Ship Holiday Gifts on a Budget

CENTENNIAL, Colo., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Economic concerns don't have to bring down spirits this holiday season. People can show the ones on their gift list how much they care and still stay well within a budget. While costly airline tickets and the extra fees charged to check baggage may impact the decision about going somewhere for the holidays, whether traveling over the holidays or not, people have found that shipping their presents to family and friends makes the most economic sense.

The professionals at Pak Mail, full-service packing and shipping centers with locations locally and worldwide, know all the latest packaging requirements and holiday shipping deadlines to ensure that those carefully selected gifts arrive on time and in one piece. "We are happy to wrap, pack and ship the gifts across town or overseas for our customers through any one of our convenient locations. While you may have to be creative about how to stretch the holiday gift budget this year, let Pak Mail find the most efficient way to ship the presents to the people on your list. We make it our business to guarantee peace of mind this holiday season and throughout the year," says Alex Zai, President and CEO of Pak Mail Centers of America, Inc.

Pak Mail offers some tips for less expensive, safer shipping :

Be sure to ship early. Packages going overseas to the military should be mailed no later than Friday, November 13. Parcel Post to destinations within the United States should be mailed no later than the second week of December. Send Priority Mail by the third week of December and Express Mail by the 23rd of December. If people are traveling over the holidays, ship the gifts on ahead to avoid enduring the hassle of the enhanced security at the airport and the chance of paying additional fees for extra baggage currently imposed by most airlines.

Size Restrictions. UPS, FedEx Ground and DHL: Maximum 165 inches in length and girth; maximum weight 150 lbs. U.S. Post Office: Maximum 130 inches in length and girth; maximum weight 70 lbs. Pak Mail enforces no size or weight restrictions; they can ship anything anywhere. Be sure to consolidate your gifts. One 20-pound box costs less to ship than two 10-pound boxes.

Pay attention to the details. Always use proper packing materials like bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts. Use tape that is designed for shipping, such as pressure-sensitive tape, nylon-reinforced tape, etc. Put the delivery and return addresses on only one side of the package. Enclose an extra address label inside the package that contains the sender's address and the recipient's address along with a list of the contents. Should things go awry and the package becomes damaged, it can be repackaged and it will still reach its final destination.

Get the best deal. Different carriers offer different rates. Pak Mail uses a variety of carriers to offer customers options when it comes to finding the most economical and efficient gift shipping solution.

Established in 1984, Pak Mail is a premier specialty packaging, shipping and business support franchise with more than 500 centers worldwide. For more information, call Pak Mail at 1-800-778-6665 or visit www.pakmail.com.