e-Newsletter

Online is Big News!

New findings show that four in five Australian internet users now shop online¹, there is also an increase in the number of items purchased per online order since 2007². eBay, in particular, provides a doorway to an array of unusual goods and gifts, items that aren't readily available through retail outlets. As a result of online purchasing, the importance of a flexible local and international logistics solution has become increasingly important.

Pack & Send is one company that has seen, first hand, the impact of online purchases and eBay. "It's one thing being able to purchase goods from all over the globe; it's another finding the means of transporting them, both nationally and internationally," says Pack & Send Founder & CEO, Michael Paul. Online auction houses such as eBay have also seen a dramatic increase in listings in the lead-up to Christmas. Between January and August 2008, auction listings averaged 14,500,000. This number has more than doubled in the past two months; there were 31,000,000 listings registered at the end November 2008³!

With over 15 years of experience in the transportation of goods, Pack & Send specialise in the safe and secure packing and transportation of fragile, large, awkward and valuable items, many of which are often found on online. Pack & Send don't have restrictions on the type and size of goods they send. Whether it's a child's first train set, a work of art or a 17-foot kayak, the trained professionals at Pack & Send will help consumers with all their packing and sending needs.

1 Nielsen Company. Accessed 3 December 2008
2 Retail Biz. Accessed 3 December 2008
3 MedVed.net.au. Accessed 3 December 2008

The Challenge:

To co-ordinate the movement of fragile sales equipment across Australia.

Bunnings' Warehouse had just taken over the BBC hardware chain and urgency was in the air. As re-branding swept through the new locations, old point of sales systems needed to make a quick exit.

A Bunnings' executive was made responsible for the job. Organising to have the old BBC hardware computers and ancillary equipment removed, he was beginning to find he had a problem. He'd just hung up from his last call. After explaining that he needed the hardware to be picked up from service centres all over the country, cleaned, packaged, labeled and sent off within hours, he was at a loss; the companies called lacked either the resources or the attitude to complete such a job. On to the next number.

Pat from Pack & Send South Brisbane answered. His run around was over. Pat's value added service gave Bunnings the complete solution: collecting, cleaning, packaging and delivering! It was the personalised service he'd been hoping for. Putting on her hat of project manager, Pat mobilised the Pack & Send Service Centre Connect network

Each service centre was set to work, picking up equipment, cleaning keyboards and stickers off monitors, packing with custom made foam-in-place and sending the units on to their Bunnings central storage destination. Pat also developed innovative storage procedures and forms allowing stock retrieval by Bunnings in the shortest period of time.

'There were no losses either,' said the Bunnings' executive. 'Once we gained confidence in the Pack & Send network, we could Set and Forget.' 'This was by far the biggest job we'd received in our five years with Pack & Send,' said Pat. 'It was a lot of hard work, but completely worth it for a successful mission accomplished.'

And the end of one job was just the beginning of another in a fruitful relationship that continues to blossom.