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Summer Shipping Tips and Tricks for Bodycare Products

My best selling whipped Shea Butter products do not do well in summer heat. I needed a way to continue shipping them in the summer because they are so popular. I did some research online to find out how other industries that ship perishables handle the challenges of hot weather. I Googled 'Shipping Chocolates in the Summer' and came across a very insightful piece on a chocolate discussion board.

Clay Gordon of the Chocolate Life, gives a detailed account on how he successfully ships his chocolates even to the hottest parts of the country in the middle of summer. His suggestions include the following:

1) Make sure to tape all the seams of the box. All of them. This helps keep hot air out and cool air in. Not just the top and bottom
center/long seams. You'll be taping the 4 edges and the two center
seams.

2) Line the box with bubble wrap that is covered in mylar on both sides. This is what I use.

Use one long piece across one dimension of the box, cutting it long enough to make sure it overlaps at the top. Use two shorter pieces across the other two sides of the box, cut long enough so that they tuck
under the long piece.

If you are going to be putting a gel pack (or two) inside the box, I wrap what I am shipping in the mylar bubble wrap. What this does is add an extra layer of insulation. It keep what's inside cool and protects it from potential condensation from the gel pack.

3) Make sure to use a box that is large enough you don't have to stuff it. Dead air space is an excellent insulator - you don't want your items to be touching the insulation lining the inside of the box.

I use cornstarch peanuts to maintain separation between what I am shipping and the insides of the box.

4) I also use one square of kraft paper padding (sometimes split in two) inside the bubble wrap for extra cushioning and to absorb any moisture.

5) Make sure the product itself is cool. If it's stored at 54F it will take longer to get to melt point than if you ship it from 68-72F. When I was working with Vintage and selling Cluizel, we were shipping from 34F - it gave us an extra day; instead of 2-day we could do 3 and save the customer a lot of money. We also shipped in oversize boxes filled with peanuts with the product in the center of the box, and the product being shipped was wrapped in plastic bags to protect it from condensation.

6) Make sure whoever receives the shipment has a place where it can be received that is out of the sun.

7) Make sure to get "Perishable" stickers and it doesn't hurt to add "This End Up" and/or "Fragile" stickers, too. These are simple and effective ways to get the attention of whoever is handling your box that it deserves special handling.

For a complete version of this discussion check out http://www.thechocolatelife.com/forum/topics/summer-shipping-tips-t...

I hope you find this helpful.

Tags: and, butter, butters, heat, perishables, shea, summer, whipped

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Comment by Kelly Anderson on July 3, 2010 at 9:35pm: This is exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you.

Comment by IBN Member Joan Morais on June 14, 2010 at 8:13pm: Hi Funlayo!
Great, helpful post. I enjoyed meeting you at the Soap Conference. See's candy also uses the dry ice packets for their chocolates that are shipped.

Comment by Erica Johnson-Mininfield on June 9, 2010 at 12:54am: Most helpful - thanks SO much!

Comment by Anne Keefe on June 7, 2010 at 5:14pm: Thanks for the reminder! I just ordered my ice packs from the ice pack store.

Comment by Funlayo Alabi-Shea Radiance on June 1, 2010 at 6:33pm: I have used these ice packs in the past http://www.icepackstore.com/. They have worked pretty well, but I think they will be more effective with the additional insulation recommended in the article

Comment by Christine White - Scandle LLC on June 1, 2010 at 5:39pm: About the dry ice restrictions, I think...only pertain to large quantities of dry ice because if it's going air where they sometimes transport livestock, it may affect them. I've personally used them in all my shipments last year and didn't have any problems. I found a company that's local to me in Fort Worth Texas that sells these dry ice packs called Techni Ice. You can check the website out at www.techniice.com (they are made by a company in Australia).

Comment by IBN Member Bonnie Speigle on June 1, 2010 at 5:20pm: Thanks for this timely information. The original article and the other links provide even more information. Thanks, Christine for the info on dry ice packs. I ship most of my products priority mail so I won't even bother with that.

Comment by Funlayo Alabi-Shea Radiance on June 1, 2010 at 1:27pm: Hi Christine, thanks for that insight on dry ice packs and air shipment. Didn't realize there was a restriction.

Comment by Christine White - Scandle LLC on June 1, 2010 at 1:14pm: Hi, Thanks for this information...very helpful! I also started using dry ice packs last year. They're slightly more than the gel packs, but last so much longer which is particularly important for shipments traveling 3-4 days. Only caution is that you can't ship with dry air packs via air shipments.

Comment by Benardett Kristy Jno-Finn on May 29, 2010 at 8:51pm: Thank you for taking the time to post this information.

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