Shipping something as delicate as flowers may seem daunting, but you can learn how to safely ship flowers with a quality box and smart preparation. In this guide, you’ll discover how corrugated cardboard boxes benefit your business and how we helped a florist called UrbanStems keep their flowers safe with stylish, custom cardboard boxes. We’ve also provided further tips for protecting flowers during shipping to set you up for success.
Corrugated cardboard is durable, thanks to wavy or fluted cardboard layers sandwiched between flat outer layers. It’s a popular shipping material for various products worldwide. Cardboard may not be the first thing that comes to mind for shipping floral arrangements, but it’s the perfect option for florists for multiple reasons.
Custom Boxes Now creates custom-sized shipping boxes with 100% recycled corrugated cardboard. We offer multiple customization options — including style, strength, size, color and printing — to create the perfect shipping containers for our clients.
We recently had the pleasure of helping UrbanStems create elegant, eco-friendly boxes for their flower arrangements. Based in Washington, D.C., UrbanStems sells modern and trendy bouquets in beautiful packaging. They needed to keep their flowers intact during their same-day and next-day delivery runs nationwide, as product freshness and the unboxing experience are their top priorities.
UrbanStems worked with us to manufacture sleek, blue C-series boxes — a clever self-locking design — with their logo and name stamped on the front. We printed custom pinwheel designs onto the sides according to their design specs, giving the boxes a sleek, classy feel. We made the boxes durable, lightweight and easy to open while offering sufficient protection for their gorgeous blooms.
We thoroughly enjoyed working with UrbanStems, and their team praised our ability to create custom-sized boxes for them. With different shapes and sizes, our boxes are the perfect fit for various bouquet types and even live succulents.
Having the perfect box is only one part of the flower shipping process. You’ll need a lot of preparation and care to protect your flowers during transit. Here are our top five tips for how to ship flowers safely so they arrive fresh and in one piece.
Before placing the flowers in the box, cut the stems to help the bouquet fit. It’s best to leave a few inches above the top of the flowers to prevent the petals from rubbing against the box, so consider this when making your cut. Use sharp pruning scissors to cut the stems at an angle.
Carefully wrapping and securing your flowers will help them survive their trip. After arranging the flowers in the desired position, tie the stems with a rubber band or twine. This step will prevent the bouquet from shifting around inside the box, limiting damage and ensuring it looks its best.
You can also wrap the bouquet in tissue paper to keep it secure. Multiple layers of branded paper and a ribbon will elevate the flower arrangement and impress your customers.
You may think you should ship your flowers with water or pack them when they’re wet, but this may work against you. Most shipping companies don’t allow water in packages, as it can leak and affect other parcels. Water can also damage your custom box, impacting its durability and aesthetic appeal. Additionally, moisture creates the perfect environment for mold to grow, so you’ll want to keep your flowers as dry as possible before adding them to the box.
If you’re shipping flowers with a vase, you’ll need to take extra precautions to ensure it doesn’t break. We recommend designing your box with a separate compartment for the vase to keep it away from the flowers. You’ll want to wrap the vase in protective materials and fill any empty spaces with eco-friendly void-fill packaging.
Once you’ve safely sealed everything inside your custom box, it’s time to add your shipping labels. Apart from the customer’s address and importation for the carrier, you’ll want to add labels to indicate the contents are fragile and provide instructions for proper handling. If you don’t want to place stickers manually, add these warnings to the artwork to print them directly onto the box.
Getting custom boxes for your flower business is quick and easy with Custom Boxes Now! We have over 60 years of experience providing exceptional customer service, and we’ll do everything we can to meet your requirements within the provided time frame. While our process is speedy, we never cut corners and have tight quality control processes to ensure you receive our best work.
Our process is simple — build your box with our handy tool and we’ll reach out with a quote. Once you’ve accepted, we’ll create structural and artwork samples for you to review and manufacture the final product. We’ll inform you of the costs upfront and maintain consistent, clear communication throughout the process.
View more of our customer success stories to get inspiration for your project, or contact us today if you need additional information. We look forward to working with you!
