Packaging items for sale and shipping can be intimidating. It can be a challenge, and it's easy for the prices to get out of hand. But don't worry. It doesn't need to be that way.
Something important to remember is that when you have something shipped, you don't pay for the cost of postage alone. There's a reason most places title the shipping cost
shipping and handling. Whenever something is packaged and mailed, the cost of shipping is postage, and the cost of handling is the cost of packing materials plus the cost of time to package and prepare something for mailing. The latter two are something generally not offered for free, and if done right, the cost of packaging will be so minuscule that no one will bat an eye.
As an example, when I sell a pair of earrings, I charge $2.50 for shipping and handling. Postage alone on most packages comes out to $1.92 if I can ship from home, higher if it must go through the physical post office. A few cents cover the Etsy and Paypal fees charged on processing the cost of shipping, and the rest covers the expense of packaging.
Now, when I say packaging, I don't just mean the bubble mailer the stuff is shipped in. It also includes gift boxes, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, tissue paper, gift bags, or anything else that might be necessary for making a nice presentation. When you think about it, 50 cents to cover fancy packaging that leaves a lasting image of quality is pretty good. But when gift boxes at the store can cost upwards of a dollar each, how can you offer nice presentation without cutting into your bottom line?
Here's a few suggestions.
Tissue paper
Ideal for wrapping objects, keeping bundles of things together, and serving as a lightweight padding or filler. It comes in a lot of colors, too, which means you can coordinate it with a theme in your shop or other packaging.
Where to buy: PaperMart has some of the best prices I've found.
If you're in a hurry: Emergencies happen. If you need paper in a hurry, try a dollar store.
Dollar Tree sells 50 sheets of white tissue paper for a dollar, making them a great last-minute resource.
Gift boxes
Though they come in a lot of shapes and sizes, my favorite is the pillow-style gift box. They're flat for storage, but fold up stiff enough to withstand mailing. Regardless of whether you want this kind or the traditional square boxes, though, the best supplier I've found is the same.
Where to buy: eBay. Stock changes all the time, so I won't provide listings, but eBay has the best gift box prices I've found, often available with free shipping.
If you're in a hurry: Make your own! A template like
this one makes it easy to turn any piece of stiff paper or cardstock into a gift box at the last minute. If you're feeling ambitious, you can even use blank card stock and design a custom box to print for every item.
Ribbon, lace and twine
When you think of packaging, you might not immediately think of these things, but they make an excellent accent for trimming and finishing your product packaging. I tie all my gift boxes with a piece of satin ribbon in either my shop's colors, or colors coordinating with the item inside the package.
Where to buy: HomeSew has excellent prices on bulk trims.
If you're in a hurry: Of all places, Walmart actually has quality ribbons and trims at decent retail prices, if you're lucky enough to live near one with a fabric/sewing department.
Organza bags
Very popular for packaging small items without adding a lot of bulk or expense, though if you ship in bubble mailers, you'll need to add packing peanuts to the package to keep an item in an organza bag from being crushed.
Where to buy: While they do have a minimum order requirement of $25, it's definitely worth it to get these from
8seasons. Most come in packs of 100, for under $4 per pack. Just order a few hundred at a time and it works out great!
If you're in a hurry: Check the dollar bins at craft stores like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. They often have 4-packs of organza bags.
Bubble mailers
A staple for any small crafting business, you'll want to get these in bulk, as well. Most items fit into a #0, which is the right size for a DVD case to slide inside perfectly. A size #00 is a little more than half the size, but can be better for very small items.
Where to buy: eBay. Again, no links for this one because of changing stock, but you can usually find lots that work out to under 15 cents per mailer.
If you're in a hurry: Dollar stores are a good bet for last-minute bubble mailers, because while most stores sell them in bundles of 5 or more for at least 5 dollars, dollar stores tend to sell packs of two mailers for a dollar.
Cardboard shipping boxes
You may not realize it, but cardboard is actually pretty expensive. Boxes take unusual specialized machinery to make, glue and fold. I've actually gotten to see one of these machines in person before, and it's pretty impressive, and pretty expensive, too.
Where to buy: ULINE boxes in bulk work out to be the most cost effective. They sell a lot of other packing materials, too, so if you order them all at once, you can save on shipping.
If you're in a hurry: Make your own. Unwanted cardboard can be found at any major retail outlet. Ask for a few pieces and then get creative with a knife or scissors. I've often cut down pieces of cardboard to make boxes for shipping, and while it's time consuming, it's much better than paying several dollars a box anywhere you can pick them up in person.
There are other types of packaging I haven't covered, but since this post is already rather long, I'll leave it with the basics covered here and come back for more detailed information in another, later post.
Until next time!
