Fragile Stickers on Crates and Hard Shipping Cases:

The answer to this depends on who you ask. The major freight companies will all tell you that “Fragile”, “Handle With Care”, “This Side Up” and “Do Not Stack” stickers alert them to your packages special needs, and that they follow these instructions accordingly. Ask shipping and receiving professionals, tradeshow road warriors, and people that make cases, and you will get a picture somewhat like the old Samsonite commercial with the gorillas throwing around luggage.

The fact of the matter is, if you ship your case all the time, you are bound to run into a situation where it has been mishandled in transit. The question is; what can you do ahead of time to ensure that you have the maximum recourse? There are several obvious answers, such as proper cushioning, packing and skidding. Handling labels should be added to this list.

It is very compelling argument for a damage claim when your case with a “This Side Up” label comes to you on its side or upside down. You can snap a quick picture of the case label as it comes off the truck and send it to the freight company with an inventory of the damage. There are also special tags that contain a fluid that turns a different color if the case has been upended at any time during its journey. Even if there is no obvious damage, it is always a good idea to take a picture of any evidence or rough or improper handling. Damage to the contents of the shipment may not show up until someone tries to use it later.

The good news is that labeling is not a large investment. All of the labels above can be purchased at any shipping or packaging company, such as Uline, for a nominal amount. In addition to helping you with damage recourse, they may also be a chance that the freight companies actual will take better care of your shipping case or package.