How to Select the Right Packaging Supplies

Selecting the Right Packaging Supplies

Selecting the right packaging supplies can be difficult for anyone. With all of the different options available, it is essential that your package is properly delivered to the recipient in the most effective and efficient way possible.

If you are always mailing or shipping gifts, products, and packages, you need to make sure you have the proper insights to send out your boxes. Check out these great ways to select the right packaging supplies!

Business Mailing

If you run a business, don’t forget that even mailing a package is a marketing opportunity. You always want to get your name out there, so look into packing suppliers who can brand your labels, boxes, and tape, so that even the mail carrier will be familiar with your company.

Additionally, you can add a personal flair by tying on some creative gift wrap and letting your consumer know that your business stands distinguished.

Breakable

Remember when packing something breakable, use lots and lots of padding. Bubble wrap works wonders, but if that isn’t available to you, try newspaper or old sheets or towels. Anything soft that will buffer the breakable item.

If you have a shredder, you can re-use shredded documents as padding in your shipping boxes. Just make sure that you’re not dealing with any confidential information. Often, documents that have personal information should be destroyed separately. But if you shred junk mail and newsletters and other non-secure documents, then you have access to some great padding for fragile mailings.

Of course, you can also buy shredded paper if you don’t have a shredder. It comes in different colors, so if you or your brand is associated with a certain color, you can pack your product in a box filled with that color shredded paper.

Food

There are boxes that are specifically made for packaging food. Cake boxes and doughnut boxes come to mind immediately, but there are also containers that are specifically manufactured to package your food, like see-through pouches for candies or nuts.

Whether you’re a caterer who needs take-out boxes and disposable food trays or an individual who likes to give a nice bottle of wine as a gift, you’ll find just the right packing if you check out a packaging supply store. The easiest way is the check online to see if the packaging store has what you need, then you can decide whether it makes sense to have the supplies shipped to you or if you should go pick them up.

Quality Tape

Whether wrapping a gift or a shipping box, make sure that you use high-quality tape. This will be worth it to you in the end. No one wants a shipping box to open up during the delivery. In addition, you can get tape that is printed with your company name or with a delivery message like “fragile” or “breakable.”

If you’re sending out a gift, using transparent scotch tape is essential, as you don’t want to cover up the gift wrap with large strips of tape covering the box.

Peanuts

Packing peanuts can be very useful for packing fragile items, and they are recyclable in a few ways.

First, just save them in a separate container and use them whenever you’re sending something out. Encourage your recipients to do the same.

Second, if you have an indoor potted plant, it can be very hard to move when the pot is filled with soil. Instead, fill the pot halfway with packing peanuts, and then add soil. The pot will be lighter and easier to manage, and you will have provided a second life to the peanuts.

Third, invest in biodegradable peanuts that dissolve on contact with water. These peanuts are made from vegetable starch, and they work just as well as regular peanuts—until the water hits them.

Tubes

Don’t forget about shipping tubes. If you have a poster or calendar to mail, a tube-shaped container is just what you need. You’ll be able to mail blue prints or original sketches without creasing them.

Individuals

Even if you don’t run a business, you might still need to have all the right packaging supplies handy.

• Moving: Moving is never easy, and it’s always at least a little stressful. You can lessen the stress by making sure you have all the right supplies. Then make sure you have everything packed up and well-labeled on the top and sides of the box before the movers arrive.

• Holidays: If you have family scattered all over the country, make sure you keep a supply of packing materials handy for birthday and holiday gifts. This doesn’t just mean boxes! Keep some padded envelopes handy to mail smaller items.

• Storage: If you have no immediate plans to move, you may need some additional space in your house. Gather together things you won’t need for a while and pack them away in an airtight, dust free container. If the container is see-through, great! Otherwise, label it well before putting it in the attic, basement, or garage.

• Organization: Whether you’re sorting tax papers or organizing photos for a memory book, use a bin box sorter to help. These are sturdy, reusable, open boxes that will assist you in organizing your paperwork.

• Budget: When budget is a concern, you can always recycle. Make sure to save any boxes (and packing materials) that are delivered to your house in a clean, dry place. Then reuse those materials when you need to send something out. You’ll be helping the environment and your wallet.

With a little advanced planning, you should have no trouble finding and using just the right packing materials for you or your business. Let these tips help give you the most effective and efficient ways to transport your products or packages safely!

Author Bio

Marian Sparks is a freelance writer and a crafts enthusiasts from Los Angeles, California. With over 10 years of experience owning her own DIY art store, she has shipped hundreds of products out to her customers. When she is not busy at work, she enjoys reading and writing.