I frequently get positive feedback on great packing for safe arrival. I ship quickly but give each package the care I would expect for myself . Of course we are only human, and you can't win them all - just nearly every one of them! I mostly ship very fragile items, but this guide is for every one. Customize it to what you sell.

First let me tell you about some pet peaves. Have you ever gotten an item so tightly wrapped, it was squeezed to death and shattered or leaked? How about covered with so much tape you have to use scissors and risk scratching, knocking off rhinestones, cutting the fabric, or otherwise damaging your purchase. What about mutiple pieces of jewelry shoved into one box loose and arriving tangled, with scratched and missing stones, de-valuing it all? Clothes overly stuffed in a small pouch are so wrinkled you have to get it drycleaned. Got the idea? I could go on and on, but I'm sure you have shared these experiences.

My first recommendation is to invest in shipping supplies offered right here on ebay. Project professionalism. Your particular needs depend on what you sell. You should invest $25 on shipping scales. Bathroom scales are unreliable and guesstimating on the heavy side is not fair business practices. Also require insurance on fragile or costly items. Recommend or make insurance optional on other items. Include a disclaimer, " insurance available: not responsible for loss or damage once it leaves here". How would you like buying an item with insurance not offered and poorly packed, arriving broken and of course, all sales are final! Beware! Offer better Customer Service.

First get your free ebay/USPS boxes and envelopes for Priority mail and Express Mail and don't forget flat fee boxes you can prepay order from usps website. You can order additional sizes of boxes and tyvek envelopes on the post office usps website. Get the priority mail stickers to use on awkward shape and size boxes that are shipping Priority or Express Mail. Place a sticker on all 6 surfaces so there is no confusion.

It is also a great idea to read the USPS shipping guidelines for domestic and international mail. Pay attention to girth and weight and how it affects your options. Make yourself aware of customs regulations for countries you want to ship to. Adding International sales boosts your business. Be aware of customs regulations. Make your Buyer aware that you have no control over the time it takes to get through customs. It is worth the time to add International Buyers! Order free PS Form 2976-E through ebay or the post office. Paypal shipping manager will print the proper Customs forms that go inside this free clear pocket. The postman will pick it up from you and you don't have to go to the Post Office. This saves time and money. Mail pickup is a free service.

For supplies, order medium and large bubblewrap. There is very little protection from little bubbles unless you buy the highest quality which is stiffer and hard to pop. These are usually available in the office supply store. Then use these on small items or inside jewelry boxes for extra cushioning. Always wrap with bubbles against the item! Then use masking tape on the smooth surface to secure it.

Next buy foam peanuts, figure eights are soft and allow much movement. They have their use but not for heavy items. The peanut, E or 3 shapes are firmer and better for safe shipping. Don't allow contact between items. Form little nests. Allow slight movement otherwise one or two drops or tosses at the distribution center, will impact the fragile item. Use your judgement to cushion and let it slightly give to resist breaking.

Shredded newspaper or whole paper, weighs more costing you and your Buyer more. One use for stiff paper is to pack between fragile bubble wrapped items so they cannot make contact with eachother, peanuts or styrofoam do the same. A significant shift of weight can break one or more items. Another use for brown craft or shipping paper is to cover a box for one service, making it generic to use for First Class or Parcel Post, etc.

Use sheets of styrofoam. It is sold on ebay in shipping supplies. Your home store sells it for insulation. It is so cheap. I use it to insulate glass. Glass has a tendency to crack with temperature changes. In fact warn your buyer to open after it has reached room temperature. The best solution I recieved from a very smart Seller was a delicate Fenton Vase that was packed in a thick wall foam cooler tightly sealed! He did not charge a lot either. I'll be a repeat customer.

Also use sheets of styrofoam cut to form dividers and to line the top, bottom and sides of box with multiple glass items or a single fragile item. You can even build a foam cooler but pack these in boxes as they are not to sturdy. Strapping tape works best. Or go to your local craft store to buy tape made especially for styrofoam. Also invest a few dollars for that tape that says Fragile. The package may be treated more carefully. And your Buyer will know you are doing your best to take care of their purchase. Also they will know to open with care.

Now, as a Seller, you have an obligation to your buyer to ship properly to have their purchase arrive safely. You will reap the rewards with positive feedback, earning a good reputation, and getting loyal repeat customers! And best of all, you can take pride in your professionalism. But beware your labor is good business and not compensable in S&H per ebay rules. These supplies are cheap so don't charge a lot and add a profit. Explain in your description how you will ship and cover the reasonable supplies necessary. New ebay rule: explain handling fees.

Don't forget to recycle supplies from items you receive. Free is a great cost!

Sometimes you need to double box fragile items using 2 boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts! Be real thoughtful. Fabulous fragile items always cause Buyer anxiety. Or they avoid the purchase all together. Put them at ease to buy. Let them know what care you will take packing. I recently recieved a double boxed item and the Seller used egg crates to cushion the two boxes. What a brilliant thrifty supply! Again don't pack too tightly when you pack the outer box, you want a little give so the outer box takes the bumps, not the inner box, You want it to slightly float. Those air filled cushions of plastic are also good for this.

Small items and jewelry deserve careful shipping too. You should buy those tiny self sealing bags. They come in sizes fron 2x2 inches to as large as 15x23 inches, maybe larger! And of course you can use snack, sandwich, quart and gallon bags from the super store. Invest in better than thin generics.

Rhinestone jewelry needs to breathe or the stones can turn dark. So I cut a tiny slash for moisture to escape on one edge. But the bag will serve to hold any rhinestones or small parts that may fall off in shipping. Then the buyer can affect a repair. I use the size best suited for the artical. Not too tight! If your item would be adversely effected by water damage, including rain and snow, seal it in a plastic bag.

Now clothes. Make sure they are freshly laundered and completely dry. Moisture will mold or mildew. Yes, I learned by experience! Pack with tissue paper to minimize wrinkles. then place in those large bags I mentioned, squeeze the air out and seal it. I alway place a dryer sheet inside for added freshness. Then either place in a box or not too snug shipping envelope to avoid it from crunching down to the bottom of the box or envelope, I use a small piece of tape to secure the top and bottom to avoid shifting.  I'm sure other items can be shipped in plastic bags, think about it.

If you are selling flat paper items, paper, ephemera, sports cards, photos and the like. Place it on slightly larger stiff card board. I secure with a rubber band. Then put it in a plastic bag with all the air sqeezed out and fold and tape the overage for a snug fit. Sometimes you need to sandwhich it. Err on the best case scenario.

Oh no, time for tape. The rule is don't go overboard, and don't use to little. On shipping boxes, I have received mummies and open boxes alike and everything in between. Please tell me why a mummy is necessary?

Use a good quality 2-3 inch clear tape. Cover the edges where the two ends meet and over lap to the sides. If your bottom piece and top piece touch each other, all the better. They will form a good bond. Making an "H" is usually only good for heavy items. It is very frustrating to open if it goes the full side length. Use of a knife can damage a poorly protected item. Tan tape is ok too. Cheap tape comes loose with handling and moisture. Spend a few cents more. It is so worth it! Now heavy items require strapping tape. The kind with fibers running the length. That is most secure but not necessary on most packages.

Jewelry should not only be shipped in the little plastic bag, it should be shipped in a gift jewelry box. Keep the cotton on the bottom of the box, then set carefully individually bagged items. Then cut a piece of that good small bubble wrap to fit over the jewelry and place the top on the box. I always describe my jewelry as, "this will arrive in a gift / storage box". They think you are so thoughtful! Feedback will confirm. Now to secure the lid, I prefer rubber bands, but if you must tape, use masking tape. It won't pull off the decorative paper coating. Nothing is more disappointing than having packing tape tear up the box or to make it look tacky. So much for the nice gift / storage box.

Some jewelry can be bagged, then wrapped in medium bubblewrap. Use masking tape to secure it. Please don't make a mummy. If you have to open with scissors you are likely to damage it. This type of wrapping and use of masking tape, works well for coins, marbles, small items, and in general for all bubble wrap use. Just remember if it is too tight you may crush the item. Plastic, like bubble wrap is also temperature sensitive, contracting and expanding. Be thoughtful: not too tight and not to loose and easy to open.  Masking tape is best.

Envelopes are necessary too. You can of course use the USPS freebies. I prefer plastic also known as polymailers, and tyvek. If you use envelopes with bubbles, make sure it is not your only bubbles. They are just not thick enough. A great idea for shipping small items first class is to use card envelopes. You can buy these on ebay in several quantities in shipping supplies and crafts categories. Regular envelopes are usually too narrow and flimsy. Card envelopes are made with a heavier weight paper.

Labels should have a piece of tape over the address. If it rains the ink won't run and your customer is sure to receive it. Even if it is soaking wet. BUT BEWARE: DO NOT TAPE OVER USPS BARCODE. What I do is tape over the numbers under the barcode. That way if the barcode gets smeared, they can manually enter the numbers.

Of course you know you can ship USPS from home. Did you know you can ship UPS via paypal shipping too? It will let you pay your postage, print an official UPS label, and schedule a pick up. You can even give them delivery instructions, require or not a signature, leave with receptionist, etc. UPS is more economical than USPS for oversized packages (learn what the limits are). But come on, not everything has to be shipped UPS. Now that you can schedule USPS mail pick up use USPS, and it is usually most economical. They will pick up from you personally (necessary with International packages), from your doorstep, from your neighbor, from your place of business, even from a warehouse. 

I recently bought a $4.99 item. The seller used only UPS, They charged me $24.83 for shipping. No shipping calculater was provided. No other options were provided. The UPS store told me it should have cost $3.85 to ship. Yes I left negative feedback, something I rarely do, and of course they retaliated leaving me negative feedback, stating that I could not expect to pay only $4.99 for the item! Again this is against ebay rules. Don't charge labor or profit as handling fees.

Ebay is for some people a hobby. But for many it is a business. Hopefully a growing business. Customer service is the key to success in either case. Use thoughtfulness and follow the rules. It will pay off big time.

Happy safe packing, safe delivery and I hope you have so many happy customers they come back to you for more!