Let's face it, if you buy or sell on ebay, you have received atleast one, but probably hundreds of bubble mailers, photo mailers, envelopes, and various sized boxes filled with wonderful and exciting ebay collectibles, in addition to packing peanuts, bubble wrap, tissue paper or newsprint.

And if you do a lot of buying and selling on ebay, you probably already have a stash of used envelopes overflowing someplace waiting to be reused. Reusing packaging isn't being cheap, although it does save money, but should be looked upon as your small contribution to keep items out of the landfill and to save our precious natural resources.

These items not only cost money, but create an incredible strain on our ecosystem. Hopefully if you have gotten this far, you are interested in doing your part to help our fragile planet.

Tips on reusing (or recycling) packaging materials for shipping purposes.

1. Types of items that can be reused:

• Clean* envelopes, mailers, shipping tubes, any boxes, packing peanuts, unprinted newsprint, bubble wrap, tissue papers. *Do not reuse any items which have been exposed to cigarette smoke or have any perfume or strong scent, inside or out.
• Printed newspapers should go in your recycle bin, not into ebay purchases. Many buyers do not appreciate having ink stains on their fingers when they are about to handle a collectible item. :O)
• Clean brown paper grocery bags are great for covering up boxes, while plastic grocery bags can be used to cushion fragile items.
• Shredded paper from your paper shredder is also a wonderful packing material, however it does add a bit more weight to the package compared with bubble or styrofoam.

2. Where to find cheap or free previously used packaging:

• In addition to any packages which you may receive that are worth reusing, many office buildings and stores receive shipments and/or shred paper on a daily basis. Ask if they can save packaging materials for you, and offer to stop in weekly to pick the items up.
• Furniture and "big box" stores are great sources for larger boxes and bubble wrap and many are happy to have you cart it away.
• Grocery stores always have boxes of all sizes, but always make sure you look for a clean, non-chemical or food stained box.
• Find out when a particular store is most likely to have larger shipments and make that your weekly day to get boxes. Don't be picky, be appreciative and respectful of people doing their jobs. Always be courteous-remember you are asking for free stuff and that store exists to make $ not find you boxes!
• Don't forget the obvious--check ebay for listings from individuals who have recently moved and want to sell a large quantity of used boxes in good condition. And if you HAVE to buy new, look for items that are made with a large % of recycled materials.
• Tell your friends and family you sell on ebay and to save packaging materials for you. With the millions of ebay users out there, you may never have to buy bubble envelopes again!

3. How reuse or recycle used packaging:

• Remove any and all labels, cover all printing on boxes, and make sure you reseal items well and the package is legible. For boxes marked with logos of specific shipping companies and methods, you will have to either ship the same way it was sent to you, or cover the entire box with brown paper.
• If possible, try to avoid using the free packaging provided by the various shipping companies. (unless you are RE-using it) This promotes added waste as many of these packages are very hard to reuse and create tons of waste anually. Many people do not care about re-using something that was "free."
• Since some people frown upon reusing packaging, always let your buyers know that you may used recycled or reused packaging in your item listings or on your "me" page. Just be sure to only use packaging that is very clean and has no odors of any kind. Enclosing a note in each shipment, (explaining how you are helping to save the planet by recycling) would also be a nice touch.
• If an envelope has too much writing on it, try turning it inside out (this requires a patient and crafty person!) Presto! Brand new envelope! (Well...sort of!)
• Keep a designated "packing peanut bag" for storing the little bits of styro pellets that you may receive in your packages. When the time comes to mail something breakable, you won't have to go hunting for expensive styro pellets! You can also save any other styrofoam items such as cups, egg cartons, inserts from appliances, and pretty much any other clean styrofoam items.
• Sometimes you just gotta get to your item NOW! and you have ripped open the package to where it can't be reused. Having brown kraft paper tape (the kind you moisten with water) on hand is great for covering any rips, holes or for re-inforcing a box you've cut down to size.

I hope you have found this guide helpful.
Reusing your packaging is just one small thing anyone who buys or sells on ebay can and should do.
Let's all do our part to help our "Small Planet!"