Industry Insights
Say you need to ship gifts, like a stuffed animal, a new action figure, or a battery-operated toy car. Easy enough, right? Now, picture this. Your customers go to open their gifts, but the stuffed animal has a cracked eye, the action figure is broken, and the car arrived late because the batteries weren’t properly documented.
While these are worst-case scenarios, shipping faux pas are possible. Shipping toys may seem straightforward, but there are several packaging requirements and recommendations to be aware of. That’s why we’re giving you the gift of the best practices for shipping holiday toys. Who knows? Santa might even learn a thing or two.
Ship toys from anywhere at any time with the Stamps.com Mobile app.
Stuffed animals are made to be hugged and squeezed. The downside is, that makes them more vulnerable to being squashed in transit. We recommend shipping stuffed animals in boxes as opposed to envelopes to avoid any tearing or other forms of destruction. This box should be big enough for the toy but shouldn’t be oversized. Any extra space should be filled with environmentally friendly cushioning materials.
We also recommend wrapping your plush in bubble wrap. Some have glass or plastic eyes that could be cracked or scratched throughout their journey. The risk for damage doesn’t stop in transit though. When your package arrives, it may be opened with a box cutter or scissors. Including extra padding will prevent your stuffed animal from suffering any damage at the hands of sharp objects. Lastly, if you plan to use a sealed bag or shrink wrap, clearly mark it with a suffocation warning label for safety purposes.
Action figures, Vinyls, and other collectibles come pre-packaged. However, we still recommend shipping them in boxes. Like with stuffed animals, the box should only be slightly larger than the item itself, and any spaces should be filled with cushioning material.
If the products are breakable or have fragile parts, mark the shipment accordingly. Use orientation arrows to show carriers how the package should be handled, and label the shipment as fragile on the outer packaging. Some of these items only have a limited release or aren’t readily available, so it’s crucial to keep them in the best possible condition.
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Some of the most important gifts you can give this holiday season are batteries. They keep remote-control cars racing, robots walking, and dolls talking. However, there are some carrier requirements for shipping batteries to keep in mind. These guidelines and restrictions will vary by carrier, and there are different criteria between domestic and international shipping. We recommend reaching out to your carrier of choice directly with any questions you may have.
International shipping restrictions and guidelines may differ from domestic shipping restrictions. For example, NERF blasters can’t be shipped to the UK, and non-wooden toys can’t be shipped to Italy. Understanding these restrictions before shipping your package prevents lengthy delays, returned shipments, and potential fees. International shipping restrictions may differ from carrier to carrier, so contact your carrier before shipping any products.
Shipping deadlines are getting closer by the day, meaning there’s less time to guarantee packages will arrive for the holidays. Without the option to send a replacement gift, how can you ensure packages arrive safe and sound? Stamps.com customers can enable Ship Notification Emails, so recipients know when shipments are arriving. You can even customize Branded Ship Notification Emails to showcase your logo and highlight any holiday deals. Stamps.com shippers can also resend tracking information via email whenever needed/available. These emails help customers make arrangements if they’ll be away when packages arrive or can’t bring them inside upon delivery.
While the holiday season does bring cheer and goodwill, it unfortunately also brings an increase in package theft. Tracking may help customers plan for delivery, but sometimes, there are circumstances outside of everyone’s control. That’s why it’s always better to plan ahead with shipping insurance. Some carrier services include coverage, but shipping through Stamps.com gives you the option to add more insurance with our partner, ParcelGuard™. ParcelGuard™ works with all of our offered carriers, and they’ll handle any claims, regardless of the carrier you used.
It may be the season of giving, but that doesn’t mean you should give yourself unnecessary shipping stressors. Action figures and stuffed animals may come with fragile or breakable parts. But, as long as you package them with additional cushioning and wrapping, they’re more likely to make it through transit unscathed. Batteries may require documentation, but carriers provide online resources and can answer any questions you may have. The same goes for international shipping. When it comes to shipping toys, action figures, and accessories like batteries, it may require a little extra effort. However, the joy these items bring is worth it, and your customers will appreciate the thoughtfulness.
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Our rate advisor feature helps you calculate exact postage or shipping rate for anything you send. All you need is your item's weight and dimensions -- we do all the math for you and recommend cheapest, fastest, and best rates across all carriers.
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Yes. Stamps.com can pull order or customer information from virtually any database, from Excel to SQL. Stamps.com also creates an export file that includes mail class, mail date, shipping cost, and tracking number.
No. All you need is a printer and your computer or phone. You can print shipping labels on plain paper or adhesive labels, postage on our NetStamps® labels or direclty onto any kind of envelope, and on Certified Mail® forms.
Yes. Our reports show you you activity and total spend by carrier, mail class, shipping service -- so you always know how much you send. You can customize your reports by date and, if you are on our multi-location plan, you can also view activity and spend per location and user.
Yes. You can add users to the same Stamps.com account - user limits vary by plan. If your organization has multiple locations, you can switch to our multi-location plan. Visit stamps.com/multilocation to learn more
Yes. You can connect your shopping carts and marketplaces including Shopify, eBay, Amazon, and Etsy with Stamps.com in under 5 minutes. You can also import your orders from a CSV file, Microsoft Excel, XML, or your own ODBC.
Our multi-location plan, designed for companies with 2+ office locations, gives each location the ability to print postage and labels as needed, while capturing information about how much is sent and spent in a single dashboard to give the business the ability to budget. No leases, no contracts, and best-in-class support available when your users need it. Visit stamps.com/multi-location to learn more
Nonmachinable envelopes might be non-rectangular, rigid, unevenly thick, or have non-paper closures, meaning they cannot be processed efficiently by USPS's automated sorting equipment, and require special handling, resulting in a surcharge in addition to the standard postage.
The Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice (SCAN) form ensures that your packages are scanned by the USPS when they are dropped off or picked up by a mail carrier, so your customer can feel confident that their package is on its way.
Using Stamps.com, you’ll be able to create a SCAN form with a few clicks. Then, hand the form to the clerk or mail carrier, and they will scan the barcode on the form. This scan records an Acceptance event for all the packages associated with the form without having to scan each package individually.
Stamps.com gives you access to all mailing and shipping services from USPS, UPS, DHL, and other top carriers. Visit stamps.com/carriers for a full list.
We support all printers from laser and inkjet to high speed thermal printers.
With USPS, Stamps.com customers have access to Commercial Base, Commercial Plus, Cubic Pricing, and Negotiated Service Agreements. Savings include:
With UPS, Stamps.com customers get up to 73% off UPS 2nd Day Air® and up to 77% off UPS® Ground Daily Rates.* Plus, many common surcharges are waived, including the residential surcharge for UPS Ground shipments.
*UPS rates are limited to shipping from the continental U.S. only. These rates and discounts exclude shipment origins from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Alaska. These rates and any applicable discounts are subject to change at any time without notice.
Stamps.com makes international shipping easy by offering international services from USPS, UPS, and other carriers including GlobalPost. We make customs forms hassle free, so you can complete them online with ou guidance, and simply print to include with your international shipment.
After a label is printed, Stamps.com automatically uploads the USPS tracking numbers, order info, and mail class back to the order source, including eBay, Amazon, Etsy, and your shopping cart.
