5 Shipping Supplies you can get for FREE

Every penny you spend on packaging your order, your bottom line goes down. But shipping supplies are a necessary part of running a business on eBay, Amazon or your own eCommerce store.

You need boxes, envelopes, tape, labels, bubble wrap, packing paper and if you’re just starting out, it’s pretty expensive to buy everything in bulk all at once.

So I’m going to show you how to get shipping supplies for free so you can keep as much profit as possible.

1. Boxes

USPS gives out free boxes to send stuff with Priority Mail. You can either pick them up from the Post Office or order them online in multipacks.

USPS also provides free Priority Mail envelopes, padded envelopes and mailing tubes.

Of course, these are all Priority Mail branded and can only be used to ship items via Priority Mail.

I once tried shipping a package in a Priority Mail box via another service to see if USPS would really care and they returned it. So, yeah, don’t use Priority boxes for anything other than Priority shipping.

To get plain boxes that you can use to ship with any service, your best bet would be to ask around local stores or go dumpster diving.

In my experience, Dollar Tree is great for boxes and there are always some of every size you’ll need.

If you ask the staff, they’ll more than likely tell you to drive around the back and help yourself to as many boxes as you’d like. It’s always best to give them a heads up before you start rummaging.

2. Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap is another thing you’ll find while dumpster diving.

A lot of stores bag up their bubble wrap into trash bags before throwing it away.

This makes it easy for you because you can just grab a load of bags of uncontaminated bubble wrap and be in and out within just a minute or two.

If the thought of second-hand bubble wrap doesn’t float your boat, however, that’s fine. Keep an eye out for another article coming soon in which I’ll let you know where to find the cheapest new packaging supplies.

3. Shipping Labels

Yep, you can get shipping labels for free.

UPS provides a couple of different sized shipping labels that are free to order from their website.

They’ve got rolls of 4×6 labels for thermal printers and letter-sized sheets for inkjet and laser printers.

The catch with these, though, is that they’re only intended for use with UPS shipments, as you’ll see written down the side of every label.

UPS also has a lot of different boxes, stickers, envelopes and forms which you can order for free as well.

4. Tape

USPS does have its own Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express Tape but it’s only available to order as part of the Military Care Kit or Cremated Remains Kit on the USPS website.

If you just want the tape, visit your local Post Office. They’ll give you a roll for free. Maybe more if you ask extra nicely.

5. Void Fill

There are loads of different things you can use for void fill aside from the usual packing paper, air bubbles or peanuts.

You can use newspaper or plastic bags or various other bits of scrap paper you have lying around.

When I print off my labels, I keep all of the backing paper from them and use it as void fill.

You could shred junk mail and use that. Anything that will fill in the gap between the item and the walls of the box will work.

So, there you go! I hope you can take advantage of some of these free shipping supplies and save as much of your profit as you can.

If used isn’t your thing, check out our other article (coming soon) on cheap new shipping supplies.

Here are some links to a few:
700ft Small Bubble (4x 175ft rolls) – $19.99 @ Amazon
12 Pack Heavy Duty Packing Tape – $19.99 @ Amazon