The carton is part of the product

Transit damage is the silent margin killer for e-commerce furniture: the product was perfect, the journey wasn't. A failed drop test before shipment costs a packaging respec; a failed journey after shipment costs return freight, refunds and reviews. Buyers typically add this to a pre-shipment inspection on the same visit—one booking, both risks covered. Priced from $149 when added to a pre-shipment inspection on the same visit, or $249 booked on its own — buyer-paid, fixed at booking.

For furniture that ships as a parcel rather than in a supervised container, the packaging is not an afterthought — it is the last line of defence, and the one most often skipped. A piece can pass every inspection for finish and construction and still arrive cracked, because nobody tested whether the carton survives the parcel network. Transit damage is the silent margin killer for e-commerce furniture: the product was perfect, the journey was not, and the cost lands after you have been paid — as return freight, refunds and one-star reviews about a table that left the factory flawless.

The core test is an ISTA 3A drop sequence: sampled cartons are run through the standard parcel-network drop orientations and the results photographed, so you see how your packaging actually behaves, not how it looks. Alongside the drop test we review the packaging specification — corner protection, honeycomb board, void fill and carton grade against the weight actually inside — and, for flat-pack, the kit itself: hardware counts against the BOM, instruction sheets and part labelling. Most buyers add validation to a pre-shipment inspection on the same visit, from $149, or book it standalone at $249 — buyer-paid, with the report inside 24 hours.