Free Boxes for eBay Shipping

If you sell a lot on eBay, you know that saving on shipping supplies can make a big difference in how much money goes into your pocket at the end of every month. Nothing is more frustrating than looking at your bank account and thinking that you are doing fine, but then having to shell out a hundred dollars to buy boxes in which to ship your items. There go your profits.

Buying boxes, especially, can be expensive. You can charge your customer for the box, but we all know that eBay customers are very price sensitive. They might, ironically, pay a big corporation high shipping charges, buy they complain like heck to you if you raise your prices. A good box at Wal-Mart can cost three dollars or more; Office Max isn't cheap, either, though they do have pretty good deals on Banker's Boxes, averaging about a dollar fifty per box.

One solution you might have thought of is going to liquor stores and asking for free boxes. In fact, they are happy to give them away. Unlike super markets, they do not yet recycle them. But you might have discovered that the post office will not allow you to send items in old liquor boxes, because sending alcohol through the mail is not allowed, apparently.

I have the solution.

You can use those boxes.

What I do is "break down" the box, in other words, open the top, and also open the bottom where it is pasted together. You should easily be able to do that without tearing the flaps.

Next, cut down along one of the seams of the box, all the way so that you end up with one, long piece of cardboard. Use a sharp exacto knife, but take care that you do not cut yourself.

Next, invert the box and tape up the cut that you just made. I lay the cut end so it is over the edge of a table, and put three strips of packing tape around the cut, and then lay another strip long way down the cut, effectively taping the box back together.

You now have a box, inside out, and the nice, plain brown cardboard is on the outside, and all of the advertising for the liquor is on the inside, where the postal people will not see it.

At this point, fill the box with your product, then tape up the top flaps. I do add plenty of tape around the box to make sure that it is sturdy, and if you do a good job, it will be. I ship books, which are quite heavy, and I have never had a box fall apart.

I go back to certain stores so often to get boxes that they know my name and have boxes waiting for me, and I like it when they already have the boxes broken down. It saves me some work and makes them easier to drive home.

I give the employees books now and then to keep them happy and generous.

Use this tip and you will save a lot of money, and once you are used to the process above, it does not take much extra time.