Each year, more packages are sent through the mail during the holiday season than any other period. Careless packaging can cause some to arrive in poor (or no) condition. The U.S. Postal Service has the following packaging tips to help holiday parcels arrive on time and in one piece.

• Choose a container with care. Whether it’s a box, tube, or padded envelope, make sure the container is sturdy enough to handle its contents. If a container is reused, make sure it hasn’t already made one too many trips to go the distance. If you don’t have a container you can trust, check with the Post Office for packaging products designed for safe delivery. Do not use liquor boxes or boxes that once contained combustible contents; Aviation Administration regulations prevent the use of these boxes.
• Package parcels properly. Make sure to cushion the contents well. Using polystyrene “peanuts” or bubble wrap will prevent damage to the package’s contents.
• Once a parcel is packaged, seal it tightly with reinforced tape. Masking and transparent tapes are not sturdy enough to do the job. Check with the Post Office, office supply or discount department store for tape that will do the trick. Do not use twine or cord to seal the package, and don’t wrap you packages in brown paper. Those items tend to catch and bind in mail processing equipment.
• Pay attention to addressing. Write the complete address clearly on the outside of the package. What constitutes a complete address? The recipient’s name, complete street address with directionals if applicable, apartment numbers, city, state, and correct ZIP Code are all needed to ensure a problem-free delivery. You can check the accuracy and completeness of your recipient’s address by going to www.usps.com and selecting “Find A Zip Code.” You can also check on a ZIP Code by calling 1-800-ASK-USPS. Carefully print the address, and don’t use a pen with water-soluble ink, just in case the package runs into wet weather somewhere along the way. If the package is fragile, mark it so. Make sure to include a return address. And, just to be on the safe side, include a slip of paper on the inside of the parcel with the delivery and return address as well.
• Purchase insurance against loss or damage. Postal Service pricing does not include contents insurance. Customers are encouraged to purchase insurance based on the value of package contents.
• Mail the package on time. No matter how well it’s wrapped, it’s just not the same if a gift is late. Be sure to mail packages as early in the season as possible.

For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location of the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com. To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the Post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.