Brass, glass and ceramics
Individually wrapped and isolated. Heavy hard items are what crack other things, so they get boxed away from everything soft.
Included, no charge
Retail packing does not survive a cargo hold
We rebuild the box. It arrives intact, and it frequently costs less to send than the original would have.
Why does a parcel need repacking for export?
Indian retail packaging is designed for a short road journey in a delivery van. An export parcel is stacked, dropped, pressure cycled and handled many more times. We rebuild the box so the contents survive, and because retail packing is mostly empty space, the rebuilt box is usually cheaper to fly.
Two problems at once
The box that got it to us will not get it to you
A parcel moving inside India travels in a van, gets handled perhaps three times, and is rarely stacked more than a few boxes high. A parcel leaving India is sorted mechanically, loaded into a unit load device with several hundred others, flown, unloaded, sorted again at the destination, and delivered. The number of times it is handled goes up by an order of magnitude, and so does the weight sitting on top of it.
At the same time, retail packing is wasteful in a way that costs you directly. A saree arrives in a box four times the volume of the folded fabric. A set of brass items comes in a carton sized for display, not for transport. Because carriers charge on volumetric weight when it exceeds actual weight, you would be paying to fly that empty space across the world.
Repacking fixes both at the same time. Stronger box, less air, lower chargeable weight, and a parcel that arrives in the condition it left in.
On the bench
What we actually do to the box
-
01
Strip the retail packaging
Outer display cartons come off unless you have asked us to keep them. This is where most of the unnecessary volume lives.
-
02
Wrap and isolate
Hard items individually wrapped, fragile items cushioned, anything that could mark a textile separated from it entirely.
-
03
Rebuild to size
Repacked into the smallest export grade box the contents safely allow, with voids filled so nothing moves in transit.
-
04
Weigh, measure, confirm
Final actual and volumetric weights taken, both shown to you, and the chargeable weight confirmed before you commit to the shipment.
Why the size matters so much
How volumetric weight is worked out
Length times width times height in centimetres, divided by five thousand. The carrier charges on whichever is greater, this or the actual weight.
| Box size | Volumetric weight | If the contents weigh 3 kg, you are charged on |
|---|---|---|
| 40 x 30 x 20 cm | 4.8 kg | 4.8 kg, the volumetric figure |
| 35 x 25 x 15 cm | 2.6 kg | 3 kg, the actual weight |
| 50 x 40 x 30 cm | 12 kg | 12 kg, the volumetric figure |
| 30 x 20 x 15 cm | 1.8 kg | 3 kg, the actual weight |
This is why stripping an oversized retail carton can save more than any discount. The same three kilograms of goods can be charged as anything from three to twelve kilograms depending entirely on the box.
What gets special handling
The things that break if nobody thinks about them
Silk and fine textiles
Folded along existing creases, kept away from anything that could snag, and separated from any item with a hard edge.
Steel cookware and heavy items
Placed to stop the box collapsing and padded so they cannot migrate into the lighter contents during the flight.
Anything with paperwork
Certificates, receipts and prescriptions kept with the item and copied into the documentation rather than loose in the box.
Common questions
Questions we get asked most
Usually cheaper, sometimes substantially. You are charged on whichever is greater, actual or volumetric weight, and volumetric weight is driven entirely by box dimensions. Indian retail boxes are mostly empty space. Removing that space often drops a parcel into a lower weight band, which is a real saving rather than a rounding one.
Tell us and we will, though it costs you volume and therefore money. For a gift where the retail box matters, or for an item where the packaging is part of the thing, it is usually worth it. For an ordinary purchase it rarely is.
Hard items are wrapped individually and isolated so they cannot move against each other, voids are filled so nothing shifts in transit, and the finished box is marked. Glass, ceramics and brass get particular attention because they are what breaks.
It is length times width times height in centimetres, divided by five thousand. Carriers charge on whichever is greater, actual weight or volumetric weight, because space on an aircraft is as scarce as payload. A light but bulky parcel is priced on its size.
Yes. Tell us which item and what you are worried about and we will pack accordingly, including double boxing where it is warranted. There is no charge for sensible protection on something that needs it.
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