Shipping Supplies for Etsy, eBay, or Any Online Store
I currently have two separate Etsy stores. While this list of products and advice will be based off my experience through Etsy, all of the items and advice are not exclusively for that. You can use these shipping supplies for Etsy, eBay, or any online store!
One of the great things about Etsy is that each shop is its own individual brand. You decide everything! From the prices to the designs, to the products, and more! I was so excited to start my store, but I will admit being the only decision maker is a double-edged sword. Once I finally got my first sale I was ecstatic until I realized I had to actually package and ship this thing!
In all of the preparation of items to sell and what to name my shop, I had overlooked a key aspect. Immediately I began googling shipping products and suggestions for Etsy stores and was overwhelmed. There is so much information and not all of it is helpful.
One of the keys things to remember when you are starting is your budget. It is true you have to spend money to make money. However, until you are sure you can turn a decent profit with an item do not buy bulk. When I say bulk I mean 50 items or more in a package. You have no idea if the product you are making is going to do as well as you hope. The last thing you want is to be stuck with items you cannot use.
This rule applies to your packaging materials. As your shop grows you will need to be more efficient with shipping products. However, when you start, I recommend testing out a few different methods. Depending on the items you are selling you will need a variety of packing materials.
Shipping Labels
There is a sequence of events that tend to happen with Etsy shops as far as how they print their labels. The first few packages are usually printed out on copy paper and then taped over using heavy shipping tape.
After you start selling a few items per week, most shops switch to half sheet labels. It is more efficient since you aren’t constantly having to tape up the shipping info.
Once you realize your store is slowly becoming a business you need to be extremely efficient and cost-effective. This means you will have to spend a chunk of money to save a lot more in the long run.
The Dymo LabelWriter 4XL Thermal Label Printer is what I use and 100% recommend. It is compact and efficient. It prints off 4″x6″ labels and uses direct thermal printing so you do not have to buy ink.
Besides from buying labels every 220 orders, this is an investment you need to make the second you realize you are becoming a business. The labels are typically under $10 a roll, or you can buy them in bulk as well!
Packing Supplies
Making sure your item arrives unbroken and undamaged is a real concern. One of the biggest pieces of advice I got was to not throw any packing materials away anymore. You will be ordering a lot of items for your store to either sell or for business purposes. Keep any extra paper or bubble wrap that you receive and reuse it. Not only is it cost effective, but environmentally friendly.
Some of the items I sell are fragile so I had to figure out quickly how to get them to the customer in one piece. While bubble wrap at the dollar store worked at first, it was definitely not a great investment for the long run.
Staples sells kraft paper rolls in various sizes. I picked up a 40 lb. roll that was 24″ tall and 900′ long. It lasted me almost an entire year! For $28 a roll it is absolutely worth that price. It is also skinny enough that it doesn’t take up a lot of room in my office. This can be a big concern for small shop owners since they only have so much free space.
If you need bubble wrap for your items I suggest starting with the easy to tear type. If you realize you are going through it a lot faster than you can reorder it is time to upgrade.
Uline sells bubble packaging material in boxes. It is perforated every 12″ and comes in various bubble sizes. You’ll be able to determine the bubble size that best fits your needs!
For fragile items that need to have protective cushioning, foam wrap sheets are perfect. They are great to protect any items without taking up a lot of space!
Last but not least is tissue paper. Almost everything I ship has tissue paper. The shirts are wrapped in it to add some protection, but mostly because it looks more professional to have them nicely wrapped than just shoved in a bag. You can order all white in bulk, or even pick out fun patterns and colors to match your business!
Packages
What you are shipping your product in really depends on your product. My favorite shops to get packing materials are Staples, Amazon, and USPS.
USPS allows you to order free boxes to ship via USPS. This makes financial sense since you aren’t spending any money on the box itself. However, since they are free and ship free, they don’t always arrive in a timely manner. These are great to have extra boxes around your office, but if you see you are getting low on supply order right away. Especially around the holidays, it can take a while for them to get to you and the post office doesn’t carry every size.
Amazon is my #1 go-to for almost all supplies for my store, including packaging. This is because the 2-day free shipping I get as an Amazon Prime Member. If you aren’t a member, sign up immediately.
If you plan on turning your Etsy store into a business, definitely consider setting up an Amazon Business account. It makes it a lot easier and smoother ordering any supplies.
Some of the items I have bought off Amazon for mailing are:
- Corrugated Mailers, that are perfect for wine glasses
- White Kraft Boxes for gift packaging
- Kraft Bubble Mailers for smaller items
- Poly Mailer Envelopes for shirts
- Extra Rigid Mailer for prints or flat items
- Jewelry Box with lid for fragile smaller items
- Cello Bags for gift wrapping items
- Shipping Boxes for any dimension needed
Decorating your package
Now comes the fun part where you can be creative and add your own touch to things. Decorating! Much like everything else with your story, this will be an ongoing process. First, there are a few different print items that go in my packages (thank you cards, instructions, business cards, etc.) and that is a different topic entirely.
As far as making your package pretty, it is definitely not a requirement. However, it is a great way to stand out and extend your brand image. Plus with social media today, more and more people like to post what looks good. So making your packaging “insta ready” can help get your store name out there. Here are a few ideas of how to do that.
- Add thank you stickers to your package
- Crinkle Cut Paper for a gift-wrapped feel
- Washi Tape for added flair
- Metallic Sharpies to write a personal note
Final tips
Getting your items packaged securely and adorable can be difficult, especially if you are still trying to brand yourself. Here are a few things I learned through packaging over the years.
- Do not go overboard with the “extras.” Hopefully, your business continues to expand and grow and that means you will have to do the same thing over and over. Time yourself when you start to package an item. Now times that by 20 and decide if there are any steps you can eliminate now.
- Don’t be afraid to switch it up. If you realize something isn’t working or items are not arriving how you want them too, start back at the beginning.
- Calculate how much all of the materials cost for an item. Some items cost more to ship than others because of weight. However, this is also true for packaging materials. Some items require more packaging materials than others. Make sure to account for this when you are pricing your items.
- Talk to the post office. Not everyone’s post office is the best, but a lot of the workers are helpful. When you start to realize you are dropping off more and more items, talk to them and see if there is a way they prefer you to ship your items. Mine always send me out with extra tubs. This way they just have to grab the tub off the counter instead of a bunch of tiny packages.
- Look for inspiration everywhere! Pinterest is always a great starting place when you don’t know where to start. You can look for inspiration from what others have done and start from there. Just don’t copy exactly what they are doing.
