Wrap it tightly. A gift can cost a lot of money if it doesn’t arrive in one piece. According to Popular Mechanics, the best approach to safeguard your advantage is to wrap each element separately, allowing at least 2 inches of cushioning between them. Allow 2 inches of space between each piece and the box’s walls as well. The package should then be sealed with wide packing tape applied evenly across each seam throughout its length. Scotch tape, masking tape, and even duct tape are not as durable.
Don’t pay for packing supplies. When crumpled sheets of newspaper work just as well as bubble wrap or foam peanuts, there’s no need to spend extra money on packing supplies. Instead, stuff newspaper into every nook and cranny of the package until nothing rattles. Then, when the box comes, the recipient can recycle the newspaper sheets, resulting in no waste. According to Consumer Reports, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is almost always the cheapest way to transport a package. However, in some cities, it is less expensive to use FedEx or UPS. Check the pricing online before deciding which to use. Enter the size, weight, and destination of your item on USPS, UPS, and FedEx websites – each site generates a list of shipping options, along with the cost and delivery time for each.
Shipment is made directly. It’s pointless to have a gift shipped to your house and then immediately send it to someone else if you’re buying it online. Dropshipping, or having it transported straight to the recipient, can save you money and time. The only drawback is that you don’t get to wrap the present or include a card. On the other hand, many online businesses offer complimentary gift wrapping (which usually costs up to $7, with the great majority costing between $3 and $5, according to RetailMeNot’s 2019 statistics) and allow you to include a customized message.
Subscribe to receive free shipping. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, over 101 million Americans enrolled in Amazon Prime in 2018. If you are one of them, you can get free two-day shipping on all Amazon Christmas shopping. Walmart, another retail juggernaut, also offers a delivery membership program called Walmart+, which provides rapid, free shipping on orders of $35 or more. Both sites cost $13 per month, but if you plan to spend a lot of presents from one place, buying for a one-month subscription may be less expensive than paying shipping expenses. To choose between them, read our comparison of Amazon Prime and Walmart+ or look into other online businesses that provide free shipping.
The Last Word
When it comes to the holidays, the amount of thought that goes into a gift is what makes it memorable. So, when you’re out shopping for a gift, think about who you’re getting it for. Consider what they like and what kind of present would mean the most to them.
Assume your mother has an extensive collection of old family photos that she cherishes, but they’re all jumbled together in shoe boxes. You could give her the gift of scanning all those images onto CDs or a memory stick so she can find them more readily. Of course, that is incredibly inexpensive, but it would undoubtedly mean a lot to her. Alternatively, make copies of some of your favorite images and use them to create photo craft presents like jigsaw puzzles or coasters.