How do you package for Etsy?

[Carl]

What kind of packaging do you use when selling on Etsy?

I'm talking the layer above your basic wrap (cigar band, shrink wrap, etc).

I'm thinking the local newspaper stuffed in a USPS priority box with the soap just isn't good enough, lol.

What do you do?

Thanks!!

 

[lsg]

I use soap boxes with a window. Bubble wrap is a good light packing.

 

[earlene]

Depending on what is packed inside, I have received Etsy and eBay purchased in various containers via USPS (regular US mail), UPS (United Parcel Service), and FedEx. When mailing soap, I use USPS fixed rate boxes and they work best, IMO for preventing damage to the soap.

I have mailed soap to myself while traveling (I make soap when I travel), plus I have received soap in boxes from others as well, so I know how it generally fares. I would not mail a bar of soap inside an envelope, although theoretically, I suppose a well-wrapped and well insulated set of soaps could be sufficiently protected inside a bubble wrap envelope. But I have not every mailed or received any thusly wrapped so cannot be sure.

In the USPS boxes, just adding a filler to prevent the bars of soap from knocking around inside the box works well. It doesn't really matter if it's bare newsprint (not printed) or bubble wrap or foam peanuts or tissue paper or other material you may have on hand. But anything that bleeds ink onto your fingers, such as newsprint with ink (printed newspapers, for example) can lead to smudging of your pretty soap labels, and I wouldn't like that if I bought soap from an online vendor.

 

[I_like_melts]

For my wax, I used polypropylene bags. For soaps, I used shrink wrap, but I think I wound up throwing away more wrap than I used lol

 

[cmzaha]

We usually used the large flat rate padded envelopes with the orders packed in a white box. It worked out great and for filler we used popcorn. I think these are the boxes my daughter used, the largest that would fit in the flat rate padded envelope.
https://www.papermart.com/high-gloss-tuck-top-gift-boxes/id=5412

 

[amd]

@Carl check out Missouri River Soaps and Ophelia's Soapery on YouTube. They both have shown packaging videos to show how they do it. I have personally ordered soap from Ophelia's Soapery and opening her packages really is like opening a gift. It's my packaging goals. I wish I sold enough mail orders to justify buying cute boxes to hold one or two soaps before going into a mailer, or even the bigger boxes to fit in the USPS priority padded mailer. For now though, I wrap each bar in tissue paper with a sticker on it (so they know which soap it is without having to open it, I use a little address label sticker and hand write it), small orders (1-3 bars) go into a 6x9 padded mailer, larger orders go into a USPS flat rate box or padded mailer and I fill with shred, peanuts, whatever I can get my hands on to fill as needed. I also include a "care and feeding of soap" card that includes directions such as storing extra soap in a cool dry place, keep your soap out of water when not in use, and my website address where you can order more with a 10% discount code.

 

[SoaperForLife]

If the order is small enough to fit in a padded flat rate envelope I will wrap the order in bubble wrap and then insert it into a regular flat rate envelope which I will fold over so that the soaps don't move around. Then I will insert that into the padded flat rate envelope, seal it and affix the label.

 

[Carl]

@Carl check out Missouri River Soaps and Ophelia's Soapery on YouTube. They both have shown packaging videos to show how they do it. I have personally ordered soap from Ophelia's Soapery and opening her packages really is like opening a gift. It's my packaging goals. I wish I sold enough mail orders to justify buying cute boxes to hold one or two soaps before going into a mailer, or even the bigger boxes to fit in the USPS priority padded mailer. For now though, I wrap each bar in tissue paper with a sticker on it (so they know which soap it is without having to open it, I use a little address label sticker and hand write it), small orders (1-3 bars) go into a 6x9 padded mailer, larger orders go into a USPS flat rate box or padded mailer and I fill with shred, peanuts, whatever I can get my hands on to fill as needed. I also include a "care and feeding of soap" card that includes directions such as storing extra soap in a cool dry place, keep your soap out of water when not in use, and my website address where you can order more with a 10% discount code.

Took me 2 weeks, but I finally watched these videos.

Thanks for this suggestion, They both have an awesome collection of videos.

 

[Lin19687]

I send ONLY in Priority A boxes through USPS. I charge a $8 flat rate for it. I don't care if it is 1 soap or 10 and customers know it. I don't want stuff to get there dented and smashed.
I use Thick Kraft paper. Comes in a roll that is 18" wide and like 900 ft long so I have a lot. It is recyclable and reusable and works very well.

 

[cthylla]

Up to 3 bars of soap goes in a padded envelope.... more than that and I need a box. I only wrap each of them in a small piece of tissue.