The way your business packages its products can influence your shipping costs and can make an impression on your customers. Any mistakes you make on shipping can eat into your profits by increasing your overhead or costing you future sales. Calculate the wrong costs and you lose profits. Make the wrong impression and you lose sales.

Here are a few of the top packaging mistakes that companies make:

Under Packing

In an effort to ensure that all items arrive at their destination in one piece, many businesses end up putting fewer items in the box than they can. The thinking is that more items will rub together and possibly break. By putting fewer items in the box, there is also more room for packing materials to pad the products.

While you do want all items to arrive safely, you also don't want to be too hesitant in packing a box. Under packing can lead to significant wasted space and significantly higher shipping costs.

Over Packing

There is also a danger in stuffing packages too tightly. Not only can you overweigh the package and risk penalty charges for shipping, but you also risk items breaking in transit. Items must have enough room to be padded inside the box. Don't over or under pack: Pack it just right. You should have as many items as you can in the box while also giving them room for shifting without breaking.

Using the Wrong Materials

Of course, you also need to use the right shipping materials to keep costs low and to protect items. For example, you wouldn't want to ship a CD in an envelope, and you wouldn't want to ship a single onesie in a box. A vase needs more padding than shrink wrap, but a stuffed toy doesn't need to be shipped in a bunch of bubble wrap. Pick the right materials for each item to keep costs low.