When labeling packages for shipping, put both the destination and return address on more than one side of the box. When your package is piled with others, it will move faster if the addresses are always visible. In addition, write with a bold black permanent marker and cover the writing with clear tape. Rainy days have a way of smearing things.

If you put a list of contents in the box, just before closing it, your life will be easier at the unpacking end.

2torial #0493: Learn2 Package Fragile Items (Continued) Choose your packing materials There's three basic packing materials that seem to be widely available: foam "peanuts" (choose the biodegradable kind, please), popcorn, and newspaper. Foam "peanuts" are generally the best material: they are quite resilient, and absorb shock well. They also "pour" well into odd-shaped areas. Popcorn (air-popped) is a nice, environmentally friendly packing material. It's cheap, and absorbs shock almost as well as the "peanuts." It's not as resilient, though, and is generally best used once. Newspaper, when crumpled into semi-tight balls, works almost as well as the other two materials. It's the cheapest of all, if you have old ones lying around, and it's interesting to unpack a box years later and read about old happenings. It is not very resilient, though, and is adversely affected by humid storage.   Step 3