Please, no more cheap Book Mailers. What are your odds of being content with the book packaging that shows up in the mail from books you’ve ordered online? Imagine trying to compare textbooks with a finely bound classic first edition. That’s the range of packaging I’ve had arrive at my door. My odds of being pleased after opening a package seem to running around fifty percent.
Can you imagine that? About half the books I order either show up with bumped corners or worse. Many of them are thrown in a simple bubble wrap envelop with no receipt, no protection from water leakage and zero protection from being tossed about during transport. Book Mailers are not much better; the books often end up wet and/or bumped. I worry that many of these sellers and their book packaging are giving online book buying a bad name. I imagine some sellers (I won’t call these folks dealers just yet) are just too lazy to be bothered to work like a professional but there are probably many that would love to better protect books but don’t really know the right methods, after all even Amazon uses simple book mailers. So, what is the best way to ship books?
The Best Book Packaging
I would love to see every seller use this system. I have sent out thousands of books this way and have had zero returns, zero complaints or negative feedback and not one phone call or email to complain about damage. In fact I’ll show you some of my Amazon comments, not to toot my own horn but to show how customers feel about receiving a well packaged book.
5 out of 5: “The book arrived beautifully packed and in pristine condition…. I would highly recommend this seller.”
Date: 1/29/2008 Rated by Buyer: Margaret S.
5 out of 5: “…. Accurate description, well-packaged, no problems. Would recommend to a friend.”
Date: 1/29/2008 Rated by Buyer: Carol S.
5 out of 5: “Book arrived today in good time, excellent packaging and as described. Can’t ask for more…”
Date: 1/18/2008 Rated by Buyer: 1byte2few
5 out of 5: “As described, well packaged, timely delivery, excellent vendor”
Date: 12/28/2007 Rated by Buyer: Paul D.
5 out of 5: “The book is in good condition, arrived promptly and was well packaged – thanks!”
Date: 10/30/2007 Rated by Buyer: Carolyn D.
Did I mention that the method I to ship books will cost you less than using bubble wrap envelopes, in fact about fifty percent less. My average cost for one book is about $0.35. The method is known as B-Flute packaging system for books. From the start I want to mention one situation where you should not be using this method. The reason this works well is that it squeezes the book snug inside the package so that there is no movement inside. Any book that can move inside a package is at risk of being damaged. Some older and/or antiquarian books have softer corners and at times can have the corners bent a bit while using B-Flute. To be frank, if a buyer is giving you $100.00 + for a book you should not be shipping it in a thirty five cent box. Go out of you way and package expensive books the way they deserve, in a fine box (or even a book mailer but with some extras) with plenty of interior extras to eliminate the chance of movement inside the box. Most sellers however are moving more moderately priced stock; this method will help them to look more professional, help the books arrive safely and keep your customers happy.
Follow me step by step as I describe the best way to ship books.
Here is what’s needed for packing your books:
- B-Flute or C-Flute rolls of corrugated cardboard. We use 12 inch and 18 inch rolls – this will cover most sizes of books.
- Heavy duty stapler with 3/8” staples
- A tape gun and ultra-clear packaging tape
- A clamp
- Plastic food wrap
- A cutting board.
- Scissors
These items should all be easily found at a local office supply shop like Staples except for the B-Flute. Finding the B or C Flute (cardboard rolls) should be easy enough as well. Simply look for “Corrugated” at yellowpages.com or “Packing – Packaging Materials” in your local business directory.
Here is how to package your books for shipping:
Place your receipt and Thank You note on your book and wrap in the clear plastic food wrap. I purchase mine at Costco.
Measure how much cardboard you require by wrapping the book so that there are two layers all the way around and cut along the gutter.
Wrap the book snugly and clamp it.
Tape the seem with about an inch of tape folding inside the package.
Staple the ends of the book package. [after some great comments from the Amazon seller’s forum I realized that I forgot to mention that on occasion a staple can have a sharp end pop up. This can be a nuisance if not down right dangerous to a postal worker. Please gently run your hand over the stapled edges and if you feel anything sharp remove it and re-staple. Thanks guys]
Cut your shipping label (we always use a cutting board to give it a sharp edge) and tape to the front. This is where you’ll be happy that you have ultra clear, high quality packing tape. The label will be very clear and sharp looking. If you buy in bulk the tape should be relatively inexpensive.
There you go.
Due to the strengthening effect of the pinched cardboard the corners of the book package are very strong. We have tested this by tossing the package around a fair bit and have never seen corners get bumped. This system of book packaging is the safest and cheapest way to send books in the mail.
I use pretty much the same method for most books, except I wrap the book the tall way (stapled at the top and bottom). Takes fewer staples and offers the same protection. Also, it’s a pain but I recommend you tape over the staples. I’ve hear PO workers complain about getting speared on staple ends…and you don’t want to PO your PO.
Next time I buy a batch of supplies, I’m thinking of going with waxed butcher paper for water-proofing to cut down on my plastic usage. Also looking for gummed-back printer paper for the labels to cut down on tape.
Good points Will, especially about the sharp staples. I go over the seems lightly with my hand and a staple does occasionally prick out a bit. Of course this gets taped over. In fact I’ll add this to the article.
Thanks
Looks like this method would fit inside of the Tyvek envelopes the PO provides for Priority Overseas shipping. (What used to be Global Priority). – Much quicker than the methods I use although I get clean used large ziplock bags for free. (Don’t ask me where. Top secret! I’ll have to kill you if I tell you.)
Thanks for the wrapping tips.
The only thing that I disagree with is using plastic wrap as it offers no protection at all. Bubble wrap is far better and you can buy large rolls, cut to 12″ widths for less than fifty dollars. Also, for paperbacks, I create a sandwich with two pieces of double-walled corrugated cardboard (I just cut up old boxes) which are cut to the same size as the book, with the book as the ‘meat’. Tape top, bottom and side edge but not the spine. This way the paperback almost becomes a hardcover for shipping purposes.
Many recycling depots accept packing ‘peanuts’ and if you make friends well, you can probably get the depot to bag the ‘peanuts’ for you and get them for free. Otherwise a 25 cubic foot bag will cost $25-30.00.
When at the grocery store, look for boxes which are double-walled and grab them, or contact local businesses which get shipments but seldom make them. I have a dress store nearby and they get their clothing in nice double-walled cardboard boxes but since the dresses go out the front door in bags, they have no use for the used boxes.
Al, thanks for the comment. The plastic wrap is only to keep the book dry in case the package is left out in the rain. The protection comes from the snug fit of the outer package.
Bruce, thanks very much for this how-to, but may I ask where you get the rolls of B-Flute or C-Flute? I went to four separate stores last night trying to find such a thing, but had no luck. But I did get some strange looks! Thank you.
bb420..
Hi and thanks for your comment at the Bookshop Blog.
If you live in a larger city it shouldn’t be a problem. You need to look for industrial packing supplies dealers.
In my case I looked through the Yellow Pages under ‘Corrugated’ and found a few.
You can try looking for ‘corrugated’, flute or packing supplies..etc. Just give them a call. You may need to order a few rolls at a time.
** If you mention your city here perhaps another reader can help you out.
Some paching suppliers call the rolls of corrugated cardboard “single-faced” as it is a two part cardboard with a smooth side glued to the corrugated side.
A standard box ir “double-faced” as both sides are smooth and the corrugated in sandwitched in between. Even better is “double wall, which looks like two sheets of cardboard glued togather and it makes the best stiffeners for paperbacks.
Al Navis
Brilliant article, Bruce, thanks so much for sharing this method. I found myself nodding in agreement with your comments about how some sellers pack books. I buy and sell books and while I take as much care as I possibly can to protect the books I sell from the marauding elephants who work at the Post Office, some of the books I receive come with almost no protection. I’ve complained a few times and the seller just tried to put the blame back on the Post Office.
Many thanks from a bookseller in Oz.
Nice article. I use a similiar method except I don’t staple. Instead, I tape the ends of the b-flute and slip it into a white poly mailer. Simple and effective for me.
Its always about using the right material keeping in mind how it is going to be handled lately. Packaging industry is too mature to overcome minor issues but its about the cost which forces the manufacturers to take ill designed packaging into consideration.
Harry Bradman
http://www.abc-packaging.com
What do u think of self adhesive b flute?
Thanks for the comments everybody.
Naima – I haven’t had a chance to use it self adhesive b-flute. Just wondering what the difference in price might be. The next time I put an order in with my cardboard distributor I’ll ask about pricing and see if he might throw in a roll for me to try out.
Thank You for the tips. My boxes are getting too expensive especially since most sizes I order are coming from 500 miles away and I must pay shipping.
Has anyone tried a hot glue gun for sealing instead of staples?
This is a great system. I also sell books on Amaxon part time and have tried a few different book packaging systems. Book Mailers worked pretty well but where I live they were bit expensive. I switched to b-flute and went from about $1.50 a book in packaging materials to about .35. It really adds up. No more Mailers for me.
This is an effective method but holy smokes, no one mentioned the TIME it takes to ship this way. If you’re only shipping a few books, then this is not a problem but if you ship lots of books every day, it will eat a large chunk of time as opposed to using bubble envelopes.
I myself have tried several different types of packaging and bubble mailers seem to be the most effective. We have similar feedback to the seller listed above too.
I will continue my search. If you can get a method where it takes 30 seconds to package a book, let me know.
Duncan
Great ideas. Another way to go that is quick to wrap and more protective than a mailer is the cardboard folding package. These wrap around the book and secure with a piece of tape. I guess you could make your own but you can get one that will fit a hardcover novel for about $.25 (plus shipping). You can wrap a book tight, or put in a little padding at the ends of the book, and the book is as secure as the above systems.
Ray
Clear food wrap? Not the exact material I’d use before packaging my books. As Al Navis has already said, bubble wrap is definitely the way to go as it gives added protection to your books.
It is ironic that there is so much thought put into the packaging of books from small-based sellers, but the massive chains majority of their books of a below-par and battered quality, often damaged, watermarked or bent.Considering they would have more money to pay for shipping and careful protection of books, they just find more ways to cut on cost.
Very good insights on the packaging issue. Being a college student I have noticed so much terrible packaging when receiving textbooks its crazy! (and their expensive!) I have received packages in B-Flute and it keeps the book snug in there and well protected.
I have written about this issue and others on my on blog at booksellertalk.blogspot.com come check it out!
The only problem I had was finding a stapler that worked. I took a wrapped book to Office Depot and tried a variety of different staplers. Some didn’t staple all the way through or didn’t curl over properly. Mostly, the stapling tore the B-flute. I ended up using a hot glue gun instead. A glue gun is cheaper, but the glue sticks cost more than staples. If you use glue, all the B-flute layers need to glued shut at the ends. I also suggest buying two clamps so that the package ends can be held closed until the glue dries.
Why would you pack books? Just use usps media mail option and they will provide you with secure envelope.
Simple – it is less than half the cost and is more secure for the books – corners never get bumped using this method.
The only way you can use USPS’s shipping material for media mail is to do it illegally! Some online booksellers put the boxes inside out or wrap brown paper around it to conceal the fact that it’s actually a PRIORITY mail box. Do not use USPS’s materials with a media mail package.
Great ideas! I’ve been trying to find a way to stop the packaging from eating into my profit.
Packing, you mentioned that USPS will provide an envelope with Media mail. I thought so, too…but when I asked the postal worker she said that they don’t do it – only for Priority and up. Is there some special way you need to ask to get a mailer provided to you from the Post Office?
Every little helps! Thanks again for a great article.
in wrapping the books to be delivered really have to be assured that it won’t mess.
wrapping it with plastic before it is being wrapped with the cardboard will be a double protection in case it would be exposed in the rain.
Nice tips!…
This was the best article I have ever found on shipping books. I am a gentle reader of my books…they still look brand new after I read them. I stopped selling them online because the cost to package/ship was not worth it any longer. I felt that if I couldn’t ship them and have the receiptent receive them in the condition I sold them as or would want to receive them if it was me, it wasn’t worth it anymore.
I live in Phx, AZ so finding the B Flute should be easy. You have given me something to be excited about…selling my books again.
Any ideas on shipping magazines or would you suggest this method as well?
Regards,
Tina
Hi Tina – thanks for coming by. You could ship magazines the same way just cut out a second piece of the b-flute and lie it on the magazine in the opposite direction of the outer wrap to give it a little extra rigidity. Thanks a lot for the kind words. I’ve been shipping books this way for 5 years, probably over 5000 books and have had 0 complaints about condition, 0 returns. It works.
Thanks to all for good comments, an amalgamation of which launched our small book selling venture. Some observations:
– William S. is right — my post office likes me better with tape over the stapled ends
– buy the right size staples for less tearing and jamming of the stapler. 3/8 inch goes well through 2-3 layers of flute
– plastic bags are cheap at Walmart
– for really big art books — pack well first in bubble pack then use b-flute to wrap like a gift package (instead of stapling the ends). Tape well. Yes, it works.
– befriend the post office people at the counter, and they will help point out savings -e.g flat rate boxes for 20 lbs. of books
Good luck! The more of us selling, packaging and reselling used books successfully, the better market for everyone.
I was wondering if you’d considered using an adhesive faced b-flute material? Seems to me it would save the stapling process if you could just press the ends together… Thoughts?
This is a great way to ship books. I cannot disagree with you there but what if you have dozens if not hundreds of books to send every day? This method is not going to work at all. I’ve used simple bubble mailers since I started selling books online and have never had one complaint about packaging and still maintain my 99% feedback rating on Amazon.
This is great! I can pack these as quickly as my old method (bubble wrap + manila envelope) WAY cheaper and I am much more confident about the protection afforded the book. It took a little practice, but after a few books I had the hang of it.
I used to use this method. My only comment would be to ditch the stapler. I originally used a stapler (and yes it was heavy duty) but found it to be a PITA to use. Instead I just used tape. Same results-just faster (I used this method for about 4 years-that equates to about 9,000 packages without a complaint). FYI: I currently use the Multi-D (more expensive but faster). I got rid of bubble mailers once I started using B-Flute (they’re OK for cheap books). I figure with an average price per book a bit over $35.00 I can afford to ship books in better packaging.
Many people use manilla envelopes which often become torn during transit. I have used paper grocery bags wrapped in a similar fashion around the book but those packages can unwrap even with good tape. Bubble mailers are a good solution because they include the plastic water-resistant layer but they might be more costly to purchase including in bulk than this solution.
My question is: do the staples and cardboard add extra weight to each package and thereby increase shipping costs?
I have weighed paper packaging versus bubble mailers on a post office scale and the bubble mailer is the lighter package material — often making the difference between one lb. or over on media mail shipping rates.
Hi Louis – not much difference I find – but much stronger. It’s really hard to damage a book wrapped like this. I’ve done some pretty good testing.
I give up on my previous idea. There must be no better method for packing books than that described in this article.
Strength of packaging and not damaging the book in transit are the most important criteria when shipping books. What good does it do to save money on packaging or shipping cost if the package arrives damaged and the book too?
Plus the impressive look of this packaging will surely convince the customers on the other end that they are dealing with a professional. That type of goodwill is priceless!
@Louis Gereaux If your packages are getting damaged it is because the B-flute? is too thin a material. I use old cardboard from boxes etc and fold it over the book exactly as described here. Never had a problem. Regular cardboard is thick and FREE.
This should not only be as good a system as I was using (bubble wrap plus bubble mailer envelope) but MUCH more cost effective. All of a sudden as I’m transitioning from refurbishing and reselling books from library sales to building my inventory and shipping several times a week, I’ve realized the time and mainly the EXPENCE of packaging materials. This should REALLY help with that and still provide proper care for my books. THANKS!
thanks for the great info about the corrugated cardboard- after a lot of searching I found it at U-line, but the shipping was seriously expensive! I will try and connect any future shipments with my sister (who owns a b&m store) to split cost. I’m still using bubble mailers for smaller paperbacks- with cardboard for stability- but love the corrugated for the larger and more collectible books- thanks for sharing!!
can’t we booksellers recognize that we are colleagues as much, or more, than we are competitors?!
I do a similar packaging but I extend all 4 sides – not just two.
I just use an old free piece of cardboard from a box. Probably can’t do this if you want it to look pretty but who cares? Wait to see if you get a complaint. I slice the cardboard with a very sharp knife. I have a strip of cardboard say 16 inches wide, fold it in half with a 1 1/2 inch flat section along the fold that I create, put the book inside with spine at the fold- you can even crumple newspaper along the spine, then fold the cardboard over it. Now I have cardboard extended by 3-4 inches along all 4 sides. I then staple it with about half the staples you use- maybe 4 on each edge. This is done on 3 edges since I don’t wrap the cardboard a second time although you could. My cardboard edge is very wavy with the knife cut-kind of a hack job, but no one has complained. I even got a compliment. I’ve only shipped 20 books so far like this.
***TAPE— I tried sealing the edges with tape going along the edge and folding it over but I kept a book like that for a few days and the tape started coming off- staples are solid and yes check for sharp edges. You do need the heavy duty stapler with very long arm which will curl the ends over properly if you do it right.
This is great advice! I’ve recently started selling books on Amazon, ran out of my “book sized boxes” was very uncomfortable with the bubble envelopes but couldn’t find the product that Amazon uses. Thanks!!! And my future customers thank you as well!
That is one way to package books…. packing bigger books like college textbooks might need something else like a box. I also do like the plastic wrap idea, i never thought of shipping my books like that.
Anyone out there who knows a good place to sell, trade or buy new and used college textbooks please let me know, im sick of getting pennies for selling my book back after semester is over.
Thank you for this information.
This one below is advertised on eBay.
Would it work w/the B-Flute paper?
Send an email please.
Thank you again,
Bob
********************
All-metal construction • Manufacturer’s seven-year warranty • Staples up to 100 sheets (based on 20-lb. bond) • Throat depth adjustable up to 2-3/8″ • Drives 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″ heavy-duty staples Rubber pads on base prevent scratches. Easy rear staple loading. Steel. LEGACY BRAND. #60371 LIST $49.95
Hi Bob – Actually it sounds just like the one I use.
Thank you Bruce for your response.
I should have included the SKU.
It’s a Bostich 310HDS Anti-Jam.
I have to know what I’m doing. I have many books to
ship and never did this before.
Your instructions saved me a lot of time as
I couldn’t decide to use either mail bubblers or boxes.
I have so many different sizes of books.
Again thank you.
Bob
I’m in college and a couple of weeks ago, I started a small business selling through amazon.com to help pay my bills. I’m glad I found this page when I did; been paranoid about damaging my books letting them clunk around in those silly padded mailers.
I’ve ordered the necessary supplies (they are CHEAP), and have pulled all of my books from my inventory sheet for a few days until I’m prepared to ship them securely. Useful information here. Thanks so much!
Thank you Bruce. I know have all the materials I need
to package books.
Thank you again for this site and info.
Bob.
Does anyone know if you can just put something like this in the post in Australia?
Hi Becky – I don’t see why you couldn’t, it’s really just a box. just be sure to cover the staples with a piece of tape. The sometimes can scratch if uncovered.
Becky, I use corrugated cardboard to protect books all the time, but the cheapest way to post parcels weighing less than 3kg is prepaid satchels, unless you’re posting within the same city or your parcel weighs under 500g
Thanks for your article. As an author, I need to ship hardcover books though not nearly as many as you do (unfortunately). I like your method but would like to compare the cost of prefab book mailers. Problem is that I can’t find the book mailers that have the “ears” at the end to protect the corners. Does anyone know a source for these? Thank you.
Nice article. I once worked for a compendium publisher and we would have shipments of thousands of books. After looking at alternatives, I settled on what you recommend. I think the rolls of corrugated we got were a heavy duty than you are using, but in other respects we followed your technique. One thing we did better was get a special heavy duty stapler that not only saved a lot of sweat but was designed to make the staples always “lie flat” and never leave a sharp end exposed.
Of course, we were shipping thousands at a time, so why not spend extra money on a great stapler?
I suspect that everyone will be happy with your method.
Yes, it is important that the staples always “lie–flat” and never leave the sharp ends exposed for the safety of mail handlers and of course the book’s recipients. We can solve this problem by putting tape over the staplers.
This method can adapt to look inside the tyvek envelopes provide the Po priority overseas.
I started shipping copies of my book last week. I used this method and it is fantastic. The only deviation I used was replacing the plastic wrap with poly-vinyl mailing envelopes. They speed things up a little and offer more protection. Thanks very much for the great how-to.
Great advice. A lot of college students choose to buy textbooks online as opposed to in the college bookstore. It’s awful when the book comes in terrible packaging and is partially damaged when you open the box.
This very true; I’ve seen packages coming through the Postal Service that are damaged because of equipment and machines handling them (not to mention personnel tossing the packages in hampers). Small packages like books (sent via media rate in PO) are shipped together with large and heavy parcel post packages so your book must be package with this method (from this article) to withstand the handling.
I’ve been selling books online for over ten years and have never shipped this way. Neither have I had any complaint nor return, but rather have received feedback about how securely my books are packaged and sent. I’ve been buying books online for years longer than I’ve been selling. Out of hundreds I’ve bought, I’ve received one wrapped in this cardboard method. Now, today, I have had a customer request (read demand) this method and, Googling for info, found this site. So I find that I have to go buy materials that I don’t have and can’t afford. Based on my experience, it’s the seller, not the wrapping, that makes the difference…. btw, my rating is, and has always been, 100% and I work hard to keep it at that. So I’m off to the store and I thank you for listening. At least now, thanks to this site, I know how to wrap books this way if I need to.
Hi Kathy – you’re exactly right about the seller making a difference. Most methods should work fine is the bookseller takes care and is interested in doing things properly. This is just a method that worked well for me.
I have been selling used books on Amazon now for almost 4 years, the packaging issue for any book seller really is the least of the problems one should face. I used to order my packaging (jiffies) from Staples but after all the hassle of waiting for delivery, the delivery costs ect, I now find that using my local 99p shop is just about the best way to get stocked up on mailing bags. Lets face it, 99p for 6 or 99p for 4 larger ones is as cheap as it gets! Great for maximising your profits no matter where you sell from or what type of books you sell!
Can you tell what size flute-B rolls (i.e. 9 inch, 12 inch) and weight of the roll works best. I cannot tell from your pictures how heavy a flute-B you are using. Also, does it matter if flute-B or flute-C?
Hey Johnny,
Both C and B will work though I prefer B. I always had rolls of 250 feet, 12 inch and 18 – this should cover 99% of the books you’ll ship.
Thank you for the info. I will start with the 12 inch roll and go from there.
For singles, I use decent scrap cardboard. If you split the two pieces that make up one with the corrugate in the center you can wrap your book just like the corrugate. I wrap the corners, sides and spine with the corrugate and then cover the remaining face and rear with the non-corrugate cardboard, then seal the entire book. Try it once, it works nicely and is eco-friendly. It is a little more work, but the earth is worth it.
If you are doing multiple single mailings, the way described in this article above is the best I have found, economical and book-friendly.
Keep your corrugate scraps from this article for the method I described above and use heavy scrap paper for the facing and back.
Re-use not ref-use.
Great concept! Do you tape over the bar code on the shipping label? PayPal states that the post office doesn’t want that done. Any thoughts?
I was hesitant at first but once I started testing it out and found that nobody at the post office seem to mind, I began doing it all the time. My opinion now is that it’s not a problem at all.
Bubble wrap is excessive for book. They have no moving parts, so only need to be made rigid and waterproof.
Bruce, Could I use tape to hold down the edges instead of the staples? Would tape work just as well as staples?
Lev wood
I wouldn’t think so as it really needs to be a tight fit in order to prevent the book from moving inside the package. The Stapling gives the package a lot of strength as well.
Simple – it is less than half the cost and is more secure for the books – corners never get bumped using this method.
Has anyone tried a hot glue gun for sealing instead of staples?
Wow, thank you so much for the tips! I was just doing some pricing on ‘proper’ books mailers; but found this blog so will go this route instead as it means I don’t have to get a whole load of different size mailers. As someone who only sells online I always include a packing note, and thank you card, as it is the only real contact that I have with the customer. However, I would value tips on how to get people to leave feedback on the books they buy from me on Amazon …!
Hey everyone,
I just found this item. I’m shipping a lot of soft cover books and this seems to be the most economical & fastest.
There are different sizes.
It’s called “Cohesive Corrugated Paper” aka adhesive corrugated pater.
I didn’t find it on uline until I called them and asked what it was called. Amazingly, it’s hard to find it online under “adhesive corrugated paper”
http://www.uline.com/BL_1958/Cohesive-Corrugated-Wrap
Hi. Thanks for the step-by-step of the how to package books better. It appears you are self-fulfilling because you add a receipt. When selling FBA on AZ, I cannot add a receipt, since the item has not sold yet. Would you sent a receipt by snail mail along with a thank you note? How else, since you cannot add a receipt when selling on AZ? Thanks in advance. We like your packing methods. 🙂
Texas Jim & Donna
How about sending an email receipt? Why does it have to be physical. If someone complains then send a physical receipt to that ONE person. The order is by email right? Receipt by email.
Tim Ferriss author of 4 Hour Work Week suggests making all processes of selling easy for YOU the seller, not the buyer. He only accepts one type of credit card to make things easier for him. He may lose a small percent of customers but they account for 80% of his problems.
Hey Ed. That’s a good idea. Been selling on eBay for over 11 years & I get caught up in the process of sending a receipt & 2 chocolate candy kisses in each box. AZ is not the same as eBay. Take care.
Texas Jim
Hi Bruce. I left a comment & question last night & do not see it here. What happened?
Texas Jim
Hi Jim,
First timers need to be approved first.
Okay thanks.
Recently my computer “lost” Flash Player, so I cannot see the images. I cannot tell what you put the corrugated-wrapped book into & label onto for the actual mailing. Some type of envelope??
I have Flash installed on my computer and I STILL can’t see your images. What is the problem???
I apologize about the images – it’s on our end. They were lost during our server move. I’ll have to see if they are still on my old computer.
Same here, I can’t see your images.
Sorry, but I cannot see your images either. Would be valuable information.
I can’t see the images either, but can understand what is meant, good article. One thing though, is I don’t like to receive thank you notes and receipts in the packaging, it’s just more paper to throw away, if I need a receipt I’ll print it off on-line.
No images because of faulty uploading links or line code
Andrew – I did just that. Thanks a bunch for the suggestion!
An excellent post. I wish a lot more booksellers would follow suit. I collect photography books which tend to be large, heavy hardcovers which do not survive the postal system unscathed without attention being paid to packing. I dread seeing the postman coming with an extra-large cheapo bubble wrap envelope with a book rattling around inside that clearly has no padding. Its not going to be pretty inside.
One other suggestion I would make for heavy hardbacks is just a bit of extra cardboard around the corners can make all the difference before you wrap it up – they seem to be achilles heel in a lot of cases.
I am so glad that I found your site. Thank you so much for the great information. I will start using your method asap.
The images have been fixed, it seems. Thanks.
Thank you so much for sharing this. I sell about 10 to 15 books a week on ebay and being a collector myself I take great pride in my packaging. I pay just over a UK pound per book mailer. Having read your article I’m changing my methods immediately.
Images show fine using Google Chrome by the way
Hi, I can see the images just fine. Thanks for the instructions. We just started selling books and this is going to be very helpful!
I have been trying to locate b or c flute corrugated rolls, a place close to me has A flute. Can you tell me the difference? Is it okay to use A flute? Thank you!!
Thank you – images are very clear here (using Windows 7, Firefox/Mozilla, and Norton.)
My question is whether you then use a shipping company like FedEx or UPS, or do you use regular US Postal Service?
I would like to know the answer to this, as well.
Well – I’m in Canada so I used Canpar. Good service and good rates. Highly recommended for Canadian sellers.
I just tried this today. I was impressed with how great the result looked like! Thank you so much for this affordable and creative solution!
The B flute cardboard is an excellent idea for mailing books. I have mailed out thousands of wall posters and after using tubes for 25 years I switched to 6″ x 6″x 36″ rectangular boxes. I wrap the poster in newsprint sheets 35″ x 47.” The paper cushions the product inside of the rectangular box if you don’t tuck the ends into the poster. I used to have about ten percent damage and since going to the rectangular boxes my damage rate is, two in 15 years! The round tubes probably rolled around in the delivery trucks.
I shrink wrap my books and use a bubble mailer. If I used your method it would take me all day to ship out all the books that I mail.I also receive many compliments on the packaging. By shrink wrapping you are making the book air and water tight, you can’t do that the way you are doing it. I do use your method when I have a book that is very large and won’t fit into a bubble mailer though.
thak
Thank you for blog I knew a book delivery to customer for internet book store over about 50% so I wish you to develop automatic packaging sytem with corrugated mailing boxes.
Nice–I would like to get a book shipped this way to ME. BUT it would take too long to send out in quantity. You may want to consider mass producing this envelope in various sizes pre sealed on one side with a plastic liner. It might take off. I would need 40k of them a year.