Good places to buy mailers?

[rocketscollectibles]

Im looking to buy bubble mailers in bulk but im not sure where's the best place. I bought on amazon 100x 4x8 for around $35 a few weeks ago but it does not seems like a good price. After research i found 500x mailers for around $130 on some independant websites (shipping is $30 of the total...), im looking more for a 100x or 200x lot, but all those sites with shipping cost even more than amazon for those amounts, it's like $25 plus $25 shipping for 100x...

Any good places to know? I dont find local pick up spots with good prices here in quebec and shipping cost feels like it makes me overpay

[femmefan1946]

If you are buying online be sure that shipping is included and not added on.

I think this was the lowest price I saw:

https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail/S-9986/Self-Seal-Bubble-Mailers/Uline-Self-Seal-Gold-Bubble-Mail...

 but you could also check dollar stores in your area.

Because of the way dollar stores buy, a place that has a good buy this week may have no envelopes next month and a better buy the next day after that.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

You can buy them from costco.ca. You do not need a membership to buy them online. Shipping is also already included in the price. They have size #000 (4x8) for $120 for 500 poly mailers (the white water proof kind), or $60 for 250 kraft mailers (the yellow ones).

The price of bubble mailers has shot up the last few months. I buy size #0 mailers from Costco. Less than a year ago, they were 49.99 for $250. They are now $66.99.

At the volume most eBay sellers would want to purchase bubble mailers at, I don't think you will find them much cheaper than that. Unfortunately, bubble mailers are a major expense. 25-30 cents is probably a reasonable expectation at this point for smaller bubble mailers. 

You could look somewhere like Kijiji or Facebook marketplace and see if anybody is selling leftover ones. Quite a few people got into flipping and re-selling cards over the last year since they heated up during the pandemic. You might be able to get some supplies from someone who decided selling cards online wasn't for them. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Dollarama is a great option for sellers who do not need a lot of mailers at once. 

They are 1.25 for 3 6x9 bubble mailers. While these are more expensive than buying in bulk, some people are not able to dedicate a large amount of room to eBay so it might be worth the extra 10 or so cents a mailer to be able to buy them on demand so to speak rather than buying a case of 250-500. 

I have seen shipping supplies at Dollar Tree as well, but I do not know off hand how much they cost. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@rocketscollectibles wrote:

Im looking to buy bubble mailers in bulk but im not sure where's the best place. I bought on amazon 100x 4x8 for around $35 a few weeks ago but it does not seems like a good price. After research i found 500x mailers for around $130 on some independant websites (shipping is $30 of the total...), im looking more for a 100x or 200x lot, but all those sites with shipping cost even more than amazon for those amounts, it's like $25 plus $25 shipping for 100x...

Any good places to know? I dont find local pick up spots with good prices here in quebec and shipping cost feels like it makes me overpay

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Staples...promos from time to time. Certain products are stocked at all stores  or have ot be either shipped to closest location for pickup/shipped to your door.  123ink (Mtl/Van)  carries an assortment of sizes/price breaks. Usually 49.99 minimum order  for free shipping. Shipping below minimum is not out of this world.

-Lotz

Note: 123Ink used to have Flex delivery CP as an option. Recent orders I've placed with them were FEDEX Ground. 

[rocketscollectibles]

You can buy them from costco.ca. You do not need a membership to buy them online. Shipping is also already included in the price. They have size #000 (4x8) for $120 for 500 poly mailers (the white water proof kind), or $60 for 250 kraft mailers (the yellow ones)

This really looked like my best option. The $60 for 250 would have been not too many for me and with taxes i count it was around $0.28 per mailer, which is better than what i paid last time. Unfortunately i need to pay online with my paypal and costco does not take it from what i read

One problem in all this i think is that i'm from quebec and i pay more taxes... Where's somes pay $0.30/mailer, because of my 15% taxes, i'll pay $0.35/mailer

I checked all the recommendations and best option still is the 500x mailers packages. But it's just too many for me. 100x - 200x is always $0.35/each or more all cases. Pretty sure it's shipping cost/taxes inflating prices... On the site i found if i could pick up it's $92 for 500x, but it's in ontario, shipping is $30

Do you think mailers is something easy to resell locally on kijiji? Cause if i buy 500x for $130, and resell 3x 100 for $30/each. I end with 200x for $40. This could be a good flip 

[femmefan1946]

When you get a Basic (or higher) Store subscription, one of the benefits is a "coupon" for branded shipping supplies.

This would, I think, be the one that most interests you.

Ignore the price. With the coupon (mine are usually for $35) the price reduces to $12.84/100 plus shipping and tax. 

However, you would be paying $22 a month for the Basic Store subscription and with all the Free Listing promotions we are getting, I'm not sure that there would be any net benefit.

Your FVF would be 12.35% on sportscards.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/store-selling-fees?id=4809

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Costco only takes credit cards unfortunately. You might be able to find a retail outlet that sells Costco gift cards as a work around. You could also buy a Visa or Mastercard "gift card" at a convenience store. The problem with these is that they have an activation fee that might make it overall more expensive than buying bubble mailers somewhere else. Lastly, you could upgrade your bank card to one that has a credit card number associated with your account. This isn't the same as having an actual credit card. The bank does not grant you any credit. If you do this, your debit card has a number and expiry date that are the same format as a credit card. When you use it to pay "credit" for something, the website accepts it like it was a credit card, but the money for it comes directly out of your bank account just like a regular debit transaction. 

If you are 18 or older, you should consider getting a credit card. So long as you are not the type of person who is going to use it to accumulate debt, it makes it easier to handle rotating expenses of selling things online. Not everywhere online accepts Paypal. Basically, just get one, use it to buy business expenses you would buy anyways, and pay it all off early/on time. Part of building good credit is the age of your accounts. If you start building good credit when you are young, it makes it easier to do things later on that require credit checks. Of course, some people cannot handle credit cards without overspending, if that is the case I'd strongly consider avoiding them. 

Additionally, you can sometimes find a card with cash back rewards. As your business grows, you will spend a lot on supplies and other inputs. If you put these on a cash back card, even 1 percent back can add up quite quickly. 

On a side note, someone mentioned Staples. I haven't seen any decent priced bubble mailers there, but they are very good for boxes. Their boxes are competitively priced. Everything ships free. I am in a major city in Ontario. If I order boxes from them, they usually arrive at my door the next day. They only downside is that you usually have to order 25 boxes at once. Most of the smaller boxes cost around 50 cents each.

[recped]

Just Google for suppliers in your area, I think you are in/near Montreal so there are dozens of local suppliers of packaging and shipping supplies.

I have used Uline in the past but only because they have a warehouse in Toronto for pick-ups AND only when they have a special offer (Uline regular prices are high).

[femmefan1946]

retail outlet that sells Costco gift cards

I thought that gift cards cost more than the face value. As in, you pay $110 for a $100 card. (Never bought one so I am unsure of that).

The final answer many come down to pennies.

they have an activation fee

You mean if I gave a gift card to someone they would have to pay to use it? That seems ... unfriendly.

[recped]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

retail outlet that sells Costco gift cards

I thought that gift cards cost more than the face value. As in, you pay $110 for a $100 card. (Never bought one so I am unsure of that).

The final answer many come down to pennies.

they have an activation fee

You mean if I gave a gift card to someone they would have to pay to use it? That seems ... unfriendly.

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Gift Cards sell at retail for their face value, there are no activation fees.

On occasion Gift Cards sold directly by merchants offer bonuses for the purchaser (example is Subway, free 6" if you buy a $25 card).

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Gift cards for stores almost always sell at face value. So a Costco gift card (if they are available anywhere) would not add to the cost of purchasing an item from Costco.

The activation fee I was referring to was with Visa/Mastercard gift cards. They are gift cards that can be accepted anywhere a credit card is accepted at. The balance you put on them is available for credit card purchases. The downside is, they come with an activation fee that might be 5-10 dollars. Some also have fees if you leave the money inactive for too long. They are a terrible product for a gift (just give someone cash), but they are useful if you want to buy something from a site that only accepts credit cards and you either do not have a credit card, or do not trust the security of the website with your actual credit card info. Those are the only realistic use cases.

Out of the options I listed in my original post, the best solution for someone who is younger would be to get a debit card with a credit card number. It is not an actual credit card, but the Visa Interac number allows the holder to make purchases from places that do not accept credit cards with their regular bank balance. Keep in mind, a few sites such as Canada Post do not accept these types of credit cards. So there are limitations. Costco accepts them.

[recped]

@rocketscollectibles 

FYI - You don't need bubble mailers for those trading cards, stiff carboard and a plain envelope will keep your packaging cost down to under a nickel.

[rocketscollectibles]

Out of the options I listed in my original post, the best solution for someone who is younger would be to get a debit card with a credit card number

I'm not that young but i just don't have a credit card yet for personal reasons. I always been a 'pay cash' type of person. Eventually i'll get one for sure but it probably won't be to use it online anyway. I like using paypal personally cause they are in between the payment on the sites and my bank account, they are like middleman, i like the protection feeling i have with it when i buy

 FYI - You don't need bubble mailers for those trading cards, stiff carboard and a plain envelope will keep your packaging cost down to under a nickel

Most cards buyers do not like white envelopes and some even have in mind bubble mailers are a must. It's the same for using cards toploaders, it's really a must in most cases. Putting a card between cardboard in a white envelope if that's what you meant, to be honest is an excellent way to get negative feedbacks in my category. I did read negatives on other profils about this very often. It cost me max $1.50 to ship and it's 'luxury' packaging, i like the way i package actually and buyers too, i would not change it at all

I'm just trying to find the places to buy supplies cause i don't have the knowledge of them yet. I found really good places, i just miss one for the maillers. I'm grinding pennies but at the end it's pennies on everything, and in a few months of selling i think i'm close to half the cost to ship of when i started, while providing better packaging

Anyway for the actual subject of thread, i guess finding somewhere to buy and pick up locally is really the way to go since there's no shipping cost, but i can't find anything yet. I found a 500x package on stapples for $95 but they're out of stock. Still searching, and if there is somewhere selling packages of 100x or 200x

[reallynicestamps]

I found a 500x package on stapples for $95 but they're out of stock.

If you are in a Staples shop, ask if they have them - sometimes stores have stuff online doesn't.

And ask if you can order them at the store.

I don't think Staples are franchised nor are the employees on commission, so there is not financial upside to doing this for you.

[dinomitesales]

I'll also vouch for Costco - that was the cheapest place I could find them last time I ordered.

I'm running low though and when I checked the website last week to re-order I noticed the price went up since the last time I ordered (as @ilikehockeyjerseys  mentioned). But it's still a decent price, and the quality was actually really good. The #0 poly envelopes are perfect for shipping DVDs/Video games, they slide in and out very easily.

As for shipping trading cards, the vast majority I send just go in regular white envelopes and I haven't had any issues or negative feedback (I don't have many listed now but I've sent out hundreds of trading cards in the past few years). The selling price determines how I send it. Under $10 it goes in a penny sleeve, sandwiched between two pieces of cereal box cardboard, slipped into a team bag, folded around the packing slip, and then put in a #8 white envelope. If a card is over $10 It'll go into a toploader for extra protection, but still shipped in a white envelope. I won't use a bubble envelope (#000) unless the order exceeds $20 or so. But everyone has their own way of doing things.

[rocketscollectibles]

Under $10 it goes in a penny sleeve, sandwiched between two pieces of cereal box cardboard, slipped into a team bag, folded around the packing slip, and then put in a #8 white envelope

I'm ''spying'' other sellers a lot to improve myself and to be competitive, this is funny cause i did read literally like 2 days ago negatives to a seller about the fact he ship too using cereal box cardboard

Anyway the way i ship is not to avoid negatives but i think the money is in building reputation and selling rare cards at high price. And providing the feeling to buyers that your package is fresh, clean and new is a part of being able to do money and bring the big buyers in this category. If we provide a luxury service, we will attract and satisfy the luxury buyers. I would not take a chance to lose repeat customers or building a cheap reputation to save $0.30/package. My 2 cents. I find other ways to save on cost that buyers can't feel actually

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

The reason people use plain white envelopes, and cereal boxes, is because they can then ship a card for .92 cents instead of having to send it oversized for 1.94. 

If you already plan on shipping oversized, don't use cereal box cardboard. It's too thin. You can use an exacto to cut stiffeners out of thick cardboard. Because oversized lettermail is 1.94 for anything under 100 grams, if I ship a card, I usually include cardboard stiffeners in the bubble mailer. (Some people will use base cards)

The "industry standard" is a size 000 bubble mailer, a top loader, and a team bag. Any time you deviate from that, you risk upsetting customers. With that said, most people are accepting of lower end cards shipping in a top loader and a plain white envelope, so long as it is stated in the listing. It comes down to whether you want to take the small increased risk of damaged cards, or upset customers, to increase your margins on lower end cards by 1 dollar.  If you get to the point where you are doing 1000 orders a year, that's an additional 1000 dollars of profit. Will you have less than 1000 dollars worth of issues? (Refunds, time spent handling complaints, loss of repeat customers, etc).

[richardcm]

I always recycle used bubble mailers and boxes. Never bought new since I started selling in 2010. I got them from my wife place of work.

I used a hair dryer to remove labels and packing tape. Most remove clean without sticky residue but some do not. I recycle brown shopping bags cut to fit to cover the stickiness with school glue to hold it down securely. I also cover printed sides of boxes with cut brown paper to hide manufacturer details. Looks very professional.

For bubble envelopes which are a lighter colour I use recycled office envelopes of the same colour or I print labels to cover. Again I got leftover labels from her place of work. Amazing how much stuff gets tossed out in an office for little reason. So much waste.

Now I have been recycling since the late sixties. Always starting up programs where I worked. Giving to charities office supplies.

Of course I do not expect other eBay sellers to do what I do to the extreme I do. Just trying to save the environment a little bit at a time.

I also have used kitchen heat sealers picked up from thrift stores to make smaller bubble bags and seal clean plastic bags from purchases my wife office made. So many I can't use so I bring the plastic bags to Recycle BC for their plastic bag recycling program. 

I am a casual seller so I can do this.

[recped]

Adding/clarifying.......

My suggestion to use cardboard and a plain  envelope was not to get it thin enough for regular Lettermail but rather to continue with Oversize but not throw away whatever a bubble envelope costs.

You can have just shy of 2cm of stiff (free) corregated cardboard (2-4 layers with the flutes oriented at right angles) inside a paper or plastic envelope which costs a couple of cents at most.