SHIPPING GREEN! HOW TO SAVE ON PACKAGING

Everyone's talking about Going Green around the house and other places. For those of you who sell online or anywhere else, or even if you're just shipping out gifts and other packages, here's how you can cut down on your packaging expenses & Ship Green!

The following items are recyclable: Bubble Mailers, Padded Mailers, Boxes, Mailing Tubes, Envelopes, Bubble Wrap, Packing Peanuts, Tissue Paper, Air Bags, Plastic Bags, Junk Mail.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure all items are Clean & Odor Free. No one likes to receive anything in dirty packaging or packing materials that reek of smoke or other odors.

Mailers & Envelopes that have labels that are close to impossible to remove can be covered up by a piece of plain paper with a label in place. Or in some cases, all you need to do is place your label over the old one. Junk mail envelopes are great for mailing things in provided you be sure to cover up the Sender's address. Junk Mail also makes good packing filler when once it's been run thru the shredder.

When you get a package & your item(s) have been wrapped in bubble wrap and/or tissue paper, have a big plastic bag, box or storage container on hand to save & recycle these items. The same thing goes for air bags & packing peanuts. Store them in a big plastic bag or storage container for future use. This comes in very handy when you are shipping items that require these. Very cost effective too.

Clean plastic bags are great when you're shipping out clothing & wish to protect it in packages.

Bubble and Padded Mailers may also be cut down to size when necessary. This is great if you need an odd size. Also cost effective if they are in good shape - you don't have to spend money on any.

The USPS offers Free Priority Mail Boxes & Envelopes in a variety of sizes. Shipping by Flat Rate Priority Mail can sometimes be cost effective for both Sellers & Buyers alike. Just keep in mind that there are weight limits.

When shipping small items that are not fragile, cereal boxes, frozen food boxes and almost any other small grocery item box works well. Shoe boxes and cardboard boxes from other items are also great to ship things in. All you need is a heavy duty black Sharpie or Marker to block out UPC Codes or any wording on the outside of cardboard boxes.

Ship Green & Save Money!