Does anyone know where to purchase "oversize" envelopes relatively cheap?

[vip-marketplace]

So I ship a lot of my order with oversize envelopes w/ stamps.

The envelopes I use are around 6" x 10" and 7.5" x 11".

These envelopes costs me roughly 40-50 cents a piece.

This is eating a significant percentage on my profits on some sales for the envelope alone... :S

Does anyone know where I could get oversize envelopes or similar size cheaper?

I can buy like a 1000 of them at a time if required. I just want the price / envelope to be as low as possible.

Thanks!

[brettjet38]

@vip-marketplace  "These envelopes costs me roughly 40-50 cents a piece.

This is eating a significant percentage on my profits on some sales for the envelope alone."

If that is the case then you need to reevaluate your business model and cost your items with these costs included in your selling price, if you are selling for pennies when the average minimum wage is $14.25 per hour (Que) that's .2375 per min is it really worth all the eBay fees, MP costs and time...

...for a few pennies?!

[vip-marketplace]

You are right some of these orders are possibly not worth my time.

But when I say a significant % of my profit I mean something like 10% of a sale that gives me roughly 4-5$ (profit). I'm able to ship about 30 of these an hour so all in all it really isn't that bad.

Could be even better if my envelopes weren't so expensive though :S

[flipistics]

I really like the eBay branded ones (I use my store coupons which lowers the cost). I think the branding adds to the customer experience, and frankly they're really high quality mailers. The bubble profile is also perfect for lettermail while still providing really good protection, and labels stick well to the surface. If you live near the border and don't have the coupons, you can get them from the USA site for a little less since the built in shipping is less and you can order 400 quantity lots.

I've tried the generic Staples branded ones, but I don't like them. They seem to be fluffy (making some things not fit through the slot) and lower quality. I don't know if some of the other brands Staples offers are better or not. I wish they had a trial pack of all the different brands.

I have some Uline normal quality ones. I basically have the same feelings as with the Staples ones. I didn't feel blown away with the overall quality and they're a bit fluffy. On the plus side, they'll come in closer to 30c each assuming you live near a store and don't have to have them delivered.

For smaller items (like audio cassettes), I've been using the Sales4Less brand ones. They aren't incredible quality (the padding is less generous and evenly spread than other brands, labels don't stick quite as well, and quality control is less), but they are cheap in the large quantities and they allow thicker audio cassettes to fit through the slot which some other brands do not. The 4x8" ones I use are less than 20c each when purchased in lots of 500. The self seal might be the strongest I've seen among any mailer, but make sure you have labels that stick well.

Another alternative might be to use 1/16" or 1/32" packing foam (the Staples stuff is really nice), a piece of cardboard, and a regular poly mailer. It would really depend on what you're shipping as to whether that's a good option or not. Cost wise you probably won't beat it.

For things that need more rigidity I use the Staples stay flats for larger items (the downside is they weigh about 100g), and Pratt MJ-2 Stay flats (7x9) for smaller items which come in at about 40c each. I'm really happy with the quality of both.

[teenytrinkets]

I struggle with this myself. Amazon and the dollar store are my go to suppliers. I personally like the kraft (yellow paper) o/s bubble envelopes, and they tend to be more expensive than the plastic colored ones. But I don't use labels on my lettermail - I'm old school and write out addresses. It may be hard to believe, but I find it faster. And ultimately I save money on labels and ink.

I'm very particular about the sturdiness, weight and thickness of the envelope. I want maximum protection with the minimum of thickness so I can stuff more in! I find the kraft envelopes fit the bill nicely. They also look more "letter-ish", and less "product-ish" in case I get a picky postie. I tend to use larger envelopes than I need for tiny stuff, too, because not only can I disguise it better in the middle of the envelope, it just provides more protection. I've had a lot of practice perfecting my o/s lettermail, and I've had the most success with the kraft envelopes.

So I figure if it costs 10-20c more for my envelope and I save 20g, or 2mm, that saves money in postage.

I try not to buy in quantities larger than 50 now because I've gotten "bad" envelopes before I couldn't return (inadequate seals, puffier than normal bubble) and it's been excruciating using them all up. That generally means I'm paying 40-50c per envelope. I can usually get 50 Kraft 6x9 $20-$25 on Amazon. I usually pay a bit more for the 8x12 & 10x14, but use those more infrequently.

Of course, I'm always on the hunt for a better deal! I just haven't found it yet.

[teenytrinkets]

I've never been a fan of branded boxes or envelopes. It screams, "steal me, there's something expensive in here" or "hmmm, hey postie, you may want to return to sender - this shouldn't be sent by lettermail!". I like all of my lettermail to look like letters! Lumpy letters, lol, but still blending in nicely! 🙂

[flipistics]

---

@teenytrinkets wrote:

I've never been a fan of branded boxes or envelopes. It screams, "steal me, there's something expensive in here" or "hmmm, hey postie, you may want to return to sender - this shouldn't be sent by lettermail!". I like all of my lettermail to look like letters! Lumpy letters, lol, but still blending in nicely! 🙂

---

I've really had no problems so far, although I only ship items like that domestically. In my media store, in almost 500 sales (most were lettermail, but not all) I had 1 DVD go missing (it happened at the same time some tracked packages went missing when something major happened at one of Canada Post's sorting facilities), 2 blank audio cassettes go missing (I figured out it was likely due to the label brand I was using not sticking well and haven't had any issues since), and one DVD returned to sender by the destination post office with no explanation at all (the buyer thinks their mailbox was full and the delivery person didn't want to deal with it again, but who knows. I sent it again with no problems. Postage and sizes were correct).

There shouldn't be a problem with the post office denying domestic items that fit the oversize size requirements. As long as it isn't a powder, liquid, battery, or biological and isn't sharp, there's pretty much no cause for them to reject it.

[ilikehockeyjerseys · Accepted solution]

Are you looking for bubble mailers?

Or, are you looking for paper envelopes with no padding?

Costco.ca sells 250 size 0 bubble mailers for $68. This works out to 27.2 cents each. They also have rotating sales for their departments. When I last stocked up, they had spend $500 on supplies, get $150 off. This brought the cost down to 19 cents each. 

The Chit Chats supply store has 250 size 0 bubble mailers for $52, but you have to either pick them up at a Chit Chats branch or pay for shipping. Which likely makes Costco, which has "free" shipping, the better deal. 

I would look at the following online stores and price match based on your needs: Costco, Staples, Uline, Grand & Toy, and the Chit Chats Supply Store.

You could also consider using poly bags for items that are not fragile, like clothing. You should be able to find poly bags for a few cents each in packs of 1000 at one of the online stores I mentioned. 

Like everything else, shipping supplies increased in price during the pandemic. The Costco mailers I mentioned, they used to be $49.99. You really have to shop around and find the best deal each time. 

On a side note, two ways to save money on supplies are:
-Sign up for a good cash back credit card. Put all business expenses on it, but pay it off like a debit card. You will get back a few percent in rewards, which adds up quickly.

-Consider registering to collect GST. eBay collects it for you anyways, so if you only sell on eBay, once you are registered and have filled out the proper paperwork to make eBay your billing agent, you won't have to worry about the collecting aspect. If you save all your receipts for business expenses, you can get what will feel like a complete refund on your HST spent on any business inputs (inventory, supply, etc). 

[fergua3]

for inexpensive envlelopes go to Dollarama.  Six 10" x 13" cost $1.25.  They have many other sizes but i've never priced them but i assume also cheap.  They have bubble mailers too.

While you're there get some cheap markers and write the address on the envelope by hand.    If you want to cut costs, that's  a way to do it.

[mcrlmn]

Dollar store.

[vip-marketplace]

Thanks guys!

I just bought a pack from Costco.ca.

Seems like a great fit for me needs and cheaper 🙂

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Are these bubble mailers, or are these paper envelopes?

If they are paper envelopes, it might not be a bad price for someone selling very casually. If you're doing any volume, you can still get paper envelopes or poly bags cheaper through buying in bulk. 

Labels compatible with my Brother printer are 1.4 cents each. If you really want to stretch them, you can make a template where you can get two labels on one 3.5" length sticker. This costs me somewhere around 75-100 a year in labels for the volume I do, but it is worth it since it probably saves me a few hours of time a year when comparing the difference between hitting copy and paste, and writing a label by hand. 

If you are using Kraft bubble mailers or paper envelopes, you can have a stamp made with your return address for something like $40 that will last an extremely long time. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@vip-marketplace wrote:

So I ship a lot of my order with oversize envelopes w/ stamps.

The envelopes I use are around 6" x 10" and 7.5" x 11".

These envelopes costs me roughly 40-50 cents a piece.

This is eating a significant percentage on my profits on some sales for the envelope alone... :S

Does anyone know where I could get oversize envelopes or similar size cheaper?

I can buy like a 1000 of them at a time if required. I just want the price / envelope to be as low as possible.

Thanks!

---

One other afterthough for next time. You could try eBay. Not sure if anyone suggested but maybe get a good deal for yourself and help out another seller on here. Win..Win!! Remember...Shop Canadian!!  🙂

-Lotz

PS. If above does not work 123ink has good deals on the smaller sizes. In Mtl and Van.

[reallynicestamps]

As a Store subscriber you should be getting the Supplies coupon quarterly.

While the posted prices for the various envelopes boxes and tape are stupid high, once you apply the coupon they drop to a much more reasonable price.

It'a a matter of looking at the bottom line, not at how we got there.

For example the 7x11" polymailers are $37 a hundred, but when I take off my $35 coupon, that's just over $2 for a hundred or 2 cents each. (plus tax on the original price, not on the discounted one).

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/373045117991?hash=item56db38c427:g:lNUAAOSwbkResYgT