Live From the Islands
Shipping Home the Goodies
It would be a rare island visitor who never considered buying something bigger than a suitcase, but do you dare? Of course. Sanibel and Captiva have several professional packing and shipping companies. Your treasure, whatever it may be, will be delivered wherever you imagined it would be, safe and sound.
Pak-n-Ship, at 2402 Palm Ridge Road on Sanibel, will pack your items for you. Don't worry about finding a box the right size. They have it, or if they don't have it, they will create it. You may also purchase gift boxes there. You may opt to send a nice selection of citrus fruit to a northern friend; Pak-n-Ship's fresh fruit is prepackaged and ready to go.
Pak-n-Ship uses both FedEx and UPS carriers. This handy company also offers private mailbox rental and fax services (incoming and outgoing) for a fee. Pak-n-Ship is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 5:00 and Saturday from 9:00 to 4:00. 395-1220.
Qwik Pack & Ship, not to be confused, is located at the intersection of Casa Ybel Road and Periwinkle Way, just across the street from Jerry's grocery. Also offering packing of your goods, private mailboxes, and fax service, Qwik Pack & Ship is a service pit stop: You can have keys made, copy some documents, send or receive a fax, even buy a long-distance phone card. (We like the ones with manatees on them.)
Qwik Pack & Ship puts no limits on the size of object you can ship; furniture is a possibility. Frozen fish and shrimp have been successfully shipped as well.
Shipping almost anywhere in the world, Qwik Pack & Ship is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 5:00 and Saturday 9:00 to 4:00. 472-0288.
Since 1984, one island shipping company has been incorporated within another business. Arundel's, at 1626 Periwinkle Way in Heart of the Island Plaza, is primarily a Hallmark store. But a look inside reveals that the Arundel family offers, as a sideline, shipping services. Chris Arundel will gladly show off his high-tech shipping station, which includes online computer tracking of any parcel sent via FedEx or UPS, no matter the point of origin.
"We have shipped an entire house to Europe, all the contents," says Arundel, proving that no job is too large for the shop. The company has even packaged and shipped a huge piece of driftwood.
Also making environmental strides, Arundel's will accept boxes in good condition and will gladly recycle your packing peanuts (these fly out of dumpsters and trash cans, making an awful non-biodegradable mess). Arundel's services include photo processing and a fascinating new machine that makes photographic prints from prints - perfect for people without negatives.
Open Monday through Friday 9:00 to 5:00 and Saturday from 10:00 until 5:00. 472-0434.
Captiva Island also has access to shipping services, via Arundel's Chadwick's Circle location, just inside the South Seas Plantation entrance. Seven days a week from 10:00 until 6:00. 395-0434.
Don't leave behind that piece of artwork or special island object just because it's too big or you're out of time. Hand it over to one of our islands' shipping professionals, and relax.
