Ebay branded shipping bags? Yes, no, sometimes?

[vmcthm]

Several years ago I sold on eBay, and after a break (living in US; sooo glad to be back home) I am starting up again. New to me are ebay branded shipping bags. These look wonderful, but I have questions.

What does CanPost think of these? Do they take longer to process and reach the buyer given they are neither envelope nor box?

I send as much as possible via Lettermail to Canada and the US but can I ship the small bags Lettermail or are they going to require parcel rates?

Can I use them to send items sold on other sites, like Etsy or my own website? 

Any other advice on these would be much appreciated.

[sylviebee]

If you have a store these shipping supplies are part of the deal:  That is, sellers get a coupon every three months for supplies.

Without the coupon they're very expensive compared to other supplies.  These supplies include everything from eBay stickers to boxes of all sizes and not bags.

IMO the CPO might treat these a little more carefully than other packages because when they get an eBay branded box or envelope they know they're dealing with a regular customer (but probably there's no difference).

You can use them wherever you like.  I regularly receive (and reuse) Amazon boxes from eBay and the same idea applies to eBay shipping supplies.

"""I send as much as possible via Lettermail to Canada and the US but can I ship the small bags Lettermail or are they going to require parcel rates?"""

I always hesitate a little to stick a stamp on anything but a regular paper envelope and others will know more that.  I'd like to see the response to that question as well.

[vmcthm]

Thanks for responding!
I always take my Lettermail shipments to the post office and they process a postage label for them. I am going to ask the nice lady at the desk if she is familiar with them, too.

[vmcthm]

BTW, they offer poly bags, padded and not padded. As for the expense, I compared the cost with kraft envelopes I have been using and the ebay poly bags came out cheaper. Mind you, this is another thing I have found more expensive in Canada than in the US - paper products. Still... thrilled to be back!

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I use the eBay branded bubble envelopes as they are offered as free supplies for sellers with a store every 3 months. They work great for me as I sell vintage jewelry. I also use the tissue paper & thank you cards. The only thing I have had to buy is small gift jewelry boxes. Found a place locally where I can buy them in bulk. Just makes it look more professional.  Welcome back & happy selling!

[femmefan1946]

If you have a printer, you can print the shipping label yourself.

At the moment the discounts are no more than you get with your Small Business Solutions number (and you need the number to get the discounts) but that could change.

I also find it more convenient to drop my home labelled packages in the nearest postbox than to walk to the PO.  This also by coincidence means I can choose whether my packages get picked up at 9am or at 3pm. YMMV.

In terms of the branded packaging, it's well worth getting it "free" with a Store subscription, but you will get a better deal if you must purchase from emailers_ca or poly_usa, at least for poly envelopes.  And of course, Staples and the like.

It is worth comparing the cost of the Canada Post prepaid boxes with the cost of shipping in your own packaging. There is only one post office here in Victoria that carries them, and they don't have a SBS discount, but check it out when you can. (Postal outlets will not have them only post offices.)

Poly envelopes have huge advantages over kraft. They are effectively waterproof and untearable. Much more secure.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I only use the eBay poly bags for actual "parcel" shipments. I don't notice a difference in speed of shipment.

I buy my B5 sized paper envelopes from Daiso in Richmond BC ($2 for 10) for lettermail. That's the only size that's a good price and cheaper than dollar stores lol. I might quit eBay any time so I don't want a large stash of shipping supplies at home. I just get them from Daiso whenever I run low and I go to Aberdeen Mall every month to hang out with friends so it works. 

I got the 100 eBay poly bags when I got a shipping supply coupon last year (I had a store briefly). It was a really good deal, I think I only had to pay about $4 on top of the coupon for the 100 poly bags. But I have gone through less than 20 of those poly bags... 

The only thing I'd recommend to about using the eBay bags for non-eBay sales would be to forewarn your buyers about their shipment coming in an eBay bag. Some people don't buy from eBay at all so they might get confused by an eBay bag out of nowhere and might reject the delivery. 

[reallynicestamps]

@zee-chan-jpn-books 

You could draw a black marker through the brand name I suppose.

My address stickers ( @vmcthm -- from VistaPrint)  go over some of the printing and my stamps (I mail using discount mint postage)  go over the rest.

I have a tonne of polybubble eBay envelopes from a poorly thought through Store order.  But I use the small envelopes often enough that I occasionally have to order from emailers_ca. And actually pay for them.