How to Pack and Ship Your Memories to Memory Fortress
Most of our customers ship their photos, videotapes, movie film, audio and other family memories to our Atlanta facility. This page shows you exactly how to pack your shipment, identify your order, choose a carrier and know what happens after it arrives.
Suite 128
Atlanta, GA 30329
That is completely normal. We routinely receive boxes containing hundreds or thousands of photos, large videotape collections, movie film, albums and mixed family archives.
From Your Home to Memory Fortress — and Back Again
Shipping your memories does not need to be complicated. There are really just four steps.
Pack
Use a sturdy box and protect your materials so they cannot shift, bend or become mixed together during transit.
Identify
Put your name, phone number, email address and any important instructions inside the shipment.
Ship
Send the box to our Atlanta facility using a tracked shipping service and keep the tracking number until it arrives.
Return
We digitize your memories in-house, then securely pack your originals and finished order for the trip back home.
Start With a Strong Box
Your goal is simple: protect your memories from crushing, bending and unnecessary movement while they are in transit.
FAMILY ARCHIVE
Use a Box in Good Condition
Choose a sturdy corrugated shipping box. Avoid boxes that are crushed, torn, soft from repeated use or too thin for the weight of the contents.
Keep Groups Together
Use bags, envelopes, smaller boxes or the original containers to keep organized groups from becoming mixed during shipping.
Fill Empty Space
Use clean packing paper, bubble wrap or other cushioning so the contents cannot slide around freely inside the box.
Protect Fragile Items From Pressure
Albums, scrapbooks, film reels, discs and other fragile materials should not carry the full weight of heavier items stacked above them.
Do Not Make One Box Too Heavy
If a box becomes difficult to lift or carry safely, split the order into two or more boxes instead.
Our Organizing Memories guide shows how to prepare photos, slides, albums, tapes, film, audio and other formats before packing.
Put Your Contact Information Inside the Box
Shipping labels can be damaged, torn or separated from a package. A simple identification sheet inside the box gives us another way to immediately connect the shipment to you.
Keep It Simple
You do not need to create a complicated inventory unless you want to. A printed order confirmation plus a short note is usually enough.
Tell Us What Matters
If certain groups must stay separate, folders need specific names, or part of the collection has special handling instructions, write that down clearly.
Put Identification in Every Box
If your order is arriving in multiple boxes, include your name and phone number inside each one.
Labels on the Materials Still Help
A bag marked “Mom's Childhood” or a box marked “Vacation Slides” is far more useful than pages of complicated explanation.
Use a Tracked Shipping Service
We strongly recommend shipping your order with tracking and keeping the tracking number until your package has safely arrived at Memory Fortress.
UPS or FedEx
We generally recommend UPS or FedEx for shipments containing irreplaceable family materials. Both provide dependable tracking and are commonly used by our customers nationwide.
2250 North Druid Hills Road NE
Suite 128
Atlanta, GA 30329
What About USPS?
USPS can deliver to us, but for irreplaceable originals we generally prefer UPS or FedEx based on our experience with tracked customer shipments. Whichever carrier you choose, use tracking and keep your receipt.
We Call You the Day It Arrives
We call every customer on the day their shipment arrives so you know your memories made it safely to Memory Fortress.
During that call, we confirm the approximate scope of the project, answer any questions, and collect enough additional payment to bring the order to 50% before production begins.
Your Originals Come Back Home
Digitizing your memories does not mean giving up the originals. When the work is complete, we prepare your original materials and finished digital order for the trip back to you.
Your Digitizing Is Completed
We finish the requested transfers, scanning or conversion work and prepare your digital files for delivery.
Your Originals Are Gathered Together
Your photos, tapes, film, albums, audio and other original materials are prepared to return with the completed order.
We Pack Everything for the Return Trip
Your materials are carefully repacked for the return trip home.
Your Return Shipment Is Tracked
Your completed order is sent back using a tracked shipment so the return journey can be followed until delivery.
Absolutely. Digitizing gives you a modern copy of your memories; your original materials still belong to you.
You Can Bring Your Memories to Us in Person
If you live in the Atlanta area, you do not need to ship your order. You are welcome to bring your photos, videotapes, movie film, slides, albums, audio and other family memories directly to Memory Fortress.
Suite 128
Atlanta, GA 30329
No problem. Large photo collections, boxes of videotapes, albums and mixed family archives are common.
Need Help Before You Ship?
Call us if you are unsure how to pack something, whether we can handle a format, or what to include with your order. Walk-ins are also welcome during normal business hours.