{"id":1843,"date":"2020-01-15T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/prevent-shipping-damages\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T20:14:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T20:14:06","slug":"prevent-shipping-damages","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/prevent-shipping-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipping Damages: How to Prevent Shipping Damage in Ecommerce Deliveries"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

The 6 most common causes of shipping damages in ecommerce<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 key steps to prevent shipping damages<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are couriers liable for shipping damages?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tired of shipping damages? Start shipping with ShipBob<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Damaged products are an unfortunate but inevitable cost of doing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re purchasing an item in-store, you can sometimes spot a damage before you buy it, and find a flawless item instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the world of ecommerce, consumers don\u2019t have the luxury of physically inspecting an item before they buy, eliminating this quality control process. Even more, the act of shipping can increase the risk of damages.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in transit, there\u2019s a chance that packages will become damaged because of shippers, improper handling, water exposure, and many other possibilities that can impair an order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damaged products are a huge pain point for merchants, as they are often outside of their control, can affect customer satisfaction, and are very costly for high-quality products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The costs of replacing damaged products are high, including the shipping cost to send the damaged item back to the merchant, the shipping cost to replace the damaged product with a reshipment<\/a>, and the cost of the unsellable inventory itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent damage so you can lower your costs and keep your customers happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 6 most common causes of shipping damages in ecommerce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few reasons that packages become damaged at some point throughout the shipping process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Too much empty space in the package<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the box or mailer you use is much bigger than the product that was ordered, then it\u2019s more likely that the product will jostle around inside and get damaged if there\u2019s not enough padding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another problem with using too large of a box is that you will be charged more for the space it takes up. Dimensional weight<\/a> is how couriers calculate and charge for shipping. Even if the package is lightweight, if it is large, they\u2019ll charge you for the size since it\u2019s taking up more space on a delivery truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Not enough cushioning material<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not all packages need some type of filler (e.g., pillows, airbags), but having enough cushioning to protect the item can reduce the likelihood of shipping damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dunnage<\/a> you use will depend on the type of products you sell (and bubble wrap and packing peanuts aren\u2019t always needed). A lot of the time, recycled kraft paper will do the job in avoiding damaged goods (and it\u2019s cheaper and not as bad for the environment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boxes aren\u2019t the only types of packaging that provide cushioning, if you use poly mailers<\/a>, you might consider using bubble mailers if you\u2019re finding a lot of orders are getting damaged as a result of too much extra space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Improper handling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your package will be handled by several different people along the supply chain, and even boxes marked \u201cfragile materials<\/a>\u201d aren\u2019t always treated as such. Improper package handing<\/a> can result in damages that make your customers unhappy. Luckily, there\u2019s insurance for improper handling (which we\u2019ll explain in a bit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Water and humidity damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Changes in temperature or inclement weather along a shipping route can lead to damages. Additionally, if the package is left outside of a person\u2019s home, unexpected rain can damage the package and its contents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excessive condensation can easily build up in trailers or containers if they\u2019re exposed to extreme variations in temperature and humidity. When this happens, it can lead to warping, corrosion, or product-ruining mold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may consider including desiccants in shipments that will be passing through different climatic conditions. They\u2019ll help keep your cargo considerably drier. You may also need to revisit your product packaging to ensure it\u2019s protective enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Theft<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While theft isn\u2019t considered \u201cdamage,\u201d it still results in high replacement costs for your business. Depending on when a package is stolen (in transit or more often, once delivered), your business will likely be held liable for the missing package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To reduce the chances of theft, consider communicating to your customers the free services available<\/a> from couriers like UPS that let you schedule delivery windows, have orders shipped to local designated pickups (like convenience stores), and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Infestation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re shipping food products, infestation is something you have to be aware of. It\u2019s the presence of a large number of insects or animals (rodents) in a place, typically causing damage to your products or contaminating them so they can\u2019t be consumed. In most cases, infestation happens during overseas shipments in large freight ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure your products have sturdy packaging that doesn\u2019t let the consumable products break through easily in addition to the outside box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7 key steps to prevent shipping damages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With 20% of ecommerce returns<\/a> occurring because of damaged products, there are a lot of opportunities to prevent shipping damages and lower your costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Choose the correct box size<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The box should be only slightly larger than the item you\u2019re shipping, and the closer it is, the better. Make sure it has enough space for dunnage to prevent products from moving around (e.g., if you\u2019re shipping shoes, then the box you place the shoebox in shouldn\u2019t be much larger than the actual shoebox).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Wrap every item<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your product is fragile or susceptible to breaking, exploding, or spilling, make sure everything is wrapped in cushioning material. Knowing which type of dunnage<\/a> to use for your packages is crucial to ensure nothing gets destroyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Fill empty space in the package<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Use dunnage to fill any remaining space between the product and the box. Ideally, you want all the empty spaces filled with the right packing materials so nothing can move around. This is especially important for items like electronics where even a minor scratch could prevent it from working properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Do a trial run (or more than one)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re working with a new courier or shipping partner, you can do trial runs or test orders to see if they deliver packages without being damaged. Regardless if you\u2019re concerned about your packages incurring shipping damages, it\u2019s still wise to send a trial package or two and see if it ends up at its destination safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Label the box as fragile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If the product is fragile, make sure the package handlers know and affix a \u201cFragile\u201d shipping label on the box. You could even use two stickers on the side and top of the box to make sure they don\u2019t miss the label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Use impact\/shock\/tilt indicators<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Affixing these inexpensive devices to your packages will both inform you where any damage may have occurred along the way and prompt the package handlers to be more careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Collect and review data on shipping damages<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re having a problem with shipping damages, make sure to record every damaged package, the type of damage, how it happened, and take steps to prevent these damages from reoccurring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are couriers liable for shipping damages?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Shipping couriers can be liable if you have proof they damaged the product during shipping. This can be hard to prove since you can\u2019t see what\u2019s going on with every individual package. But many of the major couriers offer shipping insurance<\/a> to let the sender file a claim if the package was damaged or lost in transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can prove that the shipment was damaged even with proper packaging, inserts, or other materials to keep it safe (with photo evidence and an invoice for the lost or damaged order), you should be able to file a claim. If your insurer declines your claim, you can consider suing the insurance company<\/a> in small claims court – depending on the amount of damages sustained, it may be worth the effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tired of shipping damages? Start shipping with ShipBob<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve noticed a high percentage of your packages are damaged during delivery, consider working with ShipBob to improve your operations. ShipBob is an order fulfilment<\/a> company that takes a handful of precautions when shipping your packages including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional packers and fulfilment experts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At ShipBob, we ship packages for thousands of ecommerce businesses. Our warehouse teams use the right packaging for each individual product you sell. With the volume or orders that come through our fulfilment network every single day, we have the best packaging materials stocked at all times, hundreds of retail fulfilment<\/a> associates trained, and the know-how to reduce shipping damages across our shipping services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cShipBob has an excellent system in place, with all the resources, workflows, and processes needed to quickly and accurately fulfil all of our orders, including those that include our fragile glass bulbs and oversize lighting products. We don\u2019t know how ShipBob does it, but it just gets done.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waveform Lighting Team<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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