Whether you are an eBay pro, or just starting out, getting budget friendly packaging is a must. If you wait until you are at the Post Office to buy your packaging then you would get stung. Losing out on profits because you haven't purchased budget friendly packaging is a shame. Here are plenty of ideas for where you can get eBay packaging from, on a budget.
What packaging you need for eBay
The type of packaging you need for your eBay sales will depend on what you sell. Here is what I keep to hand at all times:
- Mailing bags
- Jiffy bags
- Bubble wrap
- Brown paper
- Sellotape
- Sellotape dispenser
- Parcel tape
- Scissors
You might want to consider purchasing labels if you print your postage at home. I just use normal A4 paper and sellotape to stick my postage labels onto my parcels. A set of digital kitchen scales are a must to help you price up your postage costs and make sure that you are not left out of pocket.
Recycle to get eBay packaging for free
If you get a lot of items in the post then you can probably recycle 90% of the packaging you receive. Whether it is bubble wrap, jiffy bags or boxes, if they are still in good condition then you can recycle them for your eBay packaging. You will be surprised at how many people do this. I have never had a buyer complain about my use of recycled packaging – it helps me to keep my postage costs low and reuse something that might otherwise end up in a landfill. If you are concerned about unhappy buyers then you can add a sentence to your listings explaining that you recycle packaging where possible.
This is also a great way to help avoid using plastic packaging.
Pro tip: Make sure that you either remove, cover or cross out any old postage labels and barcodes and the old sender address if it appears on the packaging.
Freecycle to get eBay packaging for free
What if you could get eBay packaging for free? That's a no brainer! I have lost count of the number of times I have donated a box of used jiffy bags on sites like Freecycle – they get snapped up instantly! It is a great place to find leftover packaging with plenty of life still in it. If your local Freecycle group can't help you then you might have a local freebie Facebook group.
Click here to check out 17 tried and tested tips for selling on eBay.
Poundland
If you have sold something and you don't have time to wait for an online delivery, Poundland has your back! My favourite purchases for eBay packaging are their brown paper, sellotape and parcel tape, conveniently only costing £1. Their jiffy bags are also incredibly good value for money – especially if you don't want to buy 100 online to save money and have the hassle of storing them. Since I have started recycling jiffy bags I haven't had to buy any. I also love getting my bubble wrap from Poundland – however I haven't had to buy any for years thanks to recycling bubblewrap.
Amazon
Amazon is a great place to buy your eBay packaging from. I love these mailing bags for sending out clothing – I just have to stick on a postage label and the parcel is ready. 50 bags costs me less than £3 including postage – much cheaper than 50 jiffy bags. You can also pick up 10 jiffy bags for under £3 delivered. If you aren't sure what size you need and you don't have a tape measure to hand then use i-ruler. It automatically converts your screen into a ruler, so you can get a rough idea of the size of bags you are ordering.
Get eBay packaging from eBay
eBay itself is great for buying packaging from. You can get yourself 50 jiffy bags delivered for under £10. The great thing about buying your packaging from eBay is that you can use your Paypal account to pay. If you have sold some items and need packaging fast you can find listings with fast delivery.
5 responses
I don’t think I have ever purchased bubblewrap. Just get to know the staff at the fruit and veg counter at your local supermarket. I ask for the bubblewrap that comes around apples and other fruits. Incidentally I also ask for apple trays with the inserts to store the apples from our trees.
I do buy small hard backed envelopes from e-bay though. Much better value than elsewhere. I usually buy 50 at a time for posting postcards etc.
Hi Emma, thats a great tip – I usually get mine from poundland and it is brown parcel wrap, I aso save boxes and bubble wrap as you have suggested! Never thought about Freecycle though but will check it out!
I always reuse amazon boxes and any bit of bubble wrap but if I’m out, I ask my local Coop and they’re so lovely, they hold them back for me.
Sadly recycling packaging isn’t always appreciated by ebay customers, even though I never charge for packaging, so sometimes I write freeshippingrocks .co.uk on the box x
I always use the grey parcel bags and buy them from ebay, I sell mostly clothing on ebay so these are great 🙂 great post as always x
Zoe ♥ MammafulZo
I usually get all mine from Home Bargains. Seems to work out much cheaper than any of the pound stores.