# Packing and dispatch checklist

Parcels are sorted by machine and dropped. Pack for the journey you cannot see.

Reasoning: /guides/packing-fragile-and-high-value-items and
/guides/lost-damaged-and-undelivered-parcels

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## Before you pack

- [ ] Item matches the listing — right item, right variant, everything included
- [ ] Item is clean and, where relevant, works
- [ ] Address checked against the order, not against a previous one

## Packing

- [ ] Item wrapped so nothing touches the box wall
- [ ] Void fill on all six sides — the item should not move when you shake it
- [ ] **Suspension, not volume.** A rigid pack transmits the impact straight
      through. Room to decelerate is what protects the item.
- [ ] Fragile or high value: double-box — inner box suspended inside an outer one
- [ ] Nothing sharp or heavy loose in the same box as something breakable
- [ ] Box no larger than it needs to be. Carriers charge on the greater of actual
      and volumetric weight, so an oversized box is a silent cost on every unit.

## The photograph (do not skip this)

- [ ] **Photograph the packed item before you seal the box.**

This is the only evidence that can prove adequate packing, and it can only be
created now. It cannot be reconstructed after the parcel is opened at the other
end. It costs about ten seconds and it is the difference between a claim that
pays and one that does not.

- [ ] Photograph the sealed, labelled parcel too — proof of dispatch

## Dispatch

- [ ] Correct service for the value: tracking generally costs less than the
      claims it prevents
- [ ] Label secure, old labels removed or fully covered
- [ ] **Get the dispatch scan.** A parcel handed over without a scan is a late
      dispatch as far as the metrics are concerned, however early you posted it.
- [ ] Tracking uploaded to the order before the handling time expires

## After

- [ ] Quantity decremented everywhere the item was listed — this is the step
      whose absence produces the self-cancellation that damages accounts fastest
- [ ] Receipt or proof of postage kept until delivery is confirmed