Packaging supplies can be expensive if you’re relying on your shipping store to provide everything and all you brought was your item to be shipped. Rather than fork out more cash just to ship something to a family member or friend, think about getting your own supplies to have at home so you can package your own items for cheaper. Check out our list of things you can buy to save at home.
Packing materials.
Whether you opt for packing peanuts, bubble wrap, packing paper, or all of the above, you’ll save more than 3 times as much by simply purchasing your own instead of letting the shipping store upsell you on these things. You’ll like the idea of your item getting to its destination safely with the proper packing material to ensure it’s not damaged, but shipping stores make bank off of people who don’t have their own.
Shipping boxes.
This may be something you prefer to let the shipping store fit to your item, and you can’t be blamed for that. You won’t always find the perfect box lying around your house ready to go, so don’t panic if you have to pay the shipper for one. However, purchasing a few for the future is never a bad idea, especially with how versatile cardboard is.
Tape.
I’m not even sure that you would be charged for packing tape anywhere you would go, but having some of your own allows you to package your own items at home nice and neat, and it also goes a long way around the house in general. You never know when you need some heavy duty tape.
Labels/stamps.
These are great to have in case you’re in a hurry and need to drop an item off to be shipped immediately. Having the shipping store gather your information and print out a label can be time consuming, especially if there’s a line at the store. But if you have your own stamps or labels, you can have an item ready to be shipped in an instant, and all you’ll have to do is drop it off and go.
While this is an exhaustive list and you may be thinking “well, that’s everything I need to ship an item,” you’ll definitely save a few extra bucks each time you make a trip to the shipping store, even if you don’t have all the packaging supplies on this list.
