There are some things that are going to be simple and easy to ship or pack, like light items that don’t take up a lot of space. But then there are items that require a bit more planning and forethought in order to get packed and shipped correctly, like items that are a weird shape or that can be heavy, like books. So if you have a lot of books that you’re needing to pack up and ship, you’ll want to make sure that you go about this the right way so that you can avoid load shift and other shipping issues.

To help you learn how this can be done, here are three tips for packing and shipping books. 

Use Smaller Boxes

When you’re packing up most things, you might feel like the bigger the box you use, the easier it will be to pack and move those items. But with books, the opposite usually proves to be true.

Because books can be very heavy when you pack a lot of them together, you’re going to want to use smaller boxes than you may have originally planned. Ideally, you should choose boxes that are going to be easy for you or other other grip onto and hold because they’re likely going to be pretty heavy once you load them full of books. You’ll also want to make sure that the boxes are well made and sturdy enough to hold the weight of the books you’re packing and moving. 

Reinforce Your Packing Materials

Along with choosing boxes that are sturdy on their own, it’s also a good idea to reinforce the boxes with other packing materials before you start loading them full of books. This will give them extra structure and support for when you load heavy books from bottom to top of the boxes. 

To best reinforce the boxes you’re using to pack your books, you’ll want to add extra tape along the seams and the edges or corners. You can also add an extra piece of cardboard to the bottom or sides of the boxes so that there’s more structure as you both load and carry the boxes. 

Hardback Versus Paperback

When you’re ready to get the books loaded into the boxes that you’ve chosen for packing and shipping, you’ll want to pack them differently depending on whether the books are hardback or paperback. 

For hardback books, you can stack them just like you would on a bookshelf, with the spines against the side of the box. Their covers will give them added protection in this position. But for paperback books, you’ll want to lay them down on each other in flat stacks. This way, there is less of a chance of the books getting ripped or torn while they’re in transit. You’ll also want to make sure that you pack all of the books at the same angle. 

If you have books that you’re needing to pack up and ship to a new location, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how to best get these items ready to ship, packed into proper boxes, and kept safe while they’re in transit.