Scotch Shipping Tape Shelf Life

[adnap828]

Has anyone else had problems with Scotch brand Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape not sticking?  I opened a brand new roll today that does not stick.  The website states that this product is "guaranteed to stay sealed".  I was told by a Scotch brand employee help line today that their tape has an 18 month shelf life.  However, there is no expiration date shown on the tape or its packaging, so it isn't possible to know how old the tape is when purchasing it.   So the tape is only guaranteed to stay sealed once it is used (and apparently only if you use it before it is expired).

[bonanza125]

I use that type of tape and have never had any issues with it not sticking. 

[wastingtime101]

How old is the roll of tape you opened?

[adnap828]

I'm not sure when I bought it, but it was more than a year ago so I would have it available.  Just started selling stuff on Ebay recently so my tape consumption has gone up.

[ryry-jj]

It happens.  Sunlight/UV, temperatures and humidity can also break down tape.  This tape I believe is a hot melt tape, so it generally is  a good choice, but i've seen rolls fail...usually you feel/see it "powder".  The hot melt adhesion applies better to recycled boxes, too

[wastingtime101]

I buy packing tape in boxes of 48 rolls and blow through it like crazy so I typically don't have it sitting around for a long time.

Although I did recently find a 6 pack of the exact tape you're talking about, Scotch Heavy Duty, that I got from Costco 2 years ago when my regular tape was backordered. It was hiding.

Went through 2 rolls of it already and it's so far so good. The tape was shrink-wrapped so perhaps that helped.

The only real issues I've had with Scotch is it can have issues sticking in extreme cold and extreme hot weather.

Tape in general does go bad. Over time the glue dries out. Sometimes the glue melts, depending how it's stored, but melting is more common with other types of tape. Packing tape is more likely to dry out, or the glue may get stuck to the opposite side when you try to unroll it.

Generally speaking you should try to avoid buyinng packing tape for shipping more than 12 mos in advance of when you'll use it.

[simba6]

There was a time Scotch made the best tape in the world.  Used many different types in the electronic industry.  But sad to day over the years the quality has been dropping.  Shelf life is a problem. I have had it go bad a number of times. 

For cardboard boxes, the water activated tape is the best.  It MUST be used with a tape machine to get the correct amount of water on it. It does not work well it you wet it with a sponge.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I have used Scotch Packing Tape for at least 35 years. Nothing else has shown a resistance to environmental storage and the shelf life it has.

We have never been religious about using up one batch before starting another or segregating batches.

We have always had some tape stored in cold areas, and it is the only tape we used which does not buckle in cold.

Products often get worse, sometimes due to improved safety standards which require less toxic and effective chemicals.

I hope you just got a bad batch.. Since I never believe any customer support agents, I will not panic.

[krazzykats]

I purchase generic packing tape in bulk from eBay. Some of the tape is at least three years old and is still in good condition. I store it indoors, away from sunlight, humidity, and extreme temperatures. 

Thin tape often causes problems, so I focus on the mil thickness.

[richard1rst]

I buy tape in bulk (usually 2 cases at 36 rolls to the case) and it takes a year or more to use the last roll. Never had a problem.