Valentine’s Day Shipping Tips & Giveaway – from FedEx

February 10, 2011 by dadofdivas 73 Comments

Since those closest to your heart may be far away, FedEx has put together a list of packing and shipping tips to help reach all your loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

Ship it Smart with FedEx

Follow these easy packing and shipping tips from the experts at FedEx. You can also visit fedex.com/packaging for more helpful advice.

Choose the right supplies

o Use sturdy boxes with flaps intact. For heavier items, use double-wall boxes. Keep within the weight specifications for your box.

o Make sure your box is large enough to put adequate padding around contents. Position your item in the center of the box and surround by cushioning such as bubble wrap, packing “peanuts,” densely packed shredded paper or foam pads. Use enough packing material – ideally one inch on all sides – so the item does not shift during transit.

o Use tape designed for packing, not duct or masking tape. Use the “H Tape” method to securely close all of the box flaps.

o Do not wrap the outer box with paper or string, which can get caught in automated processing equipment.

o FedEx Office offers a variety of the most popular packing supplies, including boxes, tape, bubble wrap and other essentials for purchase. Locations also provide free FedEx shipping supplies for FedEx Express shipments.

Use smart labeling

o Position the address label squarely on the largest surface, and provide complete sender and recipient addresses, including phone numbers and ZIP codes.

o Put the recipient’s address and your return address inside the box as well.

Ship early and avoid the lines

o For delivery by Monday, February 14, customers have until Wednesday, February 9 to find and send that perfect Valentine’s Day gift via FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery. Last-minute shoppers have until Saturday, February 12 to ship overnight via FedEx Express.

o If looking specifically to send flowers, customers have until Sunday, February 13 at noon PST/3 p.m. EST to order from ProFlowers.com and still get flowers delivered on Valentine’s Day.

o Customers can log onto fedex.com to determine shipping options, including rates and transit times to ensure that gifts are shipped in time.

Call in the experts

o FedEx Office has shipping specialists trained in pack and ship best practices to give you advice or pack up your gifts for you.

o The more than 1,800 FedEx Office locations across the U.S. offer a full range of FedEx Express, FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery shipping options – with most stores open as late as 11 p.m. and 300 that are open 24 hours.

Set up shipments online

o FedEx Ship Manager at fedex.com was the industry’s first Internet-based shipping option. To use, customers simply click the “Prepare Shipment Online” option under the “Ship” tab on the fedex.com U.S. home page, register as a user and follow the easy-to-use instructions. No extra software is required.

Track it

o Tracking a package for real-time delivery status and location information is easy and convenient on fedex.com.

o Customers can also confirm a package’s status by calling 1.800.Go.FedEx (1.800.463.3339).

Giveaway

How would you like to win a Sweetheart Shipping Kit. All you need to do is leave a comment here about what you would send and who you would send it to. The contest will end on February 12, 2011.

Each FedEx Sweetheart Shipping Kit includes:

An 8x8x8 brown FedEx box
A roll of heavy-duty packing tape
Bubble wrap
Brown packing paper
Valentine’s-themed cards to include a sweet note inside your packed box
A $25 American Express gift card to ship your gifts at any FedEx location
A Pack & Ship Tips sheet loaded with helpful info FedEx packaging experts

Bonus Entries

Blog about my Giveaway by linking back to this post (1 entries per blog post. Please leave each entry in separate comments with your URL link in order for it to count)

Grab my badge to your sidebar

Subscribe to the Dad of Divas Reviews Site
Subscribe to this blog
Follow me on Twitter (@dadofdivas) (leave username in comment)
Share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook or any forum, including the name of the prize and a link to this post. Here I’ll make it easier on you, copy and paste this:” @dadofdivas is giving away FedEx Shipping Pack – http://dadofdivas.com/giveaway ” (Then leave the link to your post. One entry per place per day)
Become a fan of Dad of Divas on Facebook (Leave username in comment)

Make sure you comment separately for each task after the required entry task so you will get credit for each one ~ and leave your e-mail where you can be contacted.

This contest will run until February 12, 2011 at approximately 11:59 pm Eastern.

Winner must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site’s Terms of Use for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.