In the day and age where everyone can get anything delivered to their house, there are plenty of sources for discarded packaging supplies along with new supplies to keep an eye out for.
I think it’s safe to assume that there are more packing materials in circulation today that could be reused than the manufacturing of brand new packing materials on a daily basis.
or…
We could reuse already-existing packing materials and lower the production of new packing materials being created.
But, we are not here to talk about the eco-friendly criticism of the mass-production market. We are here to talk about how to obtain free materials for your reselling business!
Keep reading to find out my two favorite ways!
Two Ways to Find Free Shipping Supplies for Your Online Resale Business:
1. Collect empty packaging from friends, family, and your own home.
Amazon poly mailers, shoe boxes, manilla envelopes, food boxes. Anything can be a shipping container when you think about it!
Tell your coworkers, friends and family to save package materials for you instead of throwing them away! You might have a random assortment of sizes and conditions, but having variety is always a good thing.
My dad tells everyone at work about my online business, and he brings home piles of boxes for me to use!
Start a collection of supplies so that when you get your fifth Amazon delivery of the week, you can save the packaging and repurpose it for another item that sells later on, for free!
Or if you’re like me, you question every empty container as a “possible package supply”. If you think it will travel well, keep it for later!
2. Grab free shipping supplies from USPS to use on Priority Mail labels.
USPS offers free shipping boxes, poly mailers, and envelopes when you use certain “classes” of their labels!
When you have Priority Mail labels, you can use any type of the “flat rate” shipping supplies.
Each class has a different weight specification/requirement to be used properly, so do your research!
First Class labels DO NOT WORK with these free supplies!
When selling with Poshmark, you can use these free Priority Rate supplies due to their shipping agreement with the website. It even states this on the shipping labels.
You can pick these up either at your local USPS or for FREE DELIVERY to your door via USPS.com.
Besides being free, these packaging supplies are perfect for a secure and polished look when shipping out items, making your business look very professional! I love using these when possible, but it took me a long time to figure out the ranking system of the shipping labels. When in doubt, I use other poly mailers or boxes to be safe.
If you don’t care for uniformity and enjoy saving money, than the above options are a great place for you to start.
If you do want to spend a few bucks on shipping supplies, price check around to make sure you are getting the most for your investment. As this is a supply you won’t see for half of its intended purpose. Bulk supplies are good, but do your research!
Also, make sure the reviews of the potential products are excellent and what you are looking for in a shipping supply product. The last thing you need to worry about it is the quality and durability of your supplies ruining the delivery to a customer.
No matter how you spin it, if you own an online business you need shipping supplies.
Whether free or not, you need to ensure your product will make the journey from one home to another! Having variety is great for having the precise box or bag for each unique item you are selling.
Having the option of free supplies from USPS is also a great option to use, as it gives your packages a uniform look with easy obtainability.
If you just want to bulk buy packing supplies, I would recommend one of the two options above first, but if you must buy supplies make sure the seller has excellent and trusted products for you to use. Do your research!
I use all three methods in my reselling business, some boxes have been with me for years, some days I come home from the post office with arms full of new poly mailers, and I still have a stack of envelopes I bought online from years ago. Whatever method “floats your boat” and gets your sold items successfully to the buyer is truly all that matters.
Thank you so much for reading this blog post! If I left out any information or wrongly applied certain information, please do comment below so we can all learn together!
I truly appreciate all of your support of this blog, my shop, and all that there is to be done with RMS. It’s amazing how far I’ve come with the business, and it is truly all because of you. So, as always, I give so much love to you and hope you all take care of yourselves.
I’ve been actively engaged with college, so my blog posts have been lacking, and for that I am sorry. But, thank you for your patience and for all that you do. You’re amazing, love. -Kaitlyn ❤️
