Protecting your items - what's the most versatile form of protective postal packaging?

Whether you're sending off gifts or trying to keep your customer feedback healthy, it's important to have a go-to method of packaging that you can always rely on. You want your items to stay protected, waste as little packaging as possible, and not pay an extortionate rate for it. But are you making the right choices? You might not have noticed it, but packaging has come a long way over recent years. This has resulted in smarter, greener and more cost-effective ways of getting your items from A to B. From old favorites through to all-new specialist products, here we'll put the spotlight on some of the best packaging options out there to keep your items safe and sound.

The cardboard box

Lightweight yet strong, there are lots of very good reasons as to why the humble cardboard box remains such a firm packaging favourite. Especially useful for heavier items, a good quality double-walled box is designed to prevent the bottom from collapsing. It should also be tear-resistant and provide a reassuring level of protection against moisture, so it's ideal if the box is going to be exposed to the elements on its journey. If possible breakages are less of a concern though, have a look for stylish flip-top boxes. These are especially useful if you want your recipient to have a memorable unboxing experience. This tried and tested packaging staple comes in lots of variations, from heavy-duty, dual-walled boxes down to streamlined mailboxes and eye-catching presentation boxes. Make sure the one you pick is easy to assemble, stack and store. What's more, if you're trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible, look for a box that's 100% recyclable. Cardboard boxes don't need to be drab, either. Our Breezebox is re-sealable and features an in-built layer of protective recycled tissue paper, making it an elegant yet practical cardboard box solution. This type of premium design is fantastic for shipping gifts, and can even be put to work on home storage (neatly storing away shirts in your wardrobe, for instance).

Cardboard wrap

When you're sending off a gift or product, like a toy or piece of jewellery, you don't want your box to arrive at its destination with dog-eared corners and scuffed exterior. How can you avoid this, though? You could put the whole thing into a standard cardboard box, but the chances are that it's going to be rattling around in there unless you use lots of inefficient and messy void-fill - which isn't ideal for damage prevention, saving the environment or storage costs. A solution to this is to use a tight-fit cardboard wrap. This type of packaging should closely follow the contours of your item, protecting it with extra buffering around the edges and corners of the box. Our Twistwrap achieves this by twisting 90% which enables your product to wrapped from both angles with a cross-ply layer corrugated protection plus it's also 100% recyclable and is completely flat so saves on storage. This means it is ideal for keeping your packages in mint condition during transport all whilst lowering your impact on the environment.

Product-specific packaging

It's a fairly common scenario: you realise you're hoarding all your old books, CDs, and vinyl records, so you decide it's high time to free up that space in your home and raise a little extra cash in the process (isn't that how all eBay powersellers start out?). If you weren't originally planning on doing this, then you might not know what packaging to look out for. You'll be wanting to keep your postage costs as low as you can, so it's definitely worth looking at product-specific envelopes, especially ones that maximise large letter. You'll find these in standardised sizes available for all popular media types from magazines and children's books right through to DVDs. Opt for an easy 'peel and seal', and packing them up becomes so much quicker and you'll save on tape, too! If you're packaging and posting off some of your old books, you don't want the spines to get creased, corners bashed or hard-covers bent this is where our Book wraps provide the perfect solution. They're made with corrugated kraft cardboard with buffer edges so they're not only an eco-friendly way of sending off your old books, but they'll also keep them perfectly secure during transit. Maybe you're shipping your old vinyls instead. Our Vinyl record mailers are designed to fit vinyls perfectly, and will do the job in keeping your vinyls safe and sound.

Mailbags

If you're sending off an item that's unlikely to get damaged on the move, and you just want it out as quickly and cheaply as possible, then mailbags can fit the bill perfectly. Available in a range of sizes, they're typically incredibly light and capable of being pressed right down, which makes them ideal for staying within size and weight limits for postal charges. What's more, these are the perfect option for sending out clothes, cuddly toys, or any lightweight, non-fragile item you've got to send off. It's also worth making sure they've got the recycling symbol on the back to ensure they're 100% recyclable. If you're concerned about being as environmentally friendly as possible though, have a look into our kraft paper plastic mailbag alternatives: a more environmentally-friendly solution that will avoid the use of single-use plastic whilst still keeping your items well-protected and lightweight.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, getting your packaging right is incredibly important. Whether you're looking for that extra protection or just a lightweight, eco-friendly packaging solution, we've got a range of products to fit all your packaging needs. If you'd like to find out more about our range, head over here for more information or contact us to arrange a quote for a custom size and print.