Choosing Between Boxes and Bubble Mailers for Small Businesses
For many small businesses that specialize in retail, packaging has a significant presence in that business’s budget. But there are many packaging options to consider, and it is necessary to choose the right ones in order to guarantee safe transportation and profitability.
There are typically two common options for merchants to ship their goods in: Boxes and bubble mailers. We consider both these options to have advantages over one another, so if you are not sure about which to choose for your goods, you will get a better understanding of how each one is useful.
Here is a brief description for both bubble mailers and boxes:
Bubble Mailers
Bubble mailers are significantly smaller lighter than boxes, meaning they are easier to handle and store, occupying less space than a bulky box. Bubble mailers are also cheap to buy in bulk compared to boxes of similar size. As mentioned previously, bubble mailers come with their own protection, and you likely are not required to provide additional padding. Last but not least, bubble mailers are easy to pack out due to fewer materials provided and required.
The downsides to bubble mailers are that they can easily be crushed, torn, or punctured. Bubble mailers are not the best of protectors for certain items. It is also not ideal to pack more than one item inside of a bubble mailer, as the weight shifting inside the mailer can cause one or more items in the package to get damaged. Lastly, bubble mailers are synthetic, thus, they cannot be recycled or burned.
Boxes
Boxes are sturdy and strong, providing adequate protection of certain items. They’re strong enough to ship heavy goods from computers to car parts. Boxes are also made of natural materials, meaning they are recyclable and environmentally-friendly. Unlike bubble mailers, boxes can store multiple items at a time with no problem, without the risk of damage to anything inside. And of course, boxes come in many more shapes and sizes compared to bubble mailers, so if you need boxes that are either small, big, or long, there are options for you.
The caveats to boxes start with their bulky nature. They take up a lot of space because of their shape. While bubble mailers are flat, the cubic nature of boxes make them wider and taller. Because of their size and shape, they will need additional padding or filler to keep the item(s) safe. Not only are boxes more costly to buy in bulk than bubble mailers, but they are also more costly to ship. This is usually due to the boxes providing your shipments with extra weight.
When choosing boxes or bubble mailers bulk, most business owners must decide based on what they need to ship in the first place. If you sell clothes, jewelry, and / or small items for the most part, you will find bubble mailers to be your choice of shipping, as these mailers are small and already come with padding. Boxes are for larger and more breakable items. However, with the stiff nature of the box, you will need to fill the unoccupied space inside the box with filler yourself. When you use the right kind of packaging, the experience will be hassle-free for your customers.
