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When shipping items overseas, size matters…How small shipping companies can save customers time and money on overseas shipments.

BRAINTREE, MA…

When you’re arranging for a larger shipment overseas—20 boxes, suitcases, computer equipment, or a piece of furniture—size does play an important role in how much it will cost. Yet the size of the shipping company you choose could play an even larger role in the cost–even whether or not your shipment makes it to its final destination.

Typically for ocean shipping, larger international shippers have a minimum of three to five cubic meters; while most small shippers will only send a couple of boxes. So, if you’re only sending over a few larger items that don’t meet the minimum requirements but are too bulky for the smaller shippers or U.S. Postal Service, you can be paying for quite a bit of unused space.

“Boston has a lot of international students and people from abroad working here, many who don’t know there are other options out there like small shippers who can better meet their needs,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship, a small load shipping specialist for the past two decades.

Boston Pack and Ship offers international ocean shipping to most major cities around the globe. Since Boston Pack and Ship has only a one cubic meter minimum, compared to the three-to-five cubic meter minimum for large shippers, sending your items via ocean freighter can be an affordable option.

Besides smaller minimums and offering pick-up services, Boston Pack and Ship also provides customized package and custom crate building services at its workshop in Braintree, Massachusetts. Most importantly, Boston Pack and Ship is certified by Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA).

NeLMA is a sanctioning body for the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM). Wood to be used for pallets and crates for overseas shipping must be heat-treated for 30 minutes at 133 degrees to receive the NeLMA stamp. This heat treatment kills any insects and their eggs that may be in the wood. Any crate shipped overseas without the appropriate stamp can be seized by customs authorities. What happens to the contents of an uncertified crate can range from fumigation to permanent destruction of the crate, its contents, or return of the shipment to the U.S.—all at the owner’s expense.

“There are many repercussions from using a shipping company large or small that is not certified. Having your items damaged or destroyed is one. The other is the possibility that the wood used on your pallet or crate is infested. There have been a few cases in the news recently where insects have made their way into the U.S.—and vice versa to other countries–via crates and done significant damage to trees and vegetation,” added Fell.

In addition to paying attention to minimums and only using shippers with the proper ISPM certifications, Boston Pack and Ship offers a number of other special overseas shipping services, including:

●       One page introductory e-mail outlining the entire process – full explanation of all fees

●       Preparation of all export customs documents.

●       Door-to-port service – Boston Pack and Ship will pick up your boxes at your home or office. Delivery is to a bonded warehouse where you can pick up your goods or arrange for final local delivery.

●       Consolidation of your shipment on a pallet – all boxes are stretch-wrapped in plastic and strapped to the pallet.

●       Complete information regarding shipment – name of vessel, voyage number, date of departure and arrival as well as a booking number will be e-mailed to you prior to shipping.

●       Complete contact information of overseas agent (name, address, phone, e-mail) to arrange delivery from port to final destination.

●       $500 worth of insurance for loss on each box is included.

For more information, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

Small load specialists

Boston Pack and Ship has been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

When shipping items overseas, size matters…How small shipping companies can save customers time and money on overseas shipments.Read More

Boston Pack and Ship delivers for Ropes & Gray employees “Backpacks for the Homeless” project.

BRAINTREE, MA and BOSTON, MA…

Back to school time of year means different things to different people. For Ropes & Gray lawyers and staff, it represents the time of year when they give backpacks of school supplies to school-age children at homeless shelters throughout Boston. Boston Pack and Ship, a Braintree-based small load shipping specialist, helped out in this cause, delivering 180 of those backpacks to a Boston homeless shelter.

“We’ve had a working relationship with Ropes & Gray for more than two decades. When we heard about the Backpack for the Homeless project, it was something we knew we wanted to be involved with,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship.

Ropes & Gray employees began the “Backpacks for the Homeless” initiative in 1999. Over the years, with the help of local sponsors and volunteers, the project has grown to the point where the group was creating backpacks for 13 Boston homeless shelters, including one with 180 school-age children (grades K-12).

“In previous years, we had counselors from each shelter come to our offices and pick up the backpacks for the kids. But with 180 backpacks going to a specific shelter, that was going to be a bit much. We’re very grateful to Boston Pack and Ship for volunteering a vehicle and their movers to take care of this delivery,” said Susan Minor, one of the coordinators of this year’s “Backpacks for the Homeless” project.   

Each backpack contains a variety of school supplies specific to each child’s grade. So while most backpacks will include your standards—paper, pencils, rulers, glue sticks, etc.—some will have items that their curriculum requires (e.g. 10th graders receiving a scientific calculator). In addition, each backpack contains an outfit for the first day of school (e.g. shirt and pants).

“Living in a homeless shelter, their lives are challenging enough. We started this program so these children could start the school year feeling like most kids with the supplies they need and a brand new set of clothes that fit,” said Minor.  

Added Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship, “We are delighted to be a part of this very worthwhile effort. The volunteers from Ropes & Gray who take part in this program are to be commended for taking this on every year. It’s no small accomplishment to get supplies and clothes in the right sizes for all those kids and they do a great job in pulling it all together.”

If you would like to make a monetary contribution or volunteer for next year’s backpack project, please contact: backpackproject@ropesgray.com

For more information on the breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s services, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

 

Small load specialists

Boston Pack and Ship, a small load specialist, has been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

Boston Pack and Ship delivers for Ropes & Gray employees “Backpacks for the Homeless” project.Read More

Getting good wood on shipments…Boston Pack and Ship receives Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association certification.

BRAINTREE, MA…

As a small load-shipping specialist, Boston Pack and Ship builds crates to fit some rather unique sized objects—e.g. artwork, grandfather’s clocks, high value computer servers/electronics. Yet for overseas shipments, that crate not only has to fit whatever is being shipped, but made from the right wood. Hence the importance of Boston Pack and Ship’s recent certification by  the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA).

Established in 1933, NeLMA is the rules writing agency for Eastern White Pine Lumber and the grading authority for Eastern Spruce, Balsam Fir, Spruce Pine Fir (SPFs) species grouping and other commercially important eastern softwood lumber species. Wooden crates used to ship items overseas must be stamped by a governing body like NeLMA.

“Overseas, there’s been a real problem with shipments in wooden crates infested with termites and other insects and bugs. Those insects travel via crate, jump off and then infest trees and vegetation. The new customs regulations mandate that crates being shipped overseas have the approval of a regulating body like NeLMA or the overseas customs officers will destroy the crate and what’s inside. Not to mention the serious fines that are involved. That’s why Boston Pack and Ship receiving our NeLMA certification is critical,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship.

Wood to be used for crates for overseas shipping must meet the guidelines set by the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures. Specifically, wood used for crates must be heat-treated for 30 minutes at 133 degrees to receive the NeLMA stamp.

“Many of the softer woods like spruce can’t be used for overseas crates because though they have been heat-treated, they have not been treated for the right length of time and temperature,” added Fell. “That’s something that NeLMA really stays on top of. Even with our certification, we still undergo random audits to ensure that every crate that ships out of here meets NeLMA standards.”

In addition to customized crates and packages, Boston Pack and Ship employs foam-in-place technology to ensure the safe shipment of products for both commercial and residential customers. Products being shipped can range from medical equipment and computer servers to delicate artwork and grandfather clocks.

Boston Pack and Ship offers multiple U.S. shipping options including ground and air delivery to a terminal for pickup or inside delivery. International options include air or ocean with door-to-door or door-to-port delivery. Full declared value is available on both domestic and international shipments. Pick-up of items to be packed and shipped for delivery is made by appointment.

For more information on the breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s services, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

Small load specialists

Formerly known as The Packaging Store and now repackaged as Boston Pack and Ship, these small load specialists have been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

Getting good wood on shipments…Boston Pack and Ship receives Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association certification.Read More

A perfect 10…Boston Pack and Ship owners celebrate 10 years in business together

BRAINTREE, MA…

On a scale of one to 10, Joe Fell and Bill Yankee, co-owners of Boston Pack and Ship, rate their business partnership as a 10. And that doesn’t strictly refer to the duo celebrating their 10 years as partners.

Says Fell, “Plain and simple, we work well together. That’s why it has lasted 10 years.”

Both Fell and Yankee operated as sole proprietors of The Packaging Store franchises in the late 1980s, with Fell located in Hingham and Yankee in Boston. Yet in a move designed to capture both the Boston market and the South Shore, they joined forces in 1999 and opened up shop in Braintree at 144 Lundquist Drive. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“Joe has a very good handle on the sales end of the business and getting new clients. My strength is in working with the customers. It’s a combination that’s served us well, particularly the past few years on our own,” said Yankee.

In 2007, Yankee and Fell broke free from their franchise agreement with The Packaging Store and became Boston Pack and Ship. With two decades in the business apiece, Fell and Yankee found themselves in the strange position of being a “new” business.

“Everything was essentially the same right down to the same two guys answering the phone, Bill and I, but we had to create a whole new identity as Boston Pack and Ship,” said Fell. “Just like everything else since Bill and I teamed up 10 years ago, it’s worked out. Being on our own has opened a number of doors and we’ve been able to introduce our services to several new markets.”

As its own entity and no longer paying franchise royalties, Boston Pack and Ship has reinvested those funds into marketing the company and building the brand on a local basis. That concentrated effort has allowed Boston Pack and Ship to:

●        Develop an online presence through its Web site and search engine optimization; enabling them to attract new business from online searches.

●        Enhance services with specialized services for senior moves, artwork moves, international students, estate services and international shipping.

●        Participate in philanthropic endeavors; Boston Pack and Ship has contributed shipping materials and supplies to many charitable organizations, including the Marshfield Christmas, the Braintree Women’s Club and the Nickerson American Legion Post in Quincy, to name a few.

“Our 10-year anniversary as business partners is significant in a number of ways. First, I consider any business partnership that can last more than a decade to be successful. But beyond lasting power, we’ve also been able to improve what it is we do and grow our business and that’s really gratifying,” says Yankee.

As small load specialists, Boston Pack and Ship provides a number of services to accommodate hard-to-ship, delicate items, expensive business equipment and irreplaceable personal items for out-of-state and international moves. Those services include:

  • Small loads – with no minimum requirement; blanket-wrapping for fragile, delicate moves; full insurance available
  • Custom crates and packaging for computers, electronic instruments, prototypes, antiques and artwork.
  • State-of-the-art, foam-in-place solutions to protect valuables
  • Multiple U.S. and International shipping options—ocean or air—to help lower costs
  • Door-to-door and door-to-port delivery with insurance available
  • On-time pickups by appointment
  • Student moves – no minimum requirements; storage space available for those summer months in between semesters

For more information on the breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s services, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

Small load specialists

Formerly known as The Packaging Store and now repackaged as Boston Pack and Ship, these small load specialists have been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

A perfect 10…Boston Pack and Ship owners celebrate 10 years in business togetherRead More

When your company is going places…Boston Pack and Ship helps relocating companies with delicate moves.

BRAINTREE, MA…

Whether it’s for business or personally, nobody enjoys a move. Yet the degree of difficulty can go up significantly when moving a business, particularly moving fragile electronic equipment like computers, monitors and servers. Boston Pack and Ship, a small load shipping specialist for two decades, has helped a number of companies through this transitional process.

“When a company relocates, all the equipment doesn’t necessarily go from Point A to Point B. Some goes to the new office, some might go to another location in the company, some is sold and some might be thrown out. Most companies don’t have the staff to handle that kind of move and it’s a job larger moving companies probably won’t touch if it’s less than 1,000 pounds,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship.

Boston Pack and Ship specializes in moves of 1,000 pounds or less. In addition, it offers customized package and custom crate building services at its workshop in Braintree. For items like computer equipment, artwork and other fragile items, Boston Pack and Ship employs foam-in-place technology to “lock” those items in place and limit movement within the package.

“Closing up our Providence office meant two moves, one to an office in Newport and another to our corporate headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Both involved the shipping of some very delicate and expensive equipment—hard drives, servers, printers and displays—as well as office furniture. Boston Pack and Ship conducted two separate moves to two of our locations in Denver. One was an expedited pack and ship of electronics and the other was a more cost effective blanket wrap service of office furniture. Not only did Boston Pack and Ship handle both moves seamlessly, but did so within a month’s time,” said Maureen Cronin, of Worldways Social Marketing.

The breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s relocation services include: 

  •  Small loads – with no minimum requirement; blanket-wrapping for fragile, delicate moves; full insurance available
  • Custom crates and packaging for computers, electronic instruments, prototypes, antiques and artwork. 
  • State-of-the-art, foam-in-place solutions to protect valuables
  • Multiple U.S. and International shipping options—ocean or air—to help lower costs
  •  Door-to-door and door-to-port delivery with insurance available
  • On-time pickups by appointment

For more information, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

Small load specialists

Formerly known as The Packaging Store and now repackaged as Boston Pack and Ship, these small load specialists have been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

When your company is going places…Boston Pack and Ship helps relocating companies with delicate moves.Read More

Destined for crate-ness! Boston Pack and Ship creates niche with customized crates for smaller shipments.

BRAINTREE, MA…

There’s the old expression “good things come in small packages”. At Boston Pack and Ship, a small load packing and shipping specialist for the past two decades, “good things happen with small shipments. Particularly when it comes to building customized crates for awkward-sized items.

“Most manufacturers ship items in bulk, even if it’s 1,000-lb. item. Very rarely do you see a shipment of one or two pieces. So, when companies have one or two items of that size to be shipped, it requires a customized crate to be built. That’s our forte,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship.

Building the crate is sometimes only half the job. For larger, more awkward-sized items, an onsite trip is required to measure the piece to be shipped to give a more accurate estimate. In most cases, Boston Pack and Ship’s staff will pick up the item for shipping and bring it back to the warehouse to build the crate.

“We build all our customized crates on site here in our workshop. Many times, the Boston Pack and Ship pick-up crew are the ones building the crate. That can make a big difference because the person building the crate has a better idea of the fragility of the shipment,” adds Fell.

For more fragile items, Boston Pack and Ship employs foam-in-place technology or closed cell foam to keep the item from moving within the crate during shipping. These technologies essentially create a casing for the item being shipped, which can be used again and again should the item need to be re-shipped to multiple locations.

Boston Pack and Ship serves both commercial and residential customers. Products being shipped can range from medical equipment and computer servers to delicate artwork and grandfather clocks. Typically, these items are of high monetary and/or sentimental value with a timely arrival being every bit as important as a safe arrival. Case in point, Boston Pack and Ship built a custom crate for a local artist’s large iron sculpture of an eagle commemorating the crash of Flight 93 on Sept 11.

Boston Pack and Ship offers multiple U.S. shipping options including ground and air delivery to a terminal for pickup or inside delivery. International options include air or ocean with door-to-door or door-to-port delivery. Full declared value is available on both domestic and international shipments. Pick-up of items to be packed and shipped for delivery is made by appointment.

For more information on the breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s services, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

Small load specialists

Formerly known as The Packaging Store and now repackaged as Boston Pack and Ship, these small load specialists have been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

 

Destined for crate-ness! Boston Pack and Ship creates niche with customized crates for smaller shipments.Read More

Boston Pack and Ship salutes Cape Cod Cares For Our Troops for holiday care package achievement.

BRAINTREE, MA and BREWSTER, MA…

Over its two decades as a small load shipping specialist, Boston Pack and Ship knows what it’s like to ship hundreds, even thousands of boxes at a time. That’s why the Braintree-based shippers holds Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops in the highest regard for achieving its goal of sending out 600 holiday to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. ,

Cape Cod Cares For Our Troops is a non-profit organization started by 15-year-old Dylan DeSilva of Brewster, Mass. Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops, which sends care packages to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan on a weekly basis, set a goal of 500 care packages to be sent for the holidays. Boston Pack and Ship donated 200 boxes and other packing supplies towards this effort.

“Boston Pack and Ship offers our heartfelt congratulations to Dylan and Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops for not only meeting its goal of 500, but for raising the bar and sending out 600,” said Joe Fell, co-owner of Boston Pack and Ship. “At Boston Pack and Ship, we specialize in sending out delicate, high monetary value items. Yet none probably mean as much as these care packages and we’re proud to have been a part of this effort.”

Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops’ regularly sends care packages to U.S. Troops overseas and accepts donations year round. Those interested contributing to the care packages can find a list of items and drop-off locations on www.capecod4thetroops.com. Cape Cod Cares for Our Troops also accepts monetary contributions to help with the cost of supplies and postage. Checks can be sent to: Cape Cod Cares for the Troops, 1831 Long Pond Rd.  Brewster, MA  02631.

“We’d like to thank Boston Pack and Ship and all our other sponsors and contributors for their generosity,” said DeSilva. “Five hundred care packages was a mighty ambitious goal, but with the help of all our volunteers and contributors, we were able to make it and then some. Thanks to all.”

For more information on Cape Cod Cares For Our Troops, please visit www.capecod4troops.com. For more information on the breadth of Boston Pack and Ship’s services, you can visit the company Web site at www.bostonpackandship.com. For a free quote on an out-of-state or international move or shipment, please call (800) 400-7204.

 Small load specialists

Formerly known as The Packaging Store and now repackaged as Boston Pack and Ship, these small load specialists have been a trusted strategic partner of many movers in eastern Massachusetts for more than two decades. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, Boston Pack and Ship employs custom crates and packaging and foam-in-place solutions to pack and ship everything from artwork to heirlooms, computers to antiques to both out-of-state and international destinations. Known for its fast and efficient customer service, one call is usually all it takes to schedule a pickup for a door-to-door or door-to-port shipment. For more information, visit www.bostonpackandship.com or call (800) 400-7204 for a free quote.

Boston Pack and Ship salutes Cape Cod Cares For Our Troops for holiday care package achievement.Read More