One of the most expensive parts of shipping costs can be the box, this guide offers suggestions on ways to reduce those costs.

Places to Get Free Boxes:

• Grocery stores
• Hardware stores
• Office supply stores
• Paint stores
• Copy centers (paper boxes are great!)
• FREE from UPS, Fedex, or USPS (Priority)
  You  can order supplies from these three companies (if you use their service) and have them shipped to your home.office/business for FREE! (I can't give the link, but go to each of these companies main websites- and search shipping supplies.)
• Neighbors with Home Based Party businesses always seem to have an endless supply of boxes and bubble wrap.

Examples of clean boxes you can usually pick up for free from neighbors and friends/co-workers:

• Diaper boxes (the big kind from your local megamart) make excellent shipping boxes- because the items in them are clean and nonmarking.  Ask neighbors to save these for you.
• Copy paper boxes- ask at your office, church, or school if you can have these. Most are happy to have someone pick them up.
• Shoe boxes make excellent packing boxes, as well.

Reducing Overall Shipping Costs by Using  a Box That Fits

If the box is not the right size, consider cutting it down- rather than filling it up.  This will save on weight (and therefore shipping)and also on the amount spent on fillers (styrofoam peanuts, paper and the like.) It's also safer for the objects inside if the box is a proper fit.  Just make sure to leave 1-2" of space/packing around the edges of your item.

It is legal to tape together two USPS Priority boxes (if you are mailing priority AND they are not flat-rate boxes.) Since these boxes are free-- if you're a one-man-show this is an easy way to save on shipping supplies.

If when you are combining boxes to make a larger box, there is some overlap (flaps, for example)-- consider trimming these off with an exacto knife.  The extra weight may be enough to trim your category to a lower postal rate.

Another box fit tip is that if your box is very near to the next weight (2.01 pounds, for example) you might want to consider trimming the inner flaps to cut the weight down to 1.98 pounds- this will save on postage.

Buying Boxes Here on eBay:

If you are going to buy bosxes here on eBay- be sure to consider the shipping of the boxes, as part of your overall cost.  Look for boxes that have Low or FREE SHIPPING .  And consider buying in bigger quantities, as these will usually have a lower price per box.

How NOT  to buy boxes.:

The single most expensive way to get a box is to buy them one by one.  In fact, most of the time the expense spent on UPS, Priority, or Fedex mailing would still be cheaper than purchasing boxes.

Look for local box stores, and places that offer free shipping if you meet a minimum order.

When you are first starting out, you may not know how many or what size boxes you will need.  Some on-line and local retailers will offer you a "sampler pack" that has a variety of sizes.

Think outside the box:

Lot sof things can be shipped safely and cheaper without a box-

Ex: children's clothing,  items made of fabric, informational products of paper, catalogs, even some books. 

If it isn't fragile, and it isn't crushable (think velvet) then an envelope or a poly mailer may be a better choice. Tyvek also works, but since this guise is about saving money- it may not be the best choice.

If you use a paper envelope make sure you protect your items from the elements (rain, snow) with a ziplock bag inside.  Many items get left on a porch, and even on a sunny day there can be sprinklers! Another precaution to take if you use paper envelopes is to reinforce the corners with packing tape.  This prevents the package from getting "eaten" by postal machines and ruining the contents.

Poly mailers are a great choice, since they are weather resistant and fairly inexpensive.  Typically the cost savings on weight over using a box will pay for the mailer! (I don't sell these, but I use them all the time.)

This is no time to be shy!

By sharing the news of your ebay business with friends and neighbors- you'll likely gain a free supply of packing materials and boxes.  Be sure to thank them with a treat of goodies every now and then!

I recently had a neighbor move into the neighborhood, and they stacked clean, folded moving boxes on my porch along with packing paper and even extra tape!

I will add to this guide as more sources are found.

Reducing Your eBay Shipping Costs:  Labels