Parcel Monkey can help you find a reliable courier to ship your parcel, but it's down to you to prepare the package before it's shipped.
Your parcel will travel with thousands of others through warehouses and sometimes airports, so robust packaging is essential to ensure your item arrives safely.
Unsure how to wrap a package for shipping? Don't worry, we've put together some tips and advice to help you out.
Please be aware that insufficient packaging can result in Parcel Monkey or the courier partner not being liable for loss or damage so take your time and ensure your items are adequately protected. A comprehensive Parcel Monkey packaging guide can be found here.
When you've placed your order we'll email you the prepaid shipping label. All you need to do is print it off and securely attach it to the outside of your package. If you can't access your email you can also print your shipping labels from your Parcel Monkey account.
Read more on printing and attaching shipping labels.
For international shipments, 3 copies of the customs documents should be affixed to the outside of the package alongside the label. Ideally, these should be placed in a plastic wallet or envelope, but if you don't have one a standard envelope marked 'Customs' will be fine.
For more information on customs, including how long a package takes to clear customs and what to do if your package is held in customs, read our customs advice page.
Once your package has been prepared it's time to weigh it. Don't be tempted to weigh your item before it's packed as the packaging must be included in the final weight and dimensions.
Couriers use the dimensional weight of your parcel to work out the cost of shipping. This calculation is done automatically when you enter the correct dimensions and weight of your parcel into our shipping calculator.
When you ship a parcel there are a variety of items which are unsafe to travel through a courier network. To make sure you're aware of these items, we have a prohibited and restricted items list, which has been put together following the advice of our courier partners. When shipping overseas, you should also check any restrictions that apply to the destination country.
Learn more about how to send your package.
Some of our carriers have their own packaging restrictions in place and these should be adhered to when using any service from that carrier. Failure to comply could result in your package being returned, so please take note of the following carrier restrictions:
TrakPak
When sending items through TrakPak, customers are prohibited from shipping parcels packaged in plastic containers.