When to use bubble mailers?

[wondervamp]

Hey guys, I'm in the process of selling a bunch of my personal collection. I have been using cardboard boxes with a crap ton of protection for STEEELBOOKS, Digibooks, & anything precious and ALL of my buyers have been super pleased.

However, I'm getting into starting to sell some more run of the mill stuff and considering bubble mailers. I have a 2-part question with this regard.

And I would love to hear when you consider bubble mailers appropriate, and your methods of how you prepare them for shipment.

#1 - For a single blu-ray (BUT with a slipcover that I want to protect), would wrapping it in bubble wrap, then in a bubble envelope mailer offer adequate protection?

#2 - When using a bubble mailer for a single blu-ray or two, does this still cost $4.63 for media mail (this is Media mail cheapest rate as in my experience).

Thanks! (I tried finding the most appropriate place for this thread and this seemed like the best place - apologies if I'm out of bounds.)

[backwater]

1. I think that's fine if it's not a very valuable sale. Like if I sell something for under $10, I won't feel too bad about using a well-padded bubble mailer.

2. Yes, the media mail cost only increases above $4.63 if you go over 2 lbs. The chart here should be accurate: https://www.pirateship.com/usps/media-mail

[wondervamp]

Originally Posted by backwater

1. I think that's fine if it's not a very valuable sale. Like if I sell something for under $10, I won't feel too bad about using a well-padded bubble mailer.

2. Yes, the media mail cost only increases above $4.63 if you go over 2 lbs. The chart here should be accurate: https://www.pirateship.com/usps/media-mail

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[JurassicBD]

I've sold titles I've upgraded to a better edition or that I didn't like as much as I hoped on ebay for many years. My rule of thumb is to always over-protect. Ebay holds the seller accountable for shipping damage. With the USPS something is going to happen. If it looks to the buyer that you went above and beyond they'll be more understanding of late deliveries and such. They won't be as quick to vent any disappointment by leaving you negative feedback and starting a return. And we all know how disappointing it is to get something damaged from a mass distributor, like amazon, solely because they didn't care enough to package it well. A simple padded mailer may be sufficient 90% of the time, when everything is running smoothly. Even an unpadded polymailer is adequate more often than not. But, padded mailers aren't really effective at protecting something as fragile as cheaply made plastic if anything goes wrong, like a jammed machine or the abuse that they take from postal employees too busy to care. A padded mailer was designed for less fragile items and is not just cheaper for big companies, but more importantly, faster than packaging small items in a box. At the very least, I would add two more layers of bubble-wrap inside the padded mailer. And most buyers seem to appreciate it when you fold a piece inside the case too, to help secure the disc(s) in transit. Personally, I do even better than that, recycling the packaging I get from buying online, so I rarely have to buy any bubblewrap. My biggest expenses are polymailers that can be had for as little as 4 cent each, when buying 1000 at a time, and a cardboard cutter. But most people aren't going to want to spend 20-30 minutes packing a single BD for shipping.

As far as generating bulk-rate labels through ebay, which is much cheaper than paying at the PO, while 4.63 is the cheapest MM rate, covering up to one pound, if you can keep the package under 8oz, which isn't hard to do with a single 1-4 disc BD, Ground Advantage will actually be cheaper than MM, gets greater processing priority and includes insurance for up to $100. Shipping within your own state, GA could be as low as 4.41, where the highest I've seen it so far, after the recent rate increases, has been 4.84 for an 8oz package. That was shipping from NC to parts of CA, OR, and WA. Even shipping to Puerto Rico was cheaper at 4.71 for GA. That's higher than MM, but being less likely to get delayed, and including insurance, it's worth it. And for most destinations it's cheaper than MM. More often than not it's been 4.52 for me.

Also, keep in mind that ebay collects their full commission on shipping too. So while postage for say MM would be 4.63, your actual cost would be 5.32 after ebay fees just on shipping, regardless of where you buy your shipping. Of course that doesn't count packaging supplies and the operational cost of a label generator or printer. Most people like the ease of a label generator with self-adhering labels. But, if you have need for a printer for something other than labels, getting a B&W Brother laser printer will be the cheapest way to go. Toner lasts a long time, even the starter toner it came with lasted me about 2-3 years. Don't buy into Epson's claims that their Workforce line of inkjets produce anywhere near the same yields as a laser printer. They don't, and the machines themselves don't hold up nearly as long.

[67stingray]

I have sold thousands over the years and used regular bubble mailers for them(as well as a lot of other items) and only had a few issues. I use boxes for steels and expensive slips, but bubble is fine for regular case. USPS does a great job usually, much better than anyone else, don't listen to the people that trash them. I would say most of the time go for Ground and not Media, it is usually cheaper and slightly faster for these 8oz and under items. Most people never leave feedback so going over and above on regular stuff is a waste of time.

[russweiss1]

The average buyer may not care but I wouldn't send anything in a bubble mailer. The cost of a box or cardboard mailer isn't going to be much different and I believe you're more likely to get repeat customers if they see you don't skimp on shipping supplies. I've been using Ebay since 1998 and have over 6000 positive feedback for reference.

[67stingray]

Originally Posted by russweiss1

The average buyer may not care but I wouldn't send anything in a bubble mailer. The cost of a box or cardboard mailer isn't going to be much different and I believe you're more likely to get repeat customers if they see you don't skimp on shipping supplies. I've been using Ebay since 1998 and have over 6000 positive feedback for reference.

Considering the low cost of regular blus these days the added expense of a box and higher shipping costs due to that extra weight is just money thrown away IMO. A bubble mailer is already better than the no padding mailers most companies use anyway(amazon, target, etc...). I have even gotten feedback saying how well I packed, and it was just thrown in a bubble mailer, albeit a good quality one.

I also joined eBay in the 90s and have a ton of feedback as well as being a Powerseller/Top Rated Seller, these aren't the old days of repeat customers. They just buy the lowest price and you are lucky to get 20% of buyers even leaving feedback, no matter how above and beyond you go. eBay has programmed buyers to treat us like Amazon.

[JurassicBD]

Originally Posted by 67stingray

Considering the low cost of regular blus these days the added expense of a box and higher shipping costs due to that extra weight is just money thrown away IMO. A bubble mailer is already better than the no padding mailers most companies use anyway(amazon, target, etc...). I have even gotten feedback saying how well I packed, and it was just thrown in a bubble mailer, albeit a good quality one.

I also joined eBay in the 90s and have a ton of feedback as well as being a Powerseller/Top Rated Seller, these aren't the old days of repeat customers. They just buy the lowest price and you are lucky to get 20% of buyers even leaving feedback, no matter how above and beyond you go. eBay has programmed buyers to treat us like Amazon.

I go above and beyond and my feedback is closer to 60% of items sold. I can concur that when I used simple padded mailers the percentage of customers who left feedback was much lower. I also used to never get repeat customers, where now I have several who frequently message me to see if I have something before they look elsewhere. I only sell select items I no-longer want, so my inventory isn't exactly conducive to repeat customers. I don't pay for a store, I only do the 250 free listings per month. I still buy a lot, and have been stockpiling padded mailers and cardboard for many years, so my packaging costs are minimal. Still you can buy large rolls of bubble wrap and poly-mailers for a lot less than padded mailers, unless buying commercial volumes.

It does take some time to assemble the way I package. But it's never a waste of time to care, whether your buyer appreciates your effort or not. And frankly, I don't want those buyers. Feeling resentful that a movie is going for less than you think it should be worth because the market is still flooded is understandable. I don't take it out on my buyer though. And when ebay holds the seller accountable for safe delivery, I can't afford the risk of shipping in a mere padded mailer, adequate or not.

[Kellz]

Originally Posted by 67stingray

I also joined eBay in the 90s and have a ton of feedback as well as being a Powerseller/Top Rated Seller, these aren't the old days of repeat customers. They just buy the lowest price and you are lucky to get 20% of buyers even leaving feedback, no matter how above and beyond you go. eBay has programmed buyers to treat us like Amazon.

i have been a member for about 20 years now and have noticed a significant drop off in the amount of feedback being left. of 10 sells, i'm lucky if 3-4 leave anything.

[67stingray]

Originally Posted by Kellz

i have been a member for about 20 years now and have noticed a significant drop off in the amount of feedback being left. of 10 sells, i'm lucky if 3-4 leave anything.

Indeed, unless you are selling only a few specialty items I doubt anything near 60% feedback is possible.