Packing Supplies and Solutions

If you’re like me, then you love to buy new things. It seems as though each of us is raised with that consumerist mentality like so many other Americans before us. There is no feeling like buying that new, shiny, dopamine inducing product that will satisfy us temporarily until the next thing we find to buy. We’ve all been there! I personally really love clothes shopping. I enjoy wearing new clothes and changing up my wardrobe frequently, and this involves buying new clothes on a regular basis. I like to shop at thrift stores a lot because things are so much cheaper and you can honestly find some really cool stuff! Some people don’t like to shop at thrift stores because it can seem gross or poor, but I think it’s like a fun adventure and a treasure hunt to find something really cool amidst all the other crap in the store!

One problem I run into when shopping for clothes is stamina. My mom and my sisters can shop for hours, and oftentimes when I was little I would have to tag along. However, I max out at maybe 2 or 3 hours before I’m ready to do something else. My feet get tired and I don’t have the energy to keep looking for more stuff. The solution to this, though, is online shopping! Online shopping for clothes is truly a dangerous addiction for many people. Everything is so casual, easy to browse, and non committal. I began to shop online a lot more during the COVID pandemic when everything was shut down for a while. There were not a lot of brick and mortar stores open during 2020, so online shopping was a great solution for many people that were looking to buy clothes. You can find so many different types of clothing, brands, styles, and fabrics online with a  few simple searches, and it has never been easier to click that ‘buy now’ button and have the clothes shipped directly to your door in nicely packaged poly bags. 

As you can see, I really do love online shopping at times. However, there are a few drawbacks to online shopping. Like everything else in life, there are pros and cons. One big con to online shopping is that you normally only get a small, virtual preview of what an item will look like before you buy it. This can make it really hard to commit to buying online if you’re not sure what it will look like on your body. Being able to try clothing items on instores was super helpful for me in making my final decision. After all, half of what makes clothes look good is how they fit on you! The return process for items has gotten easier over the years as many online stores have realized that more people are likely to buy items if they feel confident that they can return them if need be. Most stores will simply let you place your unwanted clothing items in poly bags or other packages and have them shipped back to the warehouse, thereby issuing a full refund for the item.

Another disadvantage to online shopping is that you don’t get the experience of going to the store with friends or family. Shopping is always more fun with other people that you enjoy spending time with, and you can’t really get the same effect when shopping online.

Starting an e-commerce business has never been easier than in 2020. Clearly, there have been a lot of strange occurrences this year, one of the big ones being the COVID19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic, most of the world was put into some sort of lockdown. Unfortunately, this had a huge impact on many country’s economies, including the United States. We have seen an unprecedented number of businesses forced to close down their brick-and-mortar stores because of the pandemic. Since the government temporarily closed many businesses, owners have been having a hard time finding a way to make ends meet.

Fortunately, e-commerce has barely any barrier of entry. The average American has some access to a phone, computer, or tablet, as well as a post office and packing supplies. With those boxes checked off, most people are already halfway to building their own e-commerce business. The crazy thing about e-commerce is that it exists for almost every segment of the market. In this day and age, you can just about buy anything online (hopefully not illegal things). This also means, on the flip side, that you can pretty much sell anything online if you’re able to find the right customers or niche market. After finding what product you are going to be selling, it’s important to be able to identify what kind of people look to buy this product. How do they think? What are some things that they might like to hear? What problems keep them up at night? It becomes easier to understand your target market when you can answer a few of these consumer questions. 

Since the COVID lockdown, e-commerce businesses have blown up to an enormous scale. While there were many online retailers with a wide customer base before lockdown, this number has essentially doubled since the start of the pandemic. People who would normally go to small businesses or local stores to buy various products suddenly found themselves unable to visit their favorite stores to find products they love. This means that those people turned to the internet to find similar products from small businesses; however, these small businesses are now e-commerce businesses. The beautiful thing about e-commerce business is that it keeps overhead costs relatively low. No more worry about paying for rent, utilities, electricity, water, wifi, etc. The money that would normally be budgeted out for these things can be allocated to different parts of the business, like marketing and advertising. Or the money can simply go back into your own pocket. 

One example of an e-commerce business is my mom, who makes and sells her own candles. She started out making candles as a hobby that would be gifts for family and friends. After she realized people would pay good money for them, she began to run her own little business through Facebook and other social media. She didn’t even have to worry about shipping out her product or buying packing supplies since her business was local and products were simply picked up from her house. Before she knew it, my mom already had her own e-commerce business up and running. Obviously, e-commerce is a super broad topic and doesn’t require the same steps or include the same factors for all businesses, but hopefully, you can see how possible it is for anyone to have their own business through the internet!

Ever since lockdown began in early 2020, I have found myself having a hard time buying new clothes. Not only are many stores closed down or utilizing limited hours, I do not want to be going out as much into the community due to the virus. My grandpa is immunocompromised, which means that my family and I have to be very careful in how we shop and attend public places. The last thing I want to do is risk spreading the virus to him and risk him getting health complications because of it. In place of this, I have been spending a lot of time online shopping. 

Online shopping is a very different experience compared to shopping in, say the mall or a department store. The thing about online shopping is that it’s very convenient, and most companies try to make it as easy as possible for you to spend your money. Growing up, I spent a lot of time going to the mall with my two older sisters who loved to shop. Prices can be very expensive and there are not always a lot of great deals on certain items; additionally, it can be hard to find the selection or size that you are looking for in an in-person store. However, online shopping is a whole different ball game. There are quite literally thousands of websites that sell all different kinds of clothing, apparel, accessories, and other similar items. Like I said before, they really make it as easy as possible to spend your money. 

My favorite part about online shopping is the insanely broad selection that many stores offer. It is also really easy to find things in your size, or sort websites by filters that allow you to see only the type of product you wish to purchase. For example, if I was only in the market for buying Adidas hoodies, I could go to their website and set a filter that allows me to choose from their entire selection of hoodies all in the same place. You can even filter things by price range, color, size, style, and other various factors. 

There are also, however, a few downsides to online shopping. One pretty big downside of online shopping is that you are unable to try your clothing items on like you may in the store. This can make it hard to ensure that you are finding the right size or color that you will like the look of. This is also a problem when shopping in a real store, however, with recent COVID restrictions forcing stores to close down their dressing rooms. In addition to this, there is always a possibility that the clothes you order might not arrive on time, or at all, if there are complications with shipping. 

Companies have ways of addressing these issues like free returns, good package supplies like poly bags that ensure clothes are kept safe, and money-back guarantees for damaged or lost items. Like with everything, there are pros and cons to online shopping. Another con is that ordering online clothes a lot can be wasteful and harmful for the environment. Some shipping supplies that companies use, like cardboard, bubble wrap, and poly bags can be potentially harmful to the environment if not properly disposed of or recycled.

Ah yes, time to move again. Moving is a stressful time for everyone. Whether you’re moving to a new home, apartment, or office space, moving can indeed be a pain. However, I have moved enough times in my life to know the ins and outs of the process, more specifically, how to make the process faster and easier. Because at the end of the day, I just want to get settled into my new space as fast as I can. There are a lot of problems that can arise when moving to a new location, but there are ways of combating these issues and making life a bit easier.

A huge problem to run into when moving is that the new house, apartment, or office is not ready to be moved into! This is even more troubling when you have already spent so much time with packing supplies, moving furniture, getting things into boxes, and transporting all your stuff to a new place only to find out it has not been properly cleared or made ready for your arrival. Renovations can sometimes get in the way of moving as well. As a solution, it can be helpful to make a plan in advance about the new space and have a backup ready just in case. Make sure to communicate with the previous owners as well! This can be the difference between an extreme crisis and a minor headache in the moving process.

Another problem that can occur during the move is damaged items. This is probably one of the most common occurrences in most moving situations. Especially if you pay for a moving service where the movers are rough or clumsy, you may find some items that have been broken or cracked. A quick solution to this is to effectively wrap your fragile belongings to avoid being damaged. Packing supplies, like bubble wrap or packing peanuts, serve as great tools to ensure your belongings are being kept safe during the moving process. With this, it’s essential to have enough packing materials handy. Not having enough boxes or wrap to properly pack your items will cost you dearly.

Losing important documents and items is another aspect of moving that can often occur, leaving serious potential problems for the owner of those documents. Important personal documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, tax forms, passports, and personal financial information must be kept in a locked box and clearly labeled during the moving process. This will prevent the documents from getting lost or scrambled with other items during the moving process. An even safer alternative is to transport these items yourself rather than have movers do it for you. While hiring movers is definitely the most convenient way to get things done, some items are much safer in your hands than in theirs. 

I hope that this was helpful for you! If you are currently moving into a new home, apartment, office space, or any other new location, I hope that you can take advantage of the advice I have spelled out in this article. Be patient and know that things take time, but eventually, all will be well, and you will be able to enjoy your new space!

If you have a company that ships items regularly, you may be familiar with poly bags. If you do not ship items, odds are you are like me and have no clue what this bag is unless you have gotten it in the mail before. In this short article, we are going to learn what these kinds of bags are together. A polybag refers to any bag made of plastic, although it generally refers to polyethylene which is a form of plastic. This kind of plastic is usually used in many different goods, much like these plastic bags. 

These bags are an excellent replacement for cardboard boxes when it comes to shipping items. The bags are also less expensive than cardboard boxes. These bags can also be made from recycled materials, so they are eco-friendly. The use of these bags also produces less waste than cardboard boxes. When filling a cardboard box with an item, there needs to be filler like packing peanuts or bubble wrapping. These bags are best suited for shipping smaller items like books, magazines, apparel, or fabric. They are also great for shipping items already packed in a sturdy box like DVDs, makeup, and video games. 

Some polybags can be customized to fit your specific needs, whether that is for personal shipping or business shipping. The customization can vary from the colors on the bad to having a company logo put on it. Not only are these bags great for keeping your items safe and secure, but they are also an excellent place for branding. Many different companies and eCommerce businesses like to go for the customized bags as it makes their company stand out from the competition. They also like getting these bags costume made as they can precisely fit the dimensions of the products they are providing and shipping. Additionally, having a custom bag will make a good impression on a first time buyer that may turn into a loyal customer. 

There are also many different types of these bags, but we are only going to look at one. The one we are going to look at is called a lay flat poly bag. These bags come in many different shapes and sizes as well as thicknesses. These bags offer a single opening that can be sealed by stamping, tying, taping, and heat. The thickness of these bags can vary depending on the need. Thickness starts at as small as one millimeter and can go up from there. The thickest I have seen was eight millimeters. The necessity of these bags will determine the thickness you get as well as how big the bag will be and how much product it can hold. 

I never knew there was such thing as poly bags. I’m sure I have seen them in my lifetime but did not know that was what it was called. I wonder if the bag type container Amazon uses that have bubblewrap lining the sides is also a poly bag or if that is something entirely different. The varying thickness of these bags seems to be good as they are relatively thin, thus using less material. The ability to make these bags with recycled materials is environmentally friendly, and that makes me happy. In today’s world, there is so much production of items going on we need to make sure that we are using recycled materials as often as possible to reduce the amount of waste. 

As a child, I loved to play with bubble wrapping. Anytime my parents would get a shipment in that had bubble wrap, I would instantly start popping the bubbles. I found it fun and soothing somehow. Today I own my own shipping company. We use many different kinds of packing supplies, but I still prefer to use bubble wrap. I always have that hope that whoever gets that shipment from us has the same enjoyment I had from popping the bubbles. If you are reading this and you are also in the shipping industry, I want to try to convince you to switch to bubble wrap. Not only is it fun to play with, but it also has excellent properties for shipping and receiving. 

When I was young, I enjoyed playing with bubble wrapping. I never really knew why I thought it was fun, and it relaxed me. I never thought I would be in a position where my job revolved around bubble wrap. I took over my parent’s company. The company is primarily an eCommerce business, but we do have a small store that can be shopped in person. Most of the orders that come in are from online buyers. As a shipping company, I had to decide what was the best packing material to use, and I chose bubble wrap, which may shock you to hear. Bubble wrap is very durable, which is one reason why I decided to have this as our primary material. 

Bubble wrap is also very flexible. Due to the bubble being pockets of air, it allows for compression or expansion of the bubble. This is good because it ensures we can get a snug fit of the items we are shipping. We do this to ensure no damage comes to the products in transit. I have tried a few different packing materials, but those tests resulted in a broken item arriving at the customer’s house from time to time. Due to this drastic result as a company, we decided bubble wrap would be our best choice, and all these years later, we still use it without incident. 

Bubble wrap also offers a tremendous anti-static effect which is good for us since we are a computer part distributor. If our shipping material did not have this, then there is a chance when our customer goes to take the item from its packaging, a static charge could be released, thus damaging the components. This packaging material also provides the greatest protection when compared to other packaging products. This is good for us as a computer part distributor because we need to make sure that these components are arriving at the customer’s home in damaged and in working condition. These parts are very expensive, and a broken item sets us back, which we don’t want.

Bubble wrap is the best kind of packing supplies because it has so much to offer with such a simple material. I have always loved this material ever since I was a kid. Back then, I never thought I would be taking over my parent’s company and dealing with this material that I know and love. I hope that anytime someone gets an order from us, they get that same enjoyment from this simple material like I did when I was young. 

My wife and I were planning our big moving day, and we needed some cheap moving boxes, or affordable at least. We were moving from Florida to Indiana. When it came to getting boxes, we were not having much luck. We tried to go to the local businesses to get free boxes, but we did not get enough, only ten maybe. We needed to get some more moving boxes. I was talking with one of my friends from work, and he suggested a company that has good boxes that seem affordable. I went home that evening and looked up the company my friend told me about, but the boxes were not that cheaply priced; thus, I chose to keep looking. I came across another company in my search and found out they had very cheap boxes, so I bought thirty for fifty dollars, which seemed like a good deal. I was so wrong, and I am still quite mad about it to this day. 

When the boxes arrived, the first red flag came up when the supposed cardboard boxes did not look or feel like any cardboard boxes I’ve seen before. We had them, though, and we were happy to be able to finish out packing finally. As the week went on, we packed more and more boxes until the house was all boxes. We were packing up the box truck the coming Monday, so there was a great deal of excitement to get it all done with a day to spare. On Monday, we went to get the box truck, so we could pack it up and get moving. We had some friends helping us, which made things better knowing we did not have to pack our house alone. As we were packing up the truck, a few of the boxes’ bottoms fell through and released all the items they were holding; I should have taken this red flag to heart but chose to ignore it. 

Once the truck was packed, we were ready to get a move on, my wife was driving her car, and I was driving the box truck with a car puller on the back for my car. The drive was not that bad; it was long though, almost seventeen hours on the road was rough, but we were happy to be in Indiana. I did notice some odd noises that came from the truck bed as I was driving, but yet again, I chose to ignore them. 

On Tuesday, we were going to unload the truck into our new home, but we were not prepared for the disaster we were about to discover. As I went to open the box truck door, some 

items came out, and my heart began racing, expecting the worst. When I fully opened the door, I saw it… our possessions everywhere. The plates my mother had given me were destroyed, knives in the couch cushions, small knick nacks all over the place.

This was all because I chose to be a cheapskate and get some cheap moving boxes for an across-the-country move. My wife and I were devastated; the moving company compensated us for some of the broken items because they did not want it coming back on them. The box company has yet to get back to me, and it has been three months since the first contact. I reach out at least once every week but get no reply; that is maybe the worst part of this situation. I will not be getting these moving boxes, nor will I recommend them to anyone. I should have just listened to my old work friend, but we live, and we learn. 

When it comes to packaging supplies there can be many different materials that are used but people often wonder what is the best material to use. The ability to keep the item being packaged safe and secure is the most important factor when trying to determine this question. A lot of the time people buy a material thinking they know what it is for or how it is meant to be used but most of the time they either use it wrong or pack the time with the material wrong thus leading to a damaged product. Sometimes they will buy the wrong material all together leading to the same end result. 

Bubble wrapping is the first contender of the best material for packaging. This material comes in large rolls usually. These rolls provide a large range of bubble sizes from very small with a lot on the sheet or very large with not many on the sheet. Some of these sheets come serrated so the user can easily tear pieces from the roll. Sections are usually twelve inches in length as it is a good size but not too much. Bubble wrapping is best for small delicate objects that are easily breakable like a snowglobe or a teapot. Make sure when you are wrapping something with bubble wrap to put the bubble side to the item to ensure its protection. Bubble wrap is also fun to pop.

Packing paper is another contender for the best material for packaging. Essentially packing paper is clean white or brown newsprint ink free that helps keep the small delicate objects safe. A good example of this would be tableware, the plates and bowls your family use at dinner. You can also use this material as a filler when you are packing boxes. This is good as it will keep your items in the box safe and protected. It can effectively keep the small items safe when you are moving. When compared to bubble wrap, packing paper is lighter, less expensive and takes up less space. This makes packing paper a real contender for best material for packing. 

The final material for packing are moving blankets. If you are hiring movers when you are moving you will not even need to provide this material as the movers will have it on hand already. Blankets are also provided if you rent a moving truck in case you are wanting to move on your own. Moving blankets can also be comforters or beach towels. Blankets are also known as furniture pads. This is because moving blankets are used to keep large furniture padded, scrape free and safe in case it is not secured enough. 

With so many different types of material for packing supplies there are more contenders for what may be the best. These are just a few examples of the best materials I have found. The versatility of bubble wrapping is very nice to have but it can only be in certain sizes whereas packing paper can be any size. Both are good for packing boxes and keeping the items inside safe. Packing blankets are also good as they can keep all the furniture safe and free of scratches. With all this information take your pick as to what you think the best material for packing would be for you. 

Surprisingly there are different kinds of moving boxes. There are cheap moving boxes with poor build quality and lacking features. There are also a little more expensive moving boxes with good build quality and durability. I moved recently and had a combination of both since I was able to get them for free from a nearby SuperTarget. I had some issues arrive with the inexpensive moving boxes. I preferred the bigger boxes that had a lot of space and felt solid.

The ‘expensive cardboard boxes are what I will always recommend. They have an excellent build quality. I do not know how it is done, but these boxes are able to repel water to keep the items inside dry and free of moisture buildup. These boxes can come in many different sizes and shapes, which is very handy when it comes to moving. Something I like a lot about these boxes is the fact that they can be bought in bulk. This means you can buy a lot of them at one time. Usually, buying in bulk will save you a good amount of money. These boxes are robust, you can stack them on top of one another regardless of the content, and they will hold. 

As I said before, I moved recently and had a combination of both low-priced and high-priced boxes that I was fortunate enough to get for free. I preferred the higher-priced boxes as they were bigger and could hold more weight in them. The higher prices cardboard boxes can be bought in bulk which is enormous to me. Any time you are needing a significant quantity of something, buying in bulk is the route to take as you will be saving money even if it seems like you are not. 

Inexpensive moving boxes can be a bit of a pain. The quality of these boxes is usually not the best. They can be easily crushed if something too heavy is sitting on top of them. These boxes cannot be bought in bulk easily. This is a big red flag to me as you may end up spending more money than expected. Buying in bulk is the best when you are needing something in mass quantity like moving boxes. The poor build quality also results in some other problems like water leaking in. these boxes are not like the previously mentioned cardboard boxes that can keep water out and your items dry. Although it is a far-fetched idea it will rain on your moving day; it is not impossible. I know this as on my moving day, it started to rain about halfway through. To combat this, we had to get blankets out and cover the boxes we were carrying out. 

With many different kinds of boxes on the market, it can be challenging to choose the right ones. It has been my experience that the higher-priced boxes that can be bought in bulk are the best. For peace of mind, I will not use cheap moving boxes as I fear my items may fall out from the bottom or get ruined by water. The poor build quality of them has me worried as well. When you move, you need to stack boxes to save room. These boxes will not do too well with that unless they are packed lightly, which generally does not happen when moving. 

Now that I am a little older I find myself doing some things differently. I care about what I leave behind for my family.  Living in 2021 I know that eCommerce is king and that most of us get a ton of boxes in the mail every week. This has led to an entire change in lifestyles and how people get and receive goods.  The fact of the matter is that eCommerce and having items shipped directly to your home is the way things are happening for a near majority of all shopping due to the pandemic and regulations restricting shopping in person.  This has led to millions of boxes being produced shipped and finding their way to people’s homes and soon their trash.  If you are getting twenty boxes a week in the mail and not recycling then it really seems harmful to the world.  I know for me I am working on recycling the right way and also trying to cut back on the total waste used by my family.    

Depending on where you live I understand recycling can be pretty annoying.  It certainly is for me!  I only have one trashcan a week to use for recycling and it is not big and my boxes will not all just be able to be tossed in.  Instead of having a great system, my garage was filled up with boxes for months until I figured out a reasonable way to recycle properly.  I was not able to just drive and drop them off at a recycling factory like I used to.  So many things became illegal and nonessential overnight that it was hard to see that become one of them.  This meant I needed to find an easy way to get all the stuff in my bin in order to do the right thing.

Geometry seemed to be the answer to this.  I found out that I would simply have to cut the stuff into the best shape to fit the can. This sounds super simple and really easy, but in fact, it was really not.  I ended up getting blisters to start and tons of paper cuts.  This was because first I just tossed the boxes in and saw they didn’t really fit. I tried to crush them down but then the trash people would not shake the can or help get the boxes out.  This left a lot to be desired because it didn’t fill the can to its actual capacity.  It was wasting space.

Scissors seemed to be a good answer to my problem so I gave that a try.  I had to get scissors because my hands got these huge cardboard paper cuts and it was simply not worth it.  I then tried to scissor the boxes into the right shape and for a bit, it worked great.  Then after a few boxes, my hands got red hot spots, and blisters started to form.  This was not fun, not sustainable and I had to find a better way.  What actually worked was going old school.  I pulled out a knife and went to town.

My old fishing knife was working really well and it was a nice expensive knife.  It has great steel on it.  Cardboard is actually really hard on knife steel and dulls it quickly so you may need a good sharpener to go along with your knife.  No blisters and clean recycling made me happy.