Creative Ways to Cushion Items When Shipping

[jchan1701]

I have many large LEGO sets I want to sell, but I need to think of a good way to ship them before listing. I have several large boxes, but I still need to cushion the items when shipping.

• Besides bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and packing pillows, what other items can I use or reuse as cushioning when shipping?
• I have some sheets that are clean and I'm not using. Is this an option or would the buyer who receives it not like that?

[wastingtime101]

Sheets are not good packing material. They are heavy and will add unnecessary weight/expense, and they're not exactly "cushion-y" to absorb impact. And yeah, buyers may not like it.

I'm on the phone with someone right now and asked what they would think if a seller used sheets as packing material and they said, "ew, gross."

What are your issues with bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and packing paper

Tip: do not use plastic grocery bags. I hate when sellers do that. They're not even good filler, let alone cushion. They flatten completely nearly instantly.

[chevymontecarlo88]

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@jchan1701 wrote:

I have many large LEGO sets I want to sell, but I need to think of a good way to ship them before listing. I have several large boxes, but I still need to cushion the items when shipping.

• Besides bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and packing pillows, what other items can I use or reuse as cushioning when shipping?
• I have some sheets that are clean and I'm not using. Is this an option or would the buyer who receives it not like that?

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Kraft paper is a good filler and can be easily found locally for free if you do a little searching or it can be purchased at Walmart, Michaels, or other retailers.  It can be used to wrap or crunched up to fill spaces.

It's a clean look and generally inexpensive. YMMV

[stainlessenginecovers]

As I stated in your 'other' thread- $40 will buy you enough bubble wrap for 50-100 packages. Since you have 'numerous' it's worth the little $$ to package right. 

[lakefor94]

@jchan1701 

If you can't find the free packing materials members mentioned in your other thread, I would breakdown and buy the bubble wrap and ship the products appropriately to avoid damage.

As far as other methods, I make my own custom size boxes quite often out of large cardboard boxes and sleeve the inside of the boxes with extra cardboard, at times up to an inch all the way around. Most of the time, just the top and bottom of the box with a half inch. Depends upon what I am shipping. Makes the box really hard to crush. That can be a lot of work even when you get efficient at the process.

I started buying bubble wrap and do that less often.

[yuzuha]

If you want to actually insure that your items reach the buyer undamaged, you're going to need to use bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and/or packing paper.

[lakefor94]

@jchan1701 

FWIW, This is the bubble wrap I just bought on eBay last week.

Large Bubble 1/2"x 24”Cushioning Perforated 125 ft Moving / Protection /Shipping | eBay

If other members have located better deals, I am all ears. Would not hurt for me to buy some more 24".

I usually go for the 1" bubbles.  The bubbles in that listing I bought from are 1/2". 

[fbusoni]

Are you selling these sets in boxes?  Or are the pieces loose?

I've used newspaper / grocery store flyers for 25 years and have never had a problem, even with delicate porcelain, glass and crystal. 

[powell-collectibles]

I suppose it depends on what types of sets you are selling. I have bought a lot of expensive sets, directly from Lego, and they don’t do much for packaging. The large Lego set box, inside of another box, with no padding. Problem is that many buyers of the very expensive sets want the box to be in great shape. I would think that most save even the shipping boxes from the very large sets – I know that I do. 

For cheaper price items, personally, I don’t care about the box – I’m going to throw it away after I have unpacked the Lego set and put it together. Others may want the box, even for smaller sets, if they are collecting.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

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@jchan1701 wrote:

I have many large LEGO sets I want to sell,

Ick.

I see USPS length surcharges and dimensional weight from all carriers in your future if you pack to bulletproof these packages. I think I would do some practicing with @lakefor94 cardboard sleeves and minimize the use of other packaging materials. Proper use of bubble or  popcorn might add several inches to all of the dimensions of your packages.