The USPS offers free boxes for priority shipping and there is now free boxes provided by eBay.

If you are shipping thousands of items a week you will probably find it cheaper to use these rather than buy your own. But for those of us who send a smaller amount of items each month using these free boxes may not be perfect for your set up. USPS offers a variety of types and sizes. They also have envelopes - flat rate for all that will fit into them, also tyvek envelopes which are bigger and not as sturdy are available. These are water resistant which is a must have. I feel that it is always best to use plastic to cover any item before placing it in a box or envelope. This will keep the item dry and add a bit of shipping protection .

eBay and Usps are presently not going to provide more styles of boxes than are currently available. I ship using photo mailers and must obtain them somewhere else. I was able  to locate an online company that sells exactly what I need along with a huge variety of other, both necessary and aesthetic materials, more choices than I will need. There are both positives and negatives with the products  -  but they are easy to obtain to make the perfect shipping for whatever your product might be.

In my case photo mailers are needed and the hardest part in locating just what I wanted was finding a reputable company that would have the packaging I needed on hand. Another important thing you should look for is a company that will ship your orders in only a few business days at a low charge but who also provides overnight shipping when you come across an emergency. I have been using the same company for years, I am not certain I can name it, but I am sure eBay will be happy for the information provided here.Just email me regarding the information and I will be happy to advise you.The main thing with using a company is that the containers I need are always available and I can order on line or over the phone 24hrs a day. I get fiberboard shipping mailers that are self sealing - perhaps eBay will begin to offer these mailers now that they know there is a need for such an item. I have had several emails asking me where I get them.They could even add the eBay logo on each mailer to cover advertising. I digress ...... The mailers come in a large variety of sizes and in cases of 50 to 100.  As with most wholesale items the price per case lowers by the number of cases purchased.

Other items that may come in handy are Avery labels - they have 28 of the most requested sizes in stock - 250 sheets per box - white stock paper adhesive that works well with low and high speed printers.There is a  myriad of labels available - color coded - a variety of warning labels and international safe handling labels -  much more ... You will also find a huge variety of Jiffy padded mailers and more. For those who use t-shirt bags you  can choose from a variety of already designed bags or have you own logo or store name on them.

Let me just stop here to say that in no way am I affiliated with this company. I just want to share something that took months for me to find in the hopes that someone will get by without pulling there hair out over just one more little detail. The only bags I use myself are flat poly bags that come in a huge variety of sizes and weights.I have been thinking of adding my logo or eBay id on these. I have also bought tissue paper and sealing tape.

SMILE - A satisfied customer is a happy customer !