Where to Get Boxes and Packaging Material for Shipping

So, you’ve got yourself an online business, and you’ve made a few sales. First of all, congratulations—you’re an eCommerce entrepreneur! That’s no easy feat. Now, it’s time to send your items out. That means facing the age-old dilemma of where to get boxes for shipping…and most new shippers often don’t know where to start. Lucky for you, we’ve laid out three easy options for you to get your hands on some boxes (and shipping supplies in general, like packaging material). Check out your different options below!

Table of Contents

• Order Free Priority Mail Shipping Boxes on the USPS Website
• Invest in Custom-Branded Boxes
• Pick Up Generic Packaging from Your Local Target, Office Depot, or On the U-LINE Website
• Don’t Ship Your Boxes Without Including Packaging Material

Order Free Priority Mail Shipping Boxes on the USPS Website

Did you know that you can order free boxes on the USPS website? That’s right, you can get USPS boxes completely for free…and USPS will even deliver them right to your doorstep. The USPS online store contains many different options and sizes for Priority Mail boxes, as well as specialized packaging for services like Priority Mail Flat Rate and Regional Rate.

If you’re looking to maximize your margins, then ordering these free Priority Mail boxes will be the best bet. After all, when it comes to running an online business, saving money is the number one priority. See what we did there?

Click here to order free Priority Mail boxes on the USPS website.

Invest in Custom-Branded Boxes

Your second option for obtaining shipping boxes is to create your own custom-branded packaging. There are many benefits of investing in custom packaging, but we’ll break it down for you in a nutshell: custom packaging gives your products a polished, professional look, and it creates a unique experience for your customers that will keep them coming back.

There are many different custom packaging companies out there that create boxes for eCommerce businesses all day long. We’ve worked with companies like Packlane, Fantastapack, and brandIncolor…and in our experience, they’re all fantastic.

If you’re looking to check out some custom packaging companies, check out our Reviews page. Most of them will even let you design a free prototype box that they’ll ship to you, free of charge!

Pick Up Generic Packaging from Your Local Target, Office Depot, or On the U-LINE Website

Lastly, you can always get generic packaging from your local Target or Office Depot. By generic, we mean boxes without any branding or specific markings on them whatsoever. Think the brown ones like in the photo at the top of this article, or those smaller white boxes that you’ll most often see in department stores.

If you’re in the market for these types of boxes but don’t want to leave your house, you can also check out the ULINE website. From easy-fold mailers to wine shippers and insulated boxes for shipping frozen food and perishables, ULINE has got every size and type of box you could ever want or need!

Pro Tip: Want to do our planet a solid? For all you green shippers out there, some of our readers have tipped us off to a packaging company called EcoEnclose. You can pick up generic boxes and poly mailers on their website that are made out of 100% recyclable material, and they’re all fully compostable!

Don’t Ship Your Boxes Without Including Packaging Material

If you need to send a package out to a customer (or a friend or family member), you should consider adding packing material to your box or envelope. The right kinds of packing material can fill out the empty space in your packages, as well as protect any fragile items from taking damage during transit. In case you’re wondering where on earth to get packaging supplies, we’re here to point you in the right direction!

Amazon has All the Packaging Supplies You Need

Whether you’re looking for bubble wrap, yarn, packing peanuts, yarn, or anything in between, Amazon has it…and they’ll deliver it right to your front door. All you need to do is run a search for whatever it is you’re looking for. Or, you can check out Amazon’s best-seller list of all the different packaging materials on the platform. It’s literally that easy!

If You’re Not a Fan of Amazon…

Sure, Amazon has all the packaging supplies you could possibly need (along with everything else). However, that doesn’t mean you need to shop there. If you want to support another business, we’ve laid out a few other options below:

• ULINE: This is the go-to option for small parcel shipping, with boxes, envelopes packing peanuts, air pillows, and more
• Papermart: Take advantage of wholesale prices for boxes, poly mailers, tubes, and specialty packing materials like crinkle paper, bubble wrap, and tissue paper
• U-Haul: Packing tape, air pillows, biodegradable packing peanuts, packing paper, and pads (mostly for moving, rather than shipping)