Sending and receiving products in the Summer Sun!
It was a Facebook post last week that inspired the issue. It’s summer time, people, which means many packages will be sitting in hot warehouses and metal trucks. How will this affect your handmade soaps and soapmaking supplies? Here are some tips to keep in mind…
- 2 Day Air shipping will keep your boxes from sitting in hot trucks for days.
- If your order ships on a Thursday or a Friday, your box most likely be sitting in a hot warehouse or truck for 2 whole days over the weekend.
- Even if your products arrive melted or soft, the products are still safe to use. Just get them inside and out of the sun as soon as possible.
- Have your products delivered to your work so the package is not sitting out in the sun while you’re not home.
- If you’re shipping your products USPS, you can have the post office stamp “perishable” on the box. It’s not a guarantee, but it might be handled with a little more care.
- Write a note to the Mail Man: “Do not leave package in a metal mail box”, “Do not leave in the sun” or “Deliver to the front door”
- Facebook fan, Soap Addicts, also suggested Cool Shield Bubble packaging.
What are your summer shipping tricks? Please share!
I think many will benefit from your suggestions!
i hate to have do it, but i will only ship my body butters in a priority one rate with ice packs in the summer time. I can usually use the $4.95 little box and it doesn’t cost much more for the client to get their product fluffy and fresh just as it should be.
I live in Central FL but I would be afraid that a customer will burn themselves with the dry ice or something by accident and then who gets the blame? the seller and if you have no insurance even worse not to mention shipping would be more expensive. I doubt a person would want to pay extra USPS shipping on say a $6 bar of soap. Not saying this is a bad idea just saying I wouldn’t do it. Shipping in the summer is tricky and a lot of B&B sellers do not offer certain products during these months. Adding important announcements about what could happen with shipping IMO is something ever seller should post on their sites so at least the customer is aware that there is a possibility and then can’t say later they didn’t know. The tips on the bramble berry blog are very good. I received a goat milk with aloe lotion in the mail yesterday and it wasn’t in there very long maybe an hour and it was totally liquidfied. I put it in the frig and it thickened back up but it seems now I cannot leave it out as it was starting to loose that thickness again leaving it out. Besides it felt better cold :0) I always drop off my packages at the PO inside even if it’s not to the teller directly as it’s AC in there. I do not recommend dropping them off inside a regular outside box. I guess I’ll know by the end of the week how well my products held up in the mail.
since i live on the gulf coast of florida & its gets super-hot here starting in about may, i used to use dry ice when shipping some orders to make sure they werent mush by the time they arrived. you just have to make sure to let your shipping company/post office know that there is dry ice packed inside & follow the guidelines for making sure its packaged inside safe & securely
I’m a huge fan of Uline – I’m surprised I didn’t know about their Cool Shields! I may have to invest… I worry most about my Whipped Shea Butters, which may not stay whipped if they get too warm. 🙁
Great tips! I worry about this too during those hot, humid summer days of mailing–AND especially my Honey & Oats handmade soap- SO I wrap it in it’s usual package ( cello wrap- then window kraft box)- then I wrap the soap box in wax paper for extra “heat” protection.
i never thought about Thursday and Friday Shipping like that- cool shield…. interesting. Thanks for all the tips!
always ship on a Monday!!