Packaging materials

Do you sell on eBay? Send out packages? Do you buy packing materials? Stop! I have sold lots of expensive, delicate items on eBay, and have never bought packing materials, like bubble-wrap. I have not had a single item that was damaged due to dropping or hitting other objects. The answer is old newspapers. A single or a double sheet of newspaper can be crushed or compressed down by hand to a small, springy, ball-like amount and a bunch of them can add cushioning to any package.

I was at a carrier's package drop depot once and watched the clerk put one of my packages (containing a camera lens) on a high stool. When he let go of it, it fell over 3 feet to the concrete floor. I let the clerk know I saw it happen. I saw the package was undamaged by the fall, so I let it go through. The new owner wrote to say how perfect the lens was and how well it worked. I, of course, would have given a refund to the buyer if he had said there was some damage, as I saw the package drop, and I usually insure expensive items that are sent by any carrier because such things happen. (I would have also asked the carrier to cover the lens if it had suffered damage.) I was confident there was no damage because I cushioned the item with newspaper balls, all the way around.

Put balled-up newspaper in the bottom of the package prior to inserting the item. Put the item in a plastic bag or other clean covering material if you are concerned with newsprint damaging or soiling the item. Insert the item in the middle of the package, and fill all sides tight enough with newpaper balls to keep the item from moving, but not enough to completely compress the newspaper balls. Put more in until the lid can be pushed shut with a little resistance. When the box is completely closed, you should be able to shake the package and not hear anything rattle around. And, for goodness sake, please be neat, but use generous amounts of packaging tape. It makes a much more solid package and less prone to crushing by having a lot of packages laid on top of it.

Newspaper packing is free for those of us who get a daily paper - we just have to remember to save it for packaging. If you don't get a paper, ask a neighbor, or raid neighborhood trash to get some. You can't beat free, and it is recyclable once it makes its destination.