Online selling has a step that physical shops rarely think about: the journey. Between your shelf and your customer's door, an order is lifted, stacked, loaded, bumped and carried. Packaging is what decides whether it arrives as a happy delivery or a return.
Here are our practical packaging lessons for online sellers, drawing on the categories covered in our Packaging Guidelines.
Why packaging deserves your attention
- Damaged goods become returns. Our Returns Policy lists damaged and defective products among the reasons shoppers can return items.
- Returns cost you twice. You lose the sale and often pay to recover the item.
- Reviews remember. A crushed box is often the first thing a customer mentions.
- Fulfilment centres check. Items must be packaged in line with our guidelines to be accepted at Airsoko fulfilment centres, and orders that do not meet the standards may be rejected.
Know your materials
You do not need exotic supplies. Most orders are covered by a handful of materials:
- Bubble wrap for anything fragile. Our guidelines ask you to always use a sufficient layer for fragile products.
- A sturdy box, either the manufacturer's original packaging or an Airsoko box where the guidelines suggest it.
- Shrink wrap to protect large items such as TVs, solar panels and appliances from scratches.
- Polythene or nylon bags for clothing, accessories and bedding, to keep out dust and moisture.
- Fragile stickers on the outside so handlers know what they are carrying.
Category lessons
Phones and electronics
Phones should travel in the original manufacturer packaging or an Airsoko box, wrapped in bubble wrap. Computers and accessories should stay in original packaging with extra bubble wrap for fragile components. Small appliances are best shrink-wrapped and boxed, with fragile items labelled.
TVs and large appliances
Keep TVs in the original manufacturer box, shrink-wrap them and apply fragile stickers. Large appliances and electronics benefit from both shrink wrap and bubble wrap.
Fashion, shoes and accessories
Clothes should be packed in nylon or polythene bags. Shoes are best wrapped in their nylon packaging and placed in a box. Fashion accessories go in a box or nylon, and jewellery in a small secure box with bubble wrap around fragile pieces.
Beauty products
Liquids need the most care. Our guidelines suggest a box, polythene and bubble wrap for liquid items, and polythene with secure wrapping for solids. A leaking bottle can damage everything else in the parcel.
Home, kitchen and furniture
Kitchen supplies should use manufacturer packaging or a box, with bubble wrap for fragile pieces. Furniture needs customised cardboard or shrink wrap with enough padding to avoid damage.
Build a repeatable packing routine
Consistency beats heroics. When everyone in your team packs the same way, fewer mistakes slip through.
- Check the item before it goes in the box: correct product, correct variant, no visible defects.
- Protect it with the right wrap for its category.
- Box it and fill empty space so nothing moves when you shake the package gently.
- Add a packing slip inside and label the outside clearly.
Our seller dashboard includes packing slip and shipping label options in order management, which helps keep this routine tidy.
Common packaging mistakes
- Reusing weak boxes. A soft, previously crushed box offers little protection.
- Leaving empty space. Items that rattle are items that break.
- Skipping wrap on "tough" items. Even sturdy goods scratch.
- Packing several fragile items together without separation.
- Forgetting accessories. Shoppers can return items with missing parts, so check the contents list.
Packaging and the bigger picture
Good packaging is part of being a reliable seller. Our Seller SLA sets expectations for order confirmation and shipping times, and our Sanction Policy sets out consequences for defective, incomplete or wrong items. Careful packing is one of the simplest ways to stay on the right side of both.
If you would rather not handle packing at all, Airsoko Fulfillment Services (AFS) gives you storage, picking, packing and delivery from our fulfilment centres.
An example: fixing a damage pattern
For example, say Otieno sells glass blenders and keeps getting "arrived cracked" complaints. He starts wrapping each jar separately in two layers of bubble wrap, fills the box so nothing moves, adds fragile stickers and does a gentle shake test before sealing. The extra materials cost a little more per order, but the returns stop. The lesson: when a damage pattern appears, fix the packing step, not just the individual order.
The last step before your customer
Packaging is the last thing your product experiences before your customer does. A few cents of bubble wrap and a consistent routine protect your margin, your reviews and your reputation.
Read the full Packaging Guidelines, then explore selling on Airsoko.
