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Now that you know all of the basics about shipping packages and where you can obtain free supplies, here are a few quick tips to help recap all of the ways to save money when shipping items.

How to Save Money on Shipping Expenses for eBay & Online Retail

1. Print labels online. Even though there are some costs of doing this (ink, paper, tape, etc.), you will come out better because of the reduced Delivery & Signature Confirmation fees & you can save time by not waiting in line.

2. Take advantage of all of your free resources for boxes, packing materials, envelopes, etc. Again, use resources such as USPS.com, re-using boxes & envelopes, and by recycling packing materials.

3. Always take time to find the cheapest method of shipping. Of course, if you are selling items online, you can always offer the different services & let the buyer choose & pay additional charges.

4. Always make sure the box isn’t too large for the item. You can always trim the box down. This can also save money if the weight drops below a certain bracket (for instance, if you have a box that weighs 5 pounds & 2 ounces, try cutting it down to make it 5 pounds or less. This alone could save as much as $2-$5.

5. Always remember Flat Rate Boxes & Envelopes. If postage will cost more than $8.10, but will fit in a flat rate box, always use the flat rate box. This way you get to use the free box, save money, & the customer will get the item within 2-3 days.

6. Always count your costs!! Remember if you can save even $0.10 by re-using a box or shipping a cheaper method, it is worth it! That means if you saved $0.10 on every shipping transaction, and throughout your whole life you shipped 100,000 packages, you would have saved $10,000- that’s enough to buy a car!

Don’t forget to check out more of our website for more useful tips!

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Another great way to save money is to re-use boxes you may have received, and also to “make your own.”

How to Reuse a Box

When a box is in great condition with no major designs or colors on it, you can easily re-use it for shipping packages. Just make sure that remove or mark out any logos or barcodes. Then simply re-tape the box and it is ready to go.

Tips on How to Make a Shipping Box

 If the box does contain significant colors or designs, then you can do 1 of 2 things: Either wrap the box in a brown wrapping paper, or flip it inside out & tape it up.

Of course it costs money for the brown wrapping paper, so I would recommend simply flipping it inside out. This is a great way to save money on shipping & you can use just about any kind of box–a cereal box, a snack box, shoe box, etc. Just follow the basic steps below to quickly flip any box and use for shipping:

Oatmeal Box

Here is a basic, thin box that used to contain packets of oatmeal. To flip it, look inside & you will see a seam or flap where the box is glued together. Simply pull along the seam until it is separated from the box and the box is flat.

Oatmeal Box after being flattened

Here

Then simply turn the box inside out, and fold the seam or “flap” (that you used to pull the box apart) over and tape it securely on the outside (brown part) of the box. This will give the box it’s square structure again. Then insert the item you want to ship, pack it tightly, fold over the flaps at the top & bottom, secure it with tape, and you are ready to ship your package.

The finished product

Again, this is a great way to “recycle” boxes for shipping purposes. Also, here is another tip. If you are ever re-using a heavy box and you need to cut it down smaller, just use scissors or a box cutter to cut away any excess material.

Then use the box cutter or scissors to make a light cut down the inside of the box where you would like to fold it, then it will bend to form a nice crease.

Now that you know how to re-use boxes, what packing materials should you use & where can you get them?

Also, how do you print out a shipping label from home? Learn more below:

Where to Get Packing Materials

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