4 Tips for Sending Food Hampers That Aren't Expensive ...

If you send a small food hamper with a few high-quality items be it luxury chocolates or fine cheese, you may spend less money than if you ordered a large gift basket. Shipping is certainly less expensive if it is a fraction of the cost of a large gift basket. And the recipient will appreciate high end cheese and chocolates over a few extra boxes of crackers and trail mix.

Food hampers don’t have to take the form of a fully packed picnic hamper or a large stuffed basket. You could order a gift box full of food that could be mailed via the post. Then the gift order could be fulfilled by any service, and the shipping costs are minimal. Another option is a gift bouquet, whether you’re sending chocolates or fruit kabobs. The items are packed in a circular tin or even a ceramic mug. The container is smaller and more transportable than a large wicker basket, and this can lower the overall cost.

You can often save a lot of money by shopping around. You might find local stores willing to put together and deliver a food hamper for a fraction of the cost of a name brand store. If you can find a local service that can assemble and deliver a gift basket, you could save a lot on shipping because it is a local delivery. This is why you should find out if local candy shops make and deliver gift baskets in the surrounding area before you assume you have to pay for the big chains to make and ship it. It is quite common for florists to create gift baskets combining their flowers along with complementary items like baked goods or candies.

It isn’t that perishable items cost more per se. It is that perishable items increase the logistical costs involved. Perishable fruit need to be kept chilled in storage, and they may need to be kept cool in transit. Fresh foods may need to be carefully packed with insulation or cooling packs. Items with a short shelf life or may simply melt in the back of a hot van may end up in poor condition when they reach their final destination. Gift basket makers may charge a premium to make up for these losses.

The solution is to choose items that aren’t perishable when you’re placing the order. For example, you could fill a food hamper with hard candies instead of milk chocolate. Or order a gift basket with dried fruit instead of fresh fruit. Pick hard fruit and nuts over baked goods that could go bad in a few days. You could also arrange for delivery of something like an assortment of jellies or salsas for them to try.