foam-lined cases have two inches of foam on all sides, with a hollow space at the center. Pre-cut or "PicknPluck" foam is scored into 2-inch cubes, which can easily be customized with no cutting.

Help Finding the Cases You Need

Most sites that sell shipping cases have excellent customer service available to help you decide exactly what you need. Take advantage of their expertise and experience. After all, you do want your products to arrive unscathed, don't you? I thought so.