Hi,
I am looking for a new supplier of mailing tubes. ULINE became too expensive (almost doubled the prices recently), and STAPLES just stopped to sell mailing tubes (bulk) at all.
Now, a box of 50 mailing tubes 2" x 24" at ULINE costs 125 dollars with tax/delivery. STAPLES charged only 70 dollars for the same, but it's gone.
Amazon and Ebay sellers have prices from Mars, or another planet.
Sometimes I can get some cheap tubes from Kijiji, but it doesn't happen very often.
Maybe you know a good supplier? Every suggestion will be appreciated.
Very delicate paper prints should never be coiled for shipping unless the value is below about $50. They should always be sent in their condition status quo. If flat they go flat. If coiled they go coiled. If a print is over 16" in height value becomes a factor relative to shipping costs. I send my items and photography sometimes flat and and sometimes coiled depending on the length and the value.
Sending a delicate item in a cheap tube is too risky. It takes a very thick walled heavy tube to avoid a handling snap. You don't say what length you are talking about or what your values are. It's your items are over 28" & a $200 yvalue you are much better off putting the item in a tube & putting the tube in a "tall box" with external absorbent material.
If your stuff is under 18" in length with a high value ship it flat. Everything below that can go in a cheap tube.
IT
@38e_avenue wrote:
I came here for help mainly because of the cheaper orders. If I sell a 10 USD item, the cost of a tube makes a difference. ULINE sells good tubes, but if I pay 1.50 more for a tube, I am loosing 15-20 dollars every day. The Grainger tubes are very cheap, but I am afraid they are not sturdy enough, so not suitable for shipping of longer items (+10"). I will order 10 or so, go there and verify their quality on place. The prints printed on heavy paper cause a lot of trouble. They need a 3" tube, or a flat shipping. Now imagine the print sold for 10 dollars, where the 3" tube itself costs 5 dollars, and additional cost of shipping (because of heavier tube or cardboard) is 2 dollars more. I remember a buyer from manitoba, who sent an "offer" for 17 dollars, shipping included. The cost of shipping + tube was about 27 dollars. An Ebay seller dilemma ... 😉 Fortunately, most of buyers just pay and don't ask any question ... 😉
"I came here for help............if I pay 1.50 more for a tube, I am loosing 15-20 dollars every day"
Thank you for your compliment. Just trying to help but here's the part I don't understand.
My first suggestion was you make your own triangular tubes that will have no mailing surcharge and you can use free cardboard. Your total package cost would be zero (ziltch). The surcharge you're paying ($1.50 or 2 bucks) per order would be eliminated. In the amount of time you've spent looking for tubes I could have made 50 of them for free.
Here's a photo of the commercial tube we reverse engineered into a flat template. It took less than 30 minutes. After that any diameter and length can easily be churned out with a pencil, an Olfa knife, a straight edge and an optional $15 glue gun. It so easy it's not even origami. Run the flutes horizontally for max strength (not lengthwise).
You can choose any type of free cardboard you can find. If you want strength or length TV boxes are great. Most of them are double wall. Electronics shops just want them gone because they jam up or won't even fit in the dumpsters.
My local shop leaves them leaning up against it for us. You don't even need that. Even the cheapest cardboard in a triangle is stronger than those flimsy mailing tubes and they don't roll around in a packed delivery truck or on conveyors. There is a reason couriers have a surcharge on round tubes.
I'm sorry you don't see this as viable. Possibly others who may come across this conversation will want to save $10 bucks per shipment and give it a try.
If you're still adamant about round tubes watch Facebook Marketplace. A lot of businesses have gone under. They are dumping shipping supplies, shelving and machines for next to nothing. I've seen tubes and recently bought a load of LP mailers for 25 cents ea. Hopefully you will find what you're looking for.
IT
To the ephemera/art/poster shipping community and anyone who ships stuff in bags, boxes, packages and long skinny things. :
Do we need to reevaluate our shipping procedures with respect to courier packaging requirements?
In June 2021 Canada Post updated their shipping methods recommendations. There are some pretty cool suggestions. Some cover : Fragile items (china), Perishable items (fruit), (fruit? who new?...;> ,Sharp items (garden shears), EG: "Magnetic tapes
The item itself should be packaged, but we don't suggest any outer packaging. | You must protect the tapes from being accidentally erased by wrapping them in lead foil. | Mark the item with the words "MAGNETIC TAPE" near the shipping label. |
I ship tapes of all kinds and never thought of lead foil or writing Magnetic Tape on the carton. I remember when I had my brick and mortar store the magnetic Dat and regular tapes we ordered did have that marking.
And the list goes on. The 2021 update is very good . I will include the link to Canda Post page at the bottom .
Those of you who may be considering discontinuing the methods of shipping art and posters in tubes, please view the attached screenshot of the Canada Post recomendations. It appears USPS has already done away with cylinders and only supplies triangular mailers. I wouldn't be surprised if CP follows suit.
Link to Canada Post Mailing Recommendations: (you may have to cut and paste this if eBay strips the HTML.) https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/abcs-of-mailing/examples-of-how-to-pa...
I have a question which could probably be another complete thread. Do any of you write the word "FRAGILE" on the outside of your packages? This has been a long time debate. In the list of items Canada Post includes they suggest doing this on some items and not on others. CP has specific terms to write on the outside of packages. We all have our rules on this but as time goes on and insurance claims increase I wonder if not following the CP suggested packaging procedures will prevent us from collecting on an insurance claim.
As the risk of doing business online increases should we forget about principles we once followed?
Let's suppose your mindset is if your mark your shipment of dishes "FRAGILE" the courier team will see that and play football with your bone china. This has been the mindset of the past. But suppose today you don't follow the updated guidelines and your carnival glass gets shot out of a cannon. You make your claim but Fedex, UPS, Mailex, or Mailchimp LOL.. denies your claim because you didn't mark the outside of the box "FRAGILE" .
Should we adopt strict new procedures about courier packaging requirements?
Personally I use the word "Fragile" when the item has a value I prefer not to absorb and can be damaged despite the packaging. "Do Not Bend" is another. I use that on my flat shipped photography.
I understand "suggestions" and "requirements" aren't the same thing, however I keep hearing about shipment insurance claims being refused on technicallities. For example let's say you ship a pair of sunglasses worth $250 in a perfectly strong box with the word "RayBan" on the outside. You bought the Canada Post label on Shippo and insured the package for $250. The most you will be able to get if the package goes missing is $100 and you may have to fight for that. The other $150 is covered by "Shipsurance.". They have different packaging standards than Canada Post. They don't allow any print or graphic on the package exterior that eludes to the contents of the package IE: the word "RayBan".
I would really be interested in how you folks feel about just going with the status quo as you have for decades or if you are making changes to your packaging!
Thanks
IT
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