For Online Sellers: How to Save Money on Shipping Boxes and Packing Materials

Successful online sellers know that keeping overhead low is a must. However, if you are continually packaging and shipping items, there are three crucial supplies that one must have on hand at all times: shipping boxes, interior packing materials and mailing tape. Having packaged and shipped well over five thousand parcels, I have some experience in seeking the best prices on these items and in some cases getting them for free.

Of these three supplies, tape is the hardest to economize on. If you are purchasing your tape at the standard office supply retail stores, you are likely paying far too much for it. Since it is easy and convenient to do so, I sometimes order economy-grade packaging tape online from wholesale dealers on EBay. There are many on EBay from whom to buy and amongst whom to compare prices. Since rolls of tape are heavy, you must also be sure to compare the shipping charges. Depending on the dealer, and the means of shipping, these charges can nearly negate any savings. Look for dealers who stand by the quality of their economy mailing tape. The good economy tape is thin but still strong and very sticky. But in my experience these dealers sell good economy tape which is far more reliable than that found at dollar and other local discount stores. Beware cheaper tapes that lack enough glue or those that have a toxic plastic odor.

Frequently, however, I find that I am running out of tape and need to buy it locally. In that case, Walmart has had the best prices I've found for good economy-style tape. If I have a bit of time, I keep an eye out for sales at department stores, drugstores and supermarkets. These kinds of stores often over-ordered premium high-quality tape for the holidays and then mark it down substantially to move it off their shelves.

When it comes to interior packing material, clean unprinted newsprint is excellent and often obtainable for free in the form of newspaper end rolls. These are partial rolls of clean newsprint that are left over when a newspaper had been printed. If you live in an area that prints small and regional newspapers, you may be able to get the printer to give you end rolls when they become available. General commercial printers may also have some end rolls on hand.

Free boxes are almost always available. Cardboard boxes are discarded everyday by the thousands. They can be found in the aisles of supermarkets, drug stores, big box stores, craft stores, liquor stores, pet stores and appliance stores; having just been emptied by stock clerks who are filling the shelves. If you ask politely if you make take the empty box, stock clerks and store personnel are almost universally happy to give them to you. After all, you will have saved these folks the time and trouble of flattening these boxes and hauling them to the recycling bin or dumpster. Supermarkets and drugstores are surprisingly good places to find smaller boxes which are great for packing items such as books and small collectibles. The trick is to be there when the shelves are being stocked-- usually about the same time every day or week.

After a short stint of haunting supermarkets and drugstores for good boxes, you will begin to know which boxes are the best and which are best avoided. Avoid any box that retains an odor-- even a pleasant odor. These can include boxes that shipped bacon or salami, candy, feminine care products, and any perfumed item. Avoid the waxed boxes that are often used to ship fresh or frozen produce. Look for boxes that were used to ship well-packaged dry foods such as boxed dinners and cake mixes, and dry goods such a stationery supplies. Boxes must be absolutely clean, inside and out! If you sell books and can approach local book stores about discarded boxes, you will get superb book boxes!

Some of these commercial boxed will be printed from one end to the other with product names and logos. Shipping your product with someone else's visible logos looks sloppy and unprofessional, and also may be rejected by the post office. Rather than waste a lot of paper, glue, and tape trying to hide these printed areas, the trick is to turn your boxes inside out. Almost all boxed have one edge-- a thin flap-- that is glued with a hot glue gun. Simply slide a flat knife under that flap and lift. Turn the box inside out and either re-glue with your own hot glue gun or simply tape very well. Be sure your tape is sticky enough to hold that edge down.

A final word on boxes: even with the advertising on the inside, avoid boxes that having printed names and logos of items that might offend or disgust a buyer-- such as feminine products, or products of a sexual nature, for example.