- This topic has 21 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 2 months ago by
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This is real shipping nerd stuff, but this is the place for shipping nerds. 😉
I use them all the time and have three tips:
1. If an item is a little too long, you can actually stretch the mailer across it for another 3/4 inch or so on each side. My feeling is, as long as the graphics on the mailer aren’t noticeably distorted (or they are, but they’re covered up), you’re good to go. I have also been successful really stretching and distorting the mailer at the very top to go over some shoes, but that was literally and figuratively stretching it.
2. If you have trouble fitting something, cut the mailer and tape it back up. you can also get a little stretch on any seam you cut. If you stretch one side and tape it to the box (or bubble wrapped item), you can cover it with the non-stretched piece. I always tape the seams and the flaps down anyway to minimize the chances of it getting snagged in a machine. May be overkill, but it also looks good when I have a box in there. Which leads me to tip number three.
3. If you buy the 8x6x4 boxes, you can cut them down about an inch and they fit inside a mailer perfectly. I do this for items that are fragile and/or need to be presented well. If you’re not cutting the whole mailer before fitting the box in, it will be a tight fit so it helps to smooth the corners that are going into the mailer with your thumb beforehand.
Hope this can come in handy for someone.
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Has anyone tried the “Scotty Stuffer?” They are a box that is supposed to fit perfectly to the max size of a padded flat rate envelope. They are about $40 for 50 of them, so I’ve always hesitated to order them due to the cost.
I’d be curious if anyone has had good luck with them or not.
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They work great and they give you more useable space than any other option since they use the exact dimensions to maximize the volume, and they use a single wall box. However, since they are so expensive, they have a limited set of uses where they make sense (and depending on how much you value your time).
One time I can remember where it was more than worth the 90 cents or whatever, we were shipping a whole ton of assorted cosmetics. they were too fragile to not put inside a box. we were able to just barely fit them into the scotty stuffer. I want to say the package weighed 3 lbs or more. I guess you can say we saved at least $3 including the cost of the scotty stuffer assuming we could have used a Regional A box instead.
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I use two different sized boxes to fit inside the PFRE. My favorite is the 9x6x3 which I buy from Home Depot. The second is the 8x5x4 which I purchased off eBay 8x5x4
The 8x5x4 is a bit lightweight but it works well inside the mailer.
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I recently shipped a 1950’s Army field jacket in a PFRE. That thing was huge! I still don’t know how I bent the laws of physics to make that happen. I usually add a little tape around the opening, just to make sure it doesn’t pop open during the shipping process. Never had one complaint about an overstuffed PFRE!
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Starter Jacket.
There have been multiple times where my wife and I need to help each other get something into the flat rate where I am stepping on a thick sweater or something similar to get it in and it’s so stretched out on top I need to reinforce with tape.
Shipping is probably similar to the kitchen of a restaurant if people saw the process they would be like what the…
But the end product always look nice lol.
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I am more inclined to play sausage stuffing party with these if I’m offering Free Shipping.
I have stuffed in denim jackets, bulky sweaters…. I sell high-end shoes and would LOVE to finagle them into that size but always worry it’s not firm enough. I will checkout those special boxes! -
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USPS offers a “Priority Mail Mailing Box” that is 9-1/4″ x 6-1/4″ x 2-3/16″ that fits inside the PFRE. I recently put a 60-piece vintage flatware set that weighed 5 lbs into the box, then into the PFRE. The boxes are free from USPS.
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