Read our top tips below to avoid the most common pitfalls when packing your goods, and you should always expect your precious belongings to arrive in the same condition as when you packed them.

Use good-quality export-standard boxes

• Any good removals company can supply you with good quality shipping boxes. Use them!
• Don’t use supermarket boxes, banana boxes, or plastic crates

Don’t put all your heavy things (eg books or tools) into the same box(es)

• Spread the weight evenly between your packages, so that one box is not overloaded and likely to break
• A large box full of heavy goods is likely to be too heavy for the collection driver to lift; he is not Superman!

Put the most fragile items in the middle of the box

• The top, bottom and sides of the box are more likely to be bumped into by other packages. Put fragile items, such as electronics, in the middle of the box, surrounded by more durable goods (such as bedding and clothing), to keep them cushioned and away from the sides

Have a golf club bag? Use it!

• This also goes for musical instruments and other sports gear. If you have a bespoke case for a particular item, use it! What else is it good for? If you are concerned about the bag/case itself being scuffed in transit, your shipper can wrap it for you if required

Tell your shipping company if you have anything fragile or unusual

• It is amazing what people forget to mention when they arrange their shipments: paper mache giraffes, 62” plasmas, 200-year-old antique carver chairs, collections of model ships in bottles, and so on
• If you have any large, valuable, fragile or unusual items, please tell your shipper! Whatever it is, they will know how to get it packed properly and have it arrive safely at your destination

Never leave empty space inside a box, ever. For any reason. Ever.

• Empty spaces are evil. Empty space means that there is room for everything inside your box to move around into during transit. We can only grimace at the thought of your pre-war crystal glassware suddenly jumping 30 centimetres during some in-flight turbulence or particularly heavy Atlantic Ocean wave
• Fill up any empty space with scrunched up newspaper, old bedding, linen, towels, etc

Don’t leave it to chance – a smooth shipment starts with the packing. Use good-quality packaging, and pack your belongings carefully. Don’t leave it till the last minute, and do consult with your shipping company if you are not sure.