The cost of shipping is such a huge issue for sellers. I've seen the discussion boards alight with commentary on best practices used for packaging and shipping. How are we to keep our costs down four our buyers' benefit while rates for everything are going up? There is one answer that has worked for me and others all the time, and the beauty is it's right under your nose. Newspaper!

I've written several posts about this topic of packing and shipping. Those who join in offer comments on a variety of packing materials and methods, ranging from used boxes to peanuts to newspaper. There are pros and cons to each, including newspaper. But newspaper will always be free to you. Wouldn't you want to know more about this fantastic, free material and its benefits? Here's a rundown of the pros and cons of newspaper.

Newspaper Pros

• Newspaper is free anywhere newspaper is recycled, especially at your local newspaper. Never pay for fill again, ever.
  
• No need to shred. Crumpled paper is fantastically strong yet fairly lightweight. And it's easier and cheaper to crumple than shred.
  
• Good for the environment. Newspaper can be reused over and over. Taking paper ready for recycling is recycling in itself. And consumers have a easier time recycling it than peanuts, which are often tossed into the trash.
  
• Won't shift like peanuts or other loose fill.
• Newspaper bundles take up less space than most other fill
  

• Ink can get on your fingers/products
• Heavier than peanuts or other plastic fill material
• Takes some work to crumple and fill
  

Now let's take a look at the pros and cons of using peanuts.

Peanut Pros

• Lightweight and strong
• Little or no mess
• Easy to use

• Expensive (hey, if it's not free, it's expensive for me!)
• Take up lots of valuable storage space
• Shift during shipping
• Most types are not environmentally friendly
• Hard to transfer to box with just your hands. It's about as much work as bailing out a boat.

How and where to get newspaper

Newspaper is everywhere. Your folks have it. Your neighbors have it. Wherever you live, you can find newspaper somewhere, and once it's used for anything it becomes trash, which means you get it for free. You can start by collecting used papers you see around you. But there's a better way, a way to get more higher quality paper.

Local newspapers have overruns of their current editions, and these extras, often in bundles, are set out for recycling. It may be a bad batch, or just a batch that the paper had no use for. Ask for these papers. Chances are the paper will be glad to help you out and get rid of its "trash." They're only going to hand it over to the recycling company anyway, which they pay to pick it up.

There are two reasons I can think of for a newspaper to not offer you anything. One is because they don't want others in possession of fresh copies, for fear of resale or copyright infringement, etc. But I have not encountered this issue. If it becomes a problem, introduce them to your business and let them know you are credible and will only use it for packing fill.

The other reason would be because they are already paying for the recycling company to pick it up so they want to get their money's worth out of that service. In that case, if you offer to pay a little or convince them that you won't take a lot of newspapers, you will probably get the deal. Even if you have to pay, it will be far less expensive than buying peanuts. If you don't want to pay, tell them you are going to ask at the other papers first.

How to use newspaper

It's not rocket science, but here's what I do to make sure my packages arrive safely, and buyers have never been disappointed yet!

You probably have papers in stacks or bundles, which save space compared to large bags of peanuts. Cut some bundles and put them in a box to keep them neat. Grab a sheet at a time, crumple it up, and toss it in your box. I first make a base of at least one layer of sheets crumpled and laid side by side. You want to make sure that if shock occurs on the bottom of the box, your item will be protected. Follow this padding principle for your entire package. You want ideally at least an inch of padding on each side of your item.

The smaller you crumple newspaper, the stronger it gets. It's a fact. Ever wonder why it's so hard to crush a ball of paper? You can't do it. You'd need a machine press to flatten a ball of papers you crumple. That's because when you crumple paper, you create thousands of smaller edges that reinforce each other when compressed in any way. The more you press, the more they reinforce. Don't you want this amazing physical property working for you in all your shipments? The best part, this steely strength in a relatively lightweight material is yours free!

For most items, a quick crumple is good enough to give the paper some strength. It will usually automatically crumple as you stuff it into spaces around the item. For the top, do the same as for the bottom. I always lay my packing slip on top so the buyer can find it right away and be excited.

To protect my items from ink transfer, I wrap them in bubble wrap. Now, some of you may be wondering, if I'm so fanatic about free newspaper, why would I use bubble wrap? It costs money, and it's plastic. The bottom line is no other material performs the same function quite as well as bubble wrap, and the safety of my shipments is worth it. I do buy bubble wrap, but it's fairly cheap at StarBoxes. Doing it right the first time saves us all some resources.

Just as bubble wrap performs a common function no other material can replicate, so does newspaper. Nothing surrounds, protects, and cushions items quite like newspaper. Not even foam or peanuts. Newspaper is heavier than peanuts. But what cost there is in weight is saved in using a free, recycled and recyclable material. Newspaper will leave ink on your hands. But it won't hurt you, and it washes off very easily. I have a bag of packing peanuts in my shipping room that sees little use. Newspaper has rendered those plastic pellets all but obsolete. For me, there are no excuses not to use newspaper. And I can't highlight enough how great it is that this wonderful resource is absolutely FREE!

FREE USPS Supplies

You can get certain USPS supplies, such as boxes, labels, and envelopes, free of charge with free delivery in unlimited quantities! Simply check out USPS.com and shop.

Thanks for reading, and I wish everyone the best in their packing and shipping endeavors, large or small! Please check out my auctions, other reviews and guides, and more!