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So I recently moved from Wyoming to Colorado. Everything is so much easier now. I have access to estate sales, auctions, and thrift stores. One thing that has been more difficult is finding boxes. Before I never had to buy a single box or packing material. In my hometown I knew many people and many business owners that would give me their used cardboard boxes. Since I moved I havent made any contancts for boxes so I think I might have to buy them. How do you guys go about doing this? Uline? Do you just buy many different sizes? How do you have everything you need, especially for odd shapes?
I also need to get a printer and I am thinking about a Zebra for the ebay labels. Can the zebra print out the USPS and Smart post labels with no problems? Thanks.
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Walmart is box heaven. They either unpack boxes in the morning or late at night. So many boxes. If you have an eBay store subscription, you get coupons to buy packing material…including all different sizes of boxes.
I hear people like the Zebra printer. We have a mac and just couldnt get it to easily connect though. We like our Dymo.
Congrats on the move. I know you had been talking about it. Colorado is a gorgeous state. What part of the state are you in?
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I don’t know how common this is, but all the Walmart’s in my area crush/flatten and bale all their boxes. You could not pick thru them even if you wanted to. I am assuming they are getting some type of money from recyclers for doing this, but don’t know for sure.
In my area gamestops seems to have the best boxes.
As for liquor boxes I have heard its against postal rules to ship them because they advertise liquor. One could turn them inside out to avoid that I guess.
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I get boxes from the post office. All of their supplies are shipped in plain, brown boxes. It saves them the trouble of breaking them down for the dumpster, and it also means fewer dumpster pickups for them.
There’s a local shoe store I am going to ask about boxes, too. They often have a stack of boxes broken down and sitting outside their back door. I don’t know if they are earmarked for someone, or if it’s a “Help Yourself” thing.
Side note: this shoe store is like an old fashioned shoe store, from when I was a kid, (gah, I hate calling it old fashioned, because I’m not *that* old!). You go in, and there are nice chairs to sit in. They measure your feet, and bring you the shoes, put them on your feet, offer their advice on fit, etc. And then they hand write you a receipt, and put their copy on a metal peg by the 1960s era register! IT’S AMAZING! It was like walking back in time to 35+ years ago. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a “real” shoe store that I had totally forgotten the protocol; like, do I sit first? Do I look at shoes first? Should I greet the clerk and ask for help, or am I supposed to browse? How does this work? I don’t remember!
Totally amazing. I bought a pair of Converse and then ordered another color, (and they put my order card in a little file box next to the register!) They’ll call me when they are in. I am so excited to go back, lol!
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I bought a Zebra printer (TLP2844) used on eBay for about $100. It has probably been the best purchase I’ve made for my eBay business. You can print USPS labels, although I haven’t found a way to print any of the Fedex labels. If someone knows a way to get Fedex labels from the Zebra without some 3rd party paid service, please let me know. In any case, the Zebra is amazing. Never had a single problem with it and you can get compatible sticky labels fairly cheap on Amazon.
As for boxes, you might see if your area has a packaging warehouse nearby. In Kansas City, we have several. I go to one that manufactures packing peanuts, but also offers many other packing supplies, including new boxes and misprint boxes (for very little money).
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Thanks for the tips guys! Jay, we moved to southern Colorado to a city called Pueblo. My wife and I were thinkging about building our own tiny home because of how much land and houses cost. Instead I researched the most affordable cities and Pueblo was #4. We were able to out right buy a 2,000sq ft home with a garage and huge yard for less than around 90 grand. The cost of living here is super low. Gas, food, utilites are cheap as hell. Most people think I am crazy moving somewhere just because its cheap, but now I dont have to work my ass off to barely get by. Plus 30 minutes to the north is Colorado Springs and an hour and half takes you to dever. Plus the weather is constantly crazy. It snowed last week in my hometown in Wyoming…
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Find out when the recycling in Pueblo is usually picked up for businesses then go out the day before and scout out businesses for boxes, soon you’ll learn who has the best and the most and don’t forget to look in the dumpsters for packing material and other treasures people will just throw out.
Big car dealerships parts departments have the best packing supplies and heavy duty boxes. -
I generally buy (or lately get for free through Ebay shipping supplies), most of my smaller boxes. It is so much easier with storage and organization. Then of course there are the free USPS Priority boxes.
With larger boxes the advice given by Jay and Steven is right on. After a while you’ll know all the good spots and have a stock pile.
Good for you moving to Pueblo. I used to deliver there at the Target DC years ago. It’s small enough to be inexpensive, but big enough to have everything you need. Also I-25 is right there, so you can quickly get out of town.
Outside of the cost of living, Denver can get a bit congested during the rush hour. Pueblo should be a lot more relaxed.
Sounds like you made a solid move…
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I get a lot of my boxes from work, but I also get a lot at local grocery stores and liquor stores. Not sure if it is common in the U.S., but stores in Canada (the discount ones) typically don’t offer bags and have a huge stack of boxes at the front of the store as seen in the photo. They don’t care how many you take, as long as you get rid of their garbage for them! The good thing is you can usually find any size you are looking for easily in the pile.
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I get most of my boxes from eBay for items under a pound.
USPS will ship you FREE priority boxes of about every shape and size, plus priority mail stickers that help cover labels on recycled booze and Amazon boxes.
When you print your next shipping label, look over by where you can request pick up. There is a link to free eBay branded USPS Priority boxes.
Anything we buy online, we keep the boxes even poly mailer if in good shape. Same with packing peanuts and bubble wrap. Newspaper subscription to a city newspaper can help with packing material. I grab stacks of the local free papers in town. -
FWIW, per USPS rules boxes with liquor logos or names need to be covered or scribbled over with black magic marker. Also, any previous stickers or writings that say something like, fragile, ORM-D, hazardous, etc need to be covered as well. If not, your package may be delayed and or returned to you.
For example, ORM-D means the package can only be shipped via ground, so the package will still make it to its destination, but it will be slow(er). If shipping to AK, HI, PR the package will be returned to you, since it can’t go on a plane.
UPS and FedEX have very similar rules.
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Just had my post office refuse to take a shipment in a recycled Amazon box. The clerk said Amazon told the post office not to accept any Amazon boxes not labelled as returns. The box I presented had everything “Amazon” covered by layers of eBay tape, including all barcodes, original label and the Prime tape. Only identifying Amazon marks were the very tips of the “smile” logo. She said that was enough that she couldn’t take my package.
Came home and ran eBay tape around the middle to cover those tips and put the package out for my mailman–who seems to take everything when he bothers to show up.
I reuse Amazon boxes all the time and have never had any comments from clerks in the past. I presume I just got a clerk having a bad day.
Has anyone else had issues or heard of this prohibition on using Amazon boxes?
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I have never heard of that policy and I would ask for it in writing. Next time you’re at that post office ask to speak with the post master. If that doesn’t work call 1-800-ASK-USPS
I always recommend to speak with the post master first to at least give them a chance to correct the situation. When a customer calls the 800 number the post master will have to follow up on the complaint to the district manager / district office.
As for the “official policy” I think the clerk is getting confused with this
https://about.usps.com/posters/pos81.pdf
There’s no rule against shipping boxes or reusing boxes with preprinted company names AFAIK.
Alcohol and tobacco products are not allowed unless the names are completely covered up.
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I try to keep brown shipping/packing tape on hand for just this reason. Between that and black magic markers, it’s pretty easy to cover any labels or marks, especially bar codes.
It’s the first I’ve heard of Amazon making reused boxes an issue. So much for protecting the environment and being green.
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When I reuse a box, I always wrap it in kraft paper like a present – then there is nothing that the post office could get mad about.
I find kraft paper comes in handy to wrap items, fill voids in a box by scrunching it up, or put in items like shoes when shipping. It is also clean unlike used newspapers which some sellers I have dealt with ship items in that leave ink all over the item.
It is cheap – I find a roll lasts me a good 6 months for about $15 from Staples. I also have a neat holder for it that I can pull out what I need, and tear it off (kind of like a cling-wrap or aluminum foil box/roll but on a larger scale).
You can also use highly printed boxes with kraft paper around it as nothing will show through.
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With the shipping supplies coupon from eBay, I always have plenty of eBay tape to cover problem areas on a box. I use a lot of boxes from a local hospital and want to make sure to cover up those labels–because it might shock a buyer who ordered a book to see a label for a catheter on the package!
For the Amazon boxes, I would turn them inside out if it was a real problem. But my understanding had been if I had covered anything that might cause the package to be misrouted, anything else was extraneous.
The ends of the ‘smile’ seem pretty innocuous.
I am mainly interested if the purported ban on Amazon boxes is something a grumpy clerk just made up. (And, after chewing me out, she made sure to point out the survey link on the bottom of the scan receipt for the other packages.)-
I would ask for the “no Amazon boxes” policy in writing. I don’t think USPS or Amazon could legally prohibit anyone from reusing boxes.I see nothing online about any new USPS policy.
You cant have Liquor logos on boxes, but that’s because shipping alcohol is illegal.
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I don’t think asking this particular clerk for the written policy would have been productive today. But I usually use the main post office downtown and I will ask there. Those clerks are really helpful and fascinated by the idea of selling on eBay.
My official post office and some of the carriers in my neighborhood are so difficult to work with. (About 1/3 of the time, my scheduled pickups don’t happen.) This PO I went to today is usually better, although the staff says the supervisor borders on abusive.
I don’t understand why they can’t see far enough ahead to realize our business is their future. But I see that in my ‘day job’ as well. Human nature, I guess.I’ll pass on the policy if it materializes.
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Understood. I agree that sometimes its just easier to follow the path pf least resistance.
But make no mistake that the Post Office is a business with a chain of command. If your local PO is not making pick ups, then there’s a manager that will want to know. Trust me…they know that you are their future.
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I’m thinking that someone at this post office sorted a reused Amazon box as if it was a return and they all got a stern lecture about accepting reused boxes, probably related to that poster Gompers linked to. And I happened to show up when this particular clerk was stewing about this…or something else.
I’m glad that nobody else has had their reused Amazon boxes rejected because I have quite a stockpile! -
As we get ready for 4th quarter, eBay has put out some new shipping supplies. Big thing to me are the new packing tapes that can help cover logos on recycled boxes. There are also the stickers.
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Just received a roll of stickers. The new tape is on my list to order with my next coupon. I like my outgoing packages to look professional. I feel like people are more likely to have a good impression of the item.
Some of my incoming Amazon packages are so poorly done. Ordered a break-in bar for my backdoor after a recent burglary and they stuck it in with a 40 lb bag of cat litter. The bar survived (better have or it’d be worthless). The bag did not. Amazon had me ship the litter back. There’s probably a thin gray trail from my house back to their nearest warehouse. -
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