Looks like i'm gonna be stuck here a while.

[inhawaii]

This isn't about shipping and returns. It's a question for sellers and how they spend/budget their money.

So i bought 2 sizes of ebay padded envelopes last night.  I usually get them from Amazon but decided to go with ebay this time. Ebays were a little cheaper.  Even though it's way more than i need, i took advantage of the price break and bought 400 of each. 

Do most of you sellers here do the same and go for the larger quantity even if it may be more than you need in order to get the cheapest price possible? 

[magic*moonbeams]

I don't buy packing materials other than clear tape and the occasional box of manilla envelopes from Staples (which, for what they are, are WAY overpriced as it is).  I basically re-use and recycle as much as I can (re-use material used to ship me things that I bought, empty cereal and granola bar boxes, etc).  It's the only way I can continue to offer free shipping on items weight under 1 pound and/or Media rate.

Good deals are easy to jump at take advantage of the offer, but it's always best to take a step back first and weigh, are the savings per item going to cost you more in the end if you don't need that much of a particular item?  A great deal isn't a great deal if you have to buy more than you need to get the deal 🙂

[buyselljack2016]

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@jayjaspersgarage wrote:

"It's a toss up on some items. When I do the math, and find that I have to buy twice as many to save a nickle on each one, I will probably let it run into the loss column on my business model profits."

People sell extra padded envelopes on ebay all the time.   Look at how they price them and you might be able to make a small profit while saving space.   If anything it will bring fresh eyes to your store.  I don't plan to sell the variety of items I list but I figure even at close to break even it brings more potential customer views.

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I only purchase 1 small size padded envelope.  No resellers are going to come close to the bulk price that I pay.  

My wife buys enough stuff online so that I have other size padded envelopes to reuse to ship some larger items.  Most of our sales ship in boxes.

[therogue-trader]

I don't buy any packaging material, I just ask a few friends/family to save some stuff for me, so now I've got a large stockpile of whatever I need.

[inhawaii]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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@inhawaii wrote:

Do most of you sellers here do the same and go for the larger quantity even if it may be more than you need in order to get the cheapest price possible? 

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eBay 6x9 bubble mailers are $100 for 400. 

I can buy 500 for $70 with free shipping right here on eBay. 

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Thanks!  I never even considered buying them from a private seller on ebay.  I will consider it now. 

[axiombody]

Just make sure you will need all of it in the future.  I was selling hats for a couple months and went all in and bought like 200 boxes to fit the caps.  I wasn't selling the hats very well and decided it wasn't worth the trouble.  Now I have like 175 boxes sitting around for a couple years and used like 5 in that time for various things.  I think I'm going to have them for a while LOL.

[1grandmashope_1]

I really should keep my mouth zipped, but.....I  procrastinate then I have to spend more because I start to run out of packing material.  Really, I am just trying to save $ but end up costing myself much more $$$.

Wow, okay I feel better.

You can mail me the bill. :))

One not very bright old broad,

Grandma 

[25kenwood]

I definitely purchase in bulk, when it's available. I'm very glad I stocked up on bubble wrap and packing peanuts last month, as now most sellers seem to be completely out of it.

[jmcdj]

I always buy in bulk.

When I was shipping lots of cases of Coke bottles.

I would buy 15 - 20 bags of 20 cubic feet of packing peanuts.

Now I just buy my boxes and jiffy bags in large quanties.

            James

[patd3283]

Offer what you don't need in smaller quantities -20 or 40 - here on eBay.

[chapeau-noir]

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@coffeebean832 wrote:

eBay branded supplies are more expensive than most others so I tend to not go over my store coupon amount by more than a few dollars.

Generally speaking- I do purchase many things in a larger quantity as long as I have the storage space for it. I just bought 36 rolls of clear packing tape which should last 3-4 months.

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Same here - though I go through the 16 x 12 x 8" boxes like crazy in the winter, so I generally order those as it's convenient to  just have them shipped to me. Same with the 4 x 6 x 6" boxes (the last shipment was really wonky made, though).  The bubblers I get if I have coupon space left over.

Packing tape and tissue paper I get at Costco or Garland in bulk, and the flip top clear poly bags I get in bulk from an eBay seller.  I just have to make room for it - the savings is worth it. Once I came across 48 rolls of  thermal printer labels at a screaming deal and purchased those - OMG, beeg box!

If I can't use the stuff (since I'm slowly reducing sales now) I can just sell it on.

@axiombody  - I've got a big bunch of jewellery boxes that will take me a lifetime to get through.

Any packing material (bubble wrap, etc.) I get from friends and one community college that saves its stuff for me, but I go through boxes and mailing envelopes too fast to rely on that source. I recall even raiding people's recycle bins on pickup day when I got desperate for boxes and they were never the right size anyway.  I do recycle as much as possible, though.

[joshuacbraun]

Yes. I buy packaging tape, 2 sizes bubble wrap mailers, small boxes and perforated bubble wrap in bulk. I’ve shopped around and prefer getting my supplies at Walmart.com. Best of luck to you. Enjoyed reading everyone’s responses to this practical question. 🙂

[reallynicestamps]

@sin-n-dexdid you get the Canada Post Christmas card/ free mailing box this year? They also had a  10% off on a single mailing box.

Mostly I use stamps, and get a 50% plus discount on those from DH the semi-retired stamp dealer, but I'll take anything I can get.

I find that I don't sell enough to use all the discounts on branded items I get, so most months I just let them ride.

However, DH is packing up stuff for Sparks Auctions to sell in the Spring sale, and the boxes I can't use are just the right size for the lots he is shipping to Ottawa.

I look at the price differently.

If the bubble envelopes is $50 for 100 and I have a $35 coupon, the price of the envelopes is $15.  (plus tax and shipping).

Which is cheaper than U-line or Staples. (plus tax and shipping).

[powell-memorabilia]

I try to limit those purchases to no more than a couple of months worth of use.  With packing materials, it seems like the discounts peter out after you get to a reasonable level.  

I have a decreased need for packing materials - I've moved so much to Priority Mail b/c of the USPS issues.  I might stick with Priority for as much as I can - it makes my life much easier.  

For most of the other supplies that I need, I do shop through eBay.  Packing peanuts and packing paper and bubble wrap are a great deal, if you buy enough - much cheaper than one would find at Staples.