Handle With Care
With an ever growing base of Home Workers fuelling the growth of the cottage industry, the Post Office are keeping an ever watchful eye on what has been sent out via the postal service. This is with good reason as there seems to be a rise in many strange items boxed and packaged up.
ASC Direct have had many strange requests over their 30 years of manufacturing boxes. They also noted that since they added the custom boxbuilder tool, which lets customers create their own box to whatever size they require, it's only got stranger! Also, as people begin to create from their home and become the masters of their own vision, this is reflected in the sometimes bizarre box requests from the cottage industry. To celebrate the launch of their new website, ASC Direct have listed the 5 strangest requests they have ever had.
1. 'Breathable' boxes for a bee breeder
2. Snake carrier
3. Custom sized box for Worms
4. Double walled box to post frogs
5. Large box to post a full sized motorbike
To top of these strange requests ASC also received a call from a UK family looking for a bespoke box to post their daughter out to visit their parents in Australia! No they didn't fulfil this order but ASC Direct could of made a box to these bespoke sizes, but we all know it's illegal to send children in the post and a little bit unethical!
Andrew Woodhead, Managing Director at ascdirect.co.uk said: "We have had some very unusual requests but we enjoy providing the perfect solution to all our customers packaging needs. These have ranged from a request for boxes to post live crickets to reptile pet owners as food, and a box to post a bee hive safely. It never fails to amaze!"
With the cottage industry growing at such a rapid rate due to the help from companies like eBay, Amazon, Etsy and Not On The High Street, people dream up all sorts of business ideas hence the strange items passing through the postal service.
It is legal and possible to send live creatures via the Royal Mail, including; bees, caterpillars, cockroaches, crickets, earth worms, leeches, spiders and stick insects. Royal mail have a strict policy on these items been sent out in the correct type of boxes mainly that they need to be secure, good quality, fully labelled to what is inside and breather holes if needed. The Royal Mail supply their guidelines here:
www.royalmail.com/internationalprohibitedgoods
ASC Direct see a large increase of custom box orders from such clients running the unusual businesses as well as your everyday jewellery and craft business. The bespoke service, reasonable pricing, eco-friendly policy and custom size boxes with small unit orders keep people migrating to ASC Direct
ENDS
ASC Direct
Tel: 0800 0731126
Email: sales@asc-cartons.co.uk
