McDonald Containers - The Shipment of Cremated Remains

The Shipment of Cremated Remains

When shipping cremated remains, it is important to carefully follow the packaging instructions provided by the shipping company as to avoid anything being lost or damaged. Currently, one of the only parcel companies who handles cremated remains is the United States Postal Service (USPS). Other shipping companies such as Fed Ex and UPS do not provide this service.

USPS only allows packages containing cremated remains to be shipped via express mail or registered mail. If you or your client choose the registered mail option, it is important to remember that all registered packages have a weight limit of 4 lbs, and it is necessary to fill out a Registered Mail Return Receipt Requested form at the post office that will notify you with proof of delivery once the package has been delivered.

The first step in successfully shipping cremation remains is to make sure that the package is well sealed and resilient enough to withstand shipping. The USPS regulations require that the package is “spill-proof.” Because of this, it is suggested that the original bag or box containing the remains be placed inside another box in order to avoid any leaking or spilling.

After this, it is important to clearly label the content of the package on the address side of the box, so postmen know that they are handling a container for cremated remains.

Then, the sealed package should be brought to the post office where the shipping fee will be paid for and the box will be sent.

For a full list of rules and regulations, visit the USPS’s official website: < a href ="http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_019.htm#ep290284" target="_blank">pe.usps.com.

The United States Postal Service tries to make the shipment of cremated remains as easy as possible. The most important things to remember are that the package must be spill-proof and the contents clearly labeled.

If you wish to purchase sturdy, spill proof containers, please visit our McDonald Containers’ website for wholesale temporary urns to hold the cremated remains and mailers to hold the urns for shipping: mcdonaldcontainers.com/plastictemporaryurns mcdonaldcontainers.com/corrugatedtemporaryurns

The United States Postal Service tries to make the shipment of cremated remains as easy as possible. The are two very important things to remember when packaging. The first is to make certain that the package is spill-proof (this is part of the USPS regulations) and you might also want to be sure that you have packed the urn in a way that it does not move around during transportation (that is, however, a personal preference). It is also important that the contents of the package are clearly labeled on the outside of the box.