Where to Find Free eBay Packing Supplies

I’ve spoken about it before, but one of the main reasons I initially shied away from selling on eBay was because I wasn’t willing to buy packing supplies. The whole reason I wanted to sell on eBay was to make money, and I really didn’t like the idea of having to spend any to earn some.
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But that was then. And that was before I understood what was possible.

Hollie was the single driving force in getting me into eBay. She was seasoned in this game before she met me, and she made sure I know all the corners I could cut to get on with listing, selling and fulfilling orders.

I’ve come a long way. Even in my eBay off-season now, I sell a lot of things on that site. The products I list on my account ranges massively, requiring polybags, jiffy bags, boxes and whatever else you might need to protect a product with when it’s travelling from my home to yours.

To keep up with that demand, I’d end up denting my profits by constantly replenishing my packing supplies. Now, I only buy tape. That’s it. The rest I get for free through absolutely legitimate means.

Here’s how you can do the same:

Save All of Your Online Postage Packaging

All of it. Every time you order something online, it will come in industry-standard packaging. eBay customers expect you to reuse packaging material, and this is where you’ll probably be able to get the most. Be careful when you open things, remember that you can cover holes in packaging with tape, and crack on with it.

I definitely buy more than the average person (thanks to my Amazon business) but if you combine this with the other methods I mention, you’ll have a lot more packaging at your disposal.

Head to Customer Services at Your Nearest Supermarket

All supermarkets have an excess of boxes and they’re more than willing to give those additional boxes to anyone that asks for it. They come in all sizes and strengths, so you really have no excuse for not having the right packing material for whatever you’re selling.

They tend to have bubble wrap too, so make sure you pick some of that up while you’re there too. Get friendly with a couple of people there and there’s no reason why they won’t keep some of the good boxes to the side for you to collect once a week or so.

Publicise Your eBay Selling

Make sure the people close to you know that you’re an eBay seller. This is extremely underrated. Once your family is aware of your activity, you can let them know to keep any packaging material that they get. Reusing is far more efficient that recycling, so if they were going to throw out boxes, it’s always better that they save it for you to collect and use.

If you’re not that big into online shopping, surely someone close to you will be. Make the aware that you’re committed to the eBay life, and you would appreciate any boxes, jiffy bags and polybags that cross their path.

Get Creative

I got a Wii controller sent to me in a Corn Flakes box once and it sent my head into a spin. If you ever sell something that you haven’t got purpose-building packaging material for, look around the kitchen for alternatives.

An example I’m proud of is when I was selling loads of PC monitors. I started off selling them as collection only, and then realised I had enough bubble wrap to send them anywhere safely. Lots of bubble wrap and a couple of bin liners to cover them, and they were all set to get dropped off at the nearest myHermes ParcelShop.

Make a Request on Freecycle

To the unfamiliar, Freecycle is a community platform for sharing freebies. The chances are that your local town or specific borough has its own Freecycle group. People there are happy to share the things that they no longer need to whoever can come and collect it first. You can also make requests on there, so simply ask for boxes, bubble wrap and see what happens.

I would say that Freecycle should be a last resort after you’ve tried the rest out. Really, you’re going to get absolutely loads from supermarkets, and shouldn’t need to do much of the rest, but it’s still a very reliable place to get a few extra bits.

For my full list of eBay resources, head over here for my seller essentials.