{"id":1750,"date":"2020-06-11T12:46:03","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T17:46:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/poly-mailers\/"},"modified":"2024-12-06T17:55:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T17:55:16","slug":"poly-mailers","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.shipbob.com\/au\/blog\/poly-mailers\/","title":{"rendered":"Poly Mailers Guide: Why Use Them, When to Use Them, and How Much They Cost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Table of Contents<\/p>

** Minutes<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

What are poly mailers?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers vs. boxes: why should I use poly mailers?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which types of ecommerce products can be shipped with poly mailers?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 types of poly mailers<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where can I get poly mailers?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick the perfect packaging for all your products with ShipBob<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAQs about poly mailers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers. Bubble mailers. Poly bags. Plastic bags. Mailing bags. Poly bubble mailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever you call them, they have gained a lot of popularity in the ecommerce shipping<\/a> world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choosing the right packaging or mailing envelope for shipments will determine everything from shipping costs<\/a> to whether products arrive safely at the customer\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re paying too much for shipping, you may never get a positive return on your customer acquisition cost. If a customer orders from you and they realize a product is damaged during the unboxing experience<\/a>, they may never order from you again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you may associate cardboard boxes with online shopping, many orders don\u2019t come in a box at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers are a common packaging<\/a> option because they can protect certain products with built in cushioning at a lower cost than corrugated cardboard packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this guide, we\u2019ll go over how poly mailers work, when to use poly mailers instead of boxes, and how to get poly mailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are poly mailers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers are lightweight but sturdy plastic bags designed to ship products. They have a self-sealing foldover lip so no tape is needed, and a shipping label<\/a> can be directly affixed on the bag. They are thin, yet durable so they don\u2019t take up much space on a truck while in transit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers come in many sizes and styles with some being padded with bubble wrap so they don\u2019t require additional dunnage<\/a> like many boxes require to hold items in place to prevent shipping damages<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers vs. boxes: why should I use poly mailers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Boxes are a staple for shipping, but they can be unnecessary for shipping certain products. For example, shoes are often packaged in strong cardboard boxes, so shipping them inside another cardboard box wouldn\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparel is also a great option for poly mailers as clothing isn\u2019t susceptible to being crushed or broken without a box. Here are a few reasons why you might consider using a poly mailer instead of a box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Significantly cheaper shipping costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While corrugated boxes are sturdy, cheap, and resistant to damage, poly mailers provide protection while reducing shipping costs<\/a>. Due to their light weight and small size, poly mailers cost less per shipments when compared to boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One major factor in the pricing of shipments is dimensional weight<\/a>, a pricing technique used by shipping couriers where they charge whichever number is greater: the actual weight of the package or its calculated dimensional weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This way, couriers can charge more money for a lightweight package that takes up a lot of room on the truck. They also have surcharges for heavyweight shipments<\/a>, so keeping packages small and light is in any ecommerce company\u2019s best interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers take up less space than boxes, so they help reduce dimensional weight to help you save even more on shipping costs. The more shipments that go out in a box that could go out safely in a poly mailer, the more shipping costs will eat into your margin over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smaller and lighter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since poly mailers are made out of plastic, they\u2019re much easier to store from a warehousing<\/a> standpoint. Their small size also means they take up less space in courier\u2019s vehicles, so you pay less for shipping too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to delivery, poly mailers can sometimes fit in a mailbox, which reduces the chance of theft as compared to a package that\u2019s sitting on a porch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Custom branding options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Custom packaging<\/a> that uses your branding helps your shipments stand out. Like boxes, poly mailers can include your logo, colours, and imagery if you desire a sleek look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eco-friendly options<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While you might think plastic poly bags are a terrible option for the environment, there are many packaging companies that provide eco-friendly packaging<\/a> options for poly mailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your brand foundation is built on an environmental-conscious mission, it wouldn\u2019t look suitable for your brand to use standard plastic mailers. You can use everything from recycled poly mailers to biodegradable poly mailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"eco-friendly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opt for a little extra padding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shipping damages are an unfortunate reality that can be prevented in many cases. Some poly bags come with a bubble-lined interior to maximise security. These bubble mailers provide an extra layer of protection for products, though they won\u2019t fully protect fragile items<\/a>, they can be a good alternative if you\u2019re worried regular poly mailers may damage certain items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which types of ecommerce products can be shipped with poly mailers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers are a good option for any products that can\u2019t be crushed like apparel or fabric, or useful for products that are already in sturdy packaging like shoes that you don\u2019t think will stay sealed while in transit. If it passes the test of \u2018Will this product be okay if a courier throws the poly bag into a pile that gets heavy boxes tossed on top of it?\u2019 then you can use a poly mailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers should never be used for fragile items like sunglasses, foods such as chips that can be smashed and crumbled, and products made out of glass. Unless these products are already in sturdy packaging, stick to boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apparel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Poly mailers are great for apparel because it\u2019s hard to crush clothing. When fulfilling apparel orders<\/a>, you want to use poly mailers for products like jeans, shirts, or footwear that aren\u2019t at risk of being crushed while in transit. However, if you sell dresses with intricate beading or ornaments on them, they\u2019re better suited for boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cBefore ShipBob, we used a fulfilment centre that frankly couldn\u2019t scale with us. This speed and scalability is important, because as soon as we announce a new pair of shorts, they sell quickly. Since moving to ShipBob we\u2019ve grown 30% year over year, which is a testament to their scalability, service, and technology. I feel really fortunate to have found ShipBob when we did.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carl Protsch, Co-Founder of FLEO<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cloth and fabric-based products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like apparel, most products made of cloth, cotton, or any type of fabric are good candidates for poly mailers. Ideal products include swatches, yarn, face masks, and bedding products like sheet sets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Books and printed media<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Books are a good option for poly mailers as they\u2019re often already sturdy. A bubble-lined poly mailer can provide the extra security needed to prevent rips and dents in the book when shipping books with a poly mailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some health, beauty, and wellness products<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fulfilment for health, beauty and wellness products<\/a> can be done in both boxes and mailers, but it\u2019s ultimately dependent on the product\u2019s packaging and materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liquid products like face wash and products in glass aren\u2019t good for poly mailers, but shipping vitamins and supplements<\/a>, nutrition products, and cosmetics (e.g., shipping makeup<\/a> like a tube of mascara, liquid eyeliner, or lipstick) may be done in poly mailers so long as the they are sealed tight and already encased in materials that won\u2019t break when dropped or thrown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anything else in strong, sturdy product packaging or that\u2019s soft and flat or not easily crushed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the reasons brands use poly mailers is to ship products that are already in sturdy packaging. It\u2019s often overkill to ship products in cardboard boxes if the product is already packaged in cardboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other examples of sturdy packaged products include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n