How To Get Free & Low Cost Shipping Supplies
Jim Rojas
Boxes, Padded Envelopes, Bubble Wrap, Peanuts, Air Bags, Stryofoam:
You can get most of these items for free if you ask a local clerk at
many gift shops, dollar stores, women's clothing stores, etc. Use your
imagination here.
Don't start hoarding. If you know someone else that also needs supplies,
share your resources freely. Limit yourself on what you need for a
month. Keep all your supplies in sealed bags. We don't want pests to
start a new home there. Use 55+ gallon clear lawn bags to keep your
supplies dry and pest free, if you have to store them in a shed or garage.
Packing Tape:
Dollar stores & flea markets usually carry 55-110 yard rolls for $1 or
so a roll. Don't get pressured into buying those convenience rolls with
the plastic dispenser built in.
Ask the clerk if they offer a discount if you buy a case. I buy the
larger 1500 yard industrial rolls for $10 each on eBay. Each roll lasts
us about 2 weeks. Store the rolls inside in a dry dark place. Many types
of cheap tape will turn yellow and become brittle if exposed to sunlight
for long periods of time.
Brown Wrapping Paper:
Home improvement centers carry large 3+ foot wide rolls of flooring
paper that painters & contractors use during construction. A large roll
goes a very long way for about $10 a roll.
Shipping Labels:
We don't use them anymore. We just use plain paper and seal them with
the clear packing tape. A ream of plain paper costs $2.50 just about
anywhere. Some like to use the clear mailing pouches, but if you are
getting those free, it violates their terms of usage.
Shipping Scales:
Avoid using a bathroom scale of any kind. They are not very accurate.
You can get a 150lb digital shipping scale for about $50 used on ebay.
We use the Pelouze 150lb unit.
Postage:
We use stamps.com exclusively for all our local and international
shipping needs. Check and see if your country has a similar online service.
Printer Ink:
3 years ago, we started using an HP8000 & HP8500 in our main offices. We
quickly found out that there is a refillable cartridge available that
would make even cheaper to switch to an inkjet for postage printing.
At one time, we used nothing but B&W laser printers because we could
refill the toner at a fixed cost of $20 each time. We had to get rid of
the 4 laser printers due to their much higher energy cost to operate.
The HP8000 & HP8500 use the HP940XL cartridges. We purchased 2
refillable catridge systems for $22 each on eBay. A set of 4 color ink
bottles was $16. So for $60, we converted the office printers to be
refillable. A new set of OEM HP940XL inks would set us back about $200
every 3-4 months. The $16 ink bottle set lasts about a year for both
office printers.
So with the money we saved, we purchased 2 more HP8000 ($99 each), and 2
more refillable ink kits ($44) and 2 sets of all black ink ($32).
We now have all new printers in the office and shipping dept, and the
overall savings is just astounding. We guesstimate that we are saving
about $3500 a year in ink consumables, and lower energy costs. Anyone
can quickly refill the ink cartridges when they run low. It only takes a
few minutes.
--
Jim Rojas