Proper Packaging and Lack Thereof - An eBay & Internet Shopping Guide

We'll start with books:

Example 1 - One package of children's books I purchased came wrapped in a plastic drugstore bag, then wrapped in newspaper, then wrapped in craft paper. Is paper a proper vessel for shipping books across hundreds, even thousands, of miles? Such a question had never even occured to me until recently.

Example 2 - Another package of children's books I received had 30 books in a box that could have easily fit 80. How were the books secured as to not shift during transit? Simple, they were not. No bubble wrap, packing peanuts, crumbled newspaper, plastic bags... not a single thing to hold them in place in an extremely oversized box. So of course they came bent, bruised, and some were even inside of others. Lack of packaging material... never a good idea.

Example 3 - When all else fails and you run out of bubble wrap, just wrap them with rubber bands for security. What?!? How is it possible that someone would think wrapping a rubber band around a book would be a help in some way? The tension in rubber bands causes objects to distort unless they can firmly hold their own shape.... which paperbacks can not. Hardback books have dust jackets that can, and mostly likely would, be damaged by rubber bands. Rubber bands are great for holding groups of pencils, but they are major no-nos when it comes to books.

Proper Packaging of books. It is not difficult, costly, nor time consuming to package books.

When shipping a single book, or a small group of books, a bubble mailer will work just fine. Or, you may choose to 1st wrap the books in plain paper or craft paper, and then insert into a catalog envelope. Craft paper and catalog envelopes are both inexpensive. Using a correctly sized envelope will minimize book-damaging shifting in transit.

When shipping several books, or a book lot, a box is generally your best bet. Reuse a clean box from something you yourself have received. You can even use a box from a small appliance. If your box has markings on the outside of it, mark them out with a sharpie or wrap the box in inexpensive craft paper. Wrap your books in paper to secure them together, or enclose in a plastic shopping bag. Put the wrapped books in the center of the box and surround with bubble wrap, packing peanuts, crumpled newspaper, or plastic shopping bags. You are not only reusing what might otherwise be trash (please do not use actual trash), you are helping ensure that the books are not damaged in transit by shifting or slipping between each other.

Let us continue the journey with beauty products. I'll use Jessica Simpson Dessert products as an example because I have heard those products, and several of those sellers, were problematic during the Simpson craze.

Example 1 - I have received my package, and everything has exploded! Well gee, when there is not a single ounce of packaging material what do you expect? Failure to use packaging material spells disaster. I have heard that many sellers do not use packing material with these products. These are bottles filled with liquid, sometimes in glass and sometimes under pressure. How can one expect them to survive distances and handling while clinking together and leaking their contents?

Example 2 - Let's clump a lot of lip candies in a ziplock and put them in a flimsy flat rate envelope! There's an idea for a good time, because we can dance to the sound of the clinks as they knock around! Added bonus? You can tell what is in the package before you open it, since it probably just tore the envelope. One must be creative when you live in a small town as I do.

Example 3 - Save money on boxes, squeeze the shipment into a box that is too small! It will be fun because the box will look funny bulging out, and you get the additional benefit of making the box smell good as the contents squeeze out all over the package.

Proper Packaging of beauty items. Again, not difficult, costly, nor time consuming to package these items properly. Let us start with the obvious, or maybe not so obvious, basics. If you can touch 2 items together and they make any sort of sound... they need to be bubble wrapped.

Lip candies should not be loosely packaged. They can dent each other, rub the labels off, their caps can come loose. Put them in a properly sized bag, and then wrap the bag securely in bubble wrap. Or lay them in a single layer and wrap with bubble. Either way would work fine.

Anything glass, such as body gloss or perfumes without a box, should be individually wrapped to prevent breakage.

Plastic bottles such as frostings or shimmer mists take a little more care. It is best to cover the cap in some way since these can open and leak easily. Then safely bubble wrap the bottle to reduce pressure against the sides that can cause leaking.

When shipping multiple items it is important that you include packing material around the items as well to prevent shifting. If you can turn a box and hear things shift, you have packaged it incorrectly. This applies to any type of item that comes to mind.

From books to electronics, beauty products to collectibles, whatever you ship should be packaged correctly. If you can not be bothered to invest the time or money packaging your items safely you are costing your customer money.. and ultimately yourself.

*This article is from my highly rated guide to packaging featured on ebay.*

~Sandy