Save Money: Reuse Mailing Boxes and Packing Supplies

June 05, 2014: Twice a year we de-clutter our house. Invariably we discover quite a few books, CDs and DVDs that we can part with. We list them on Amazon.com. Ebay charges a fee for listing, so we stay away from them.

When our listed items get sold at Amazon, we are required to mail them promptly. We pack each item with a lot of care so that they are delivered in a tip top condition to our customers. To do that we use a good amount of packing materials. You may wonder how much do these packing stuff cost us? Nothing!

How do we do it?

We never throw away any packing supplies, bubble wraps, fillers and polystyrene foams. Throughout the year we collect and store them neatly in a big box. We examine each and every mailing box or bubble wrap envelope in which we receive our online purchases. If they are strong and in an acceptable condition, we clean and store them as well. So next time when we need to ship an item, we merrily reuse an appropriate mailing box or envelope.

However we diligently carry out these three simple steps while reusing old mailers or boxes:

Print the mailing addresses on white paper. Almost always we reuse one sided printed paper for making the address labels.

With a black permanent marker we blacken any markings or writings on the boxes or mailers.

Glue or tape the address labels over previous printed labels that were affixed on the boxes or the black markings. We make sure that the new address labels completely cover them.

Are there any other ways of reusing mailing boxes?

Recycling mailing boxes need not end with the mailing of merchandise. If we are creative we could certainly discover many other uses. We have reused them for storing small items and other odds and ends.

The following picture shows how we use an USPS priority mail box for storing coupons, fliers and pending mails on our desk. We have cut out a portion from the top of the box, to make a lid. Works like a charm!


How much do we save?

Well, let us do the math.

• On an average each shipping box with fillers cost us around $5.
• We ship at least 50 times a year.
• So total savings = 5 x 50 = $250.

Well, we won't get rich by reusing our old mailers and boxes. But tiny drops make an ocean. So every single effort that saves us money counts.

But in the bigger picture, apart from saving us a few hard earned dollars, recycling the boxes and envelopes helps Mother Nature. Playing our little part towards maintaining a harmonious relationship with our environment gives us immense satisfaction and joy. So we make sure not to miss a single opportunity of doing so.

We would love to hear back from our creative readers about their novel uses of mailing boxes and packing supplies. Please leave your comments :).

Image Source(s): iStockPhoto

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