How to Package and Ship Books with Media Mail! Tips for Packing and Supplies! Thrift Books for Ebay! 

You were the only 1 person to give good box sizes and as they say show your work. New to selling books and have watched days worth of shipping videos. Excellent Job.

Thank you for a great video, and especially for emphasizing the use of boxes for shipping books. As a longtime collector of antiquarian books, I’ve received more damaged books due to sellers using flimsy padded envelopes than I care to remember. It’s sad when a book manages to survive in good condition for 100+ years, only to have its corners crushed due to improper packaging. Shippers need to remember that when a book enters the mail system, it’s going into combat and needs the proper protection to assure survival.

I am always concerned that the package could get wet at some point and shipping especially if left on someone’s doorstep. Therefore all books the first thing I do is seal them in a good plastic bag so that even if the box gets wet it doesn’t ruin the book. If you simply wrap a book in newspaper and it gets wet that’s going to bleed ink all over the edges of the book and you will not have a happy customer. I rarely use newspaper besides which it makes media mail not really media mail anymore because there’s advertising on the newspaper pages. I know that sounds nitpicky but I’ve had packages returned to me by postal inspectors and that was the reason. Whether it’s a CD a book a DVD I always put it inside of a plastic sealed sleeve of some kind., Then I add paper packing material. This goes the same for using tissue paper because if the box gets wet in shipping thatTissue paper will make a real mess all over the great book you’ve just shipped to your buyer

Great video! I want to get into selling books, but didn't realize that Media Mail rates are the same no matter where in the US you ship them! That is awesome!

You helped me with some of my fear of packing and shipping items in this video! Love the multi-fold boxes!

THANK YOU for not shipping in bubble mailers. I get so many damaged books. It's so irritating. I put two pieces of cardboard on the inside of the box so that the item doesn't get sliced when a knife is used to open the box. It adds a small bit of weight but since I'm shipping via Media Mail, it doesn't add much more. Thanks for the video, really helpful and easy to follow.

As a long time eBay bookseller and book buyer, I see common mistakes that some sellers are doing. They will ship me a commercial magazine full of advertisements but send it as media mail. Somehow it gets by the postal inspection but I’ve had others arrive where I, as the buyer, had to pay the postage due because it was clearly not media mail qualifying. I also see booksellers who ship me a book with their business card in it & a big invoice receipt and even a written note. You’re not supposed to do that. I also see people shipping books to me where they use priority mail envelopes and even priority mail bubble envelopes inside and then just put a plain wrapper on the outside and mark it as media mail. You can’t use any new or used priority mail materials to ship a cheaper rate item. There’s so many little details and it’s important for all booksellers that we don’t lose the media mail rate that the post office so generously offers. I was doing a road trip in a small car and I would buy a few hundred vintage vinyl records on an average weekend. I was hundreds of miles away from home, so I would pack them in a box and ship them back to myself as media mail. It didn’t matter that it took a long time to get there. I was only paying about $12 to ship a heavy box. During the course of one long road trip I probably shipped 12 boxes to myself. That’s $144 spent and I probably spent an average of $.25 per record album. That was OK I think I had two records in there that paid for all of those expenses so the rest was just profit. Media mail is like a gift, I’ve gotten to where I mostly sell Items on eBay that qualify as media mail. It just works out lots cheaper since I always include free shipping. With really rare expensive books I still include free shipping but I send it as priority mail, a collector spending a lot of money deserves fast service and the added insurance.

Interesting video :) I buy the "end of roll" newsprint from our local newspaper print shop. I usually pay around $5 for a roll.

3:33 Oh good points on the fact that the book could actually get cut or damaged on the corner in shipping. Also Ziploc bags 📚 in baggies because if it rains the water could get in the box 📦

Old book lover collector now selling years of collecting.. Your tips are easy to follow, least expensive and common sense ideas. Thank you. Also taking advantage of ebay supplies, and finding deals to stock up.

Thanks for the examples!

I ordered from one of those big online sellers and they use a plastic bag best used for lining a trash can. I use tons of old boxes I cut to size.

Awesome thanks for actually going into the packaging of using boxes and what's the best way..

Thank you--this is very informative. Thanks for posting links to the products mentioned as well--very helpful!

My packing materials sources. Boxes: Any Starbucks dumpster. Cost: zero + reduced landfill. Packing material: Ask for paper not plastic every time you grocery shop. Bubble wrap recycled from things I order and the ol' trusty dumpster. I don't do hundreds of books so this works for me.

As of January 21, 2024, the USPS Media Mail rate for parcels weighing one pound or less is $4.13. Combine that with the packaging cost, and it's no longer looking like an inexpensive option.

My challenge is I often sell books as a LOT. Last lot was 22 books. Some titles like classic western PBs just don't bring enough $$. But if I sell them 75 at a time, I might get $100 price plus shipping. I find tissue paper at Dollar Tree. All of my boxes are as found, free boxes. But they tend to take more time, cutting and folding to reduce box size and weight.

Been selling books for over 10yrs. Great video. Here is what I've been doing to keep costs down. I use polybags for paperback books only, no more than 2 in one bag. I buy in 3 different sizes and 100 to 500 of each at one time. Most of the time I cut two pieces of cardboard to size of book and place on either side then put in poly bag and tape up, especially on the edges. Cardboard, well I work at a resale shop and we get cardboard boxes (as well as bubble wrap, packing paper, permanent markers and paper for printer) in all the time and for free. Reusing them is so cost effective. It may be crazy and time consuming for many, but I hand make my own boxes to size of books. I find it relaxing figuring it out in a timely manner, and I've gotten pretty good at it. Before this job I would reuse boxes and cardboard from anywhere I could find, especially empty boxes that grocery/retail stores would throw away. When I dont cut to size and use a regular box, I stuff with the free bubble wrap or wrapping paper we get in. Thin Duck tape is the best but I hate tapeguns or little holders. So I'm ok with the tape getting lost on itself if I dont place it against something. I buy packaging tape at Dollar General in bulk since my girlfriend works there and use her discount. Also, since working at a resale shop, 100% of our items we get have been donated by the community. I like keeping costs down and repurposing items before they get to the landfill.

Very useful. Without all the extra fluff. Thanks you!!

Wow I’m inspired to sell my books and justify/free up the storage space I’ve spent years justifying to my husband.

Good tips! I was looking for how to safely ship a textbook and this is a great way to go. Thank you

Enjoy your videos. I've sold books for years, as my mother was a bookseller and I've carried on with that legacy. I also box the volumes I sell due to the damage factor that the USPS can inflict upon packages. I use some new boxes, but have a great network of friends and work colleagues that save me boxes, brown packaging paper, styrofoam peanuts, bubblewrap, etc. So I try recycling packing supplies as much as I can. I wrap all my books in un-printed newspaper and then bubble wrap each book before boxing, filling in with "peanuts" or air pouches. Don't use printed newspapers due to possible ink damage to the books. I've also found that masking tape is much less expensive then regular "Scotch" tape for taping paper and bubble wrap around my volumes. Duck brand makes a thicker clear packing tape that works well and is less expensive then their shipping tape. I also tape all edges on the box so nothing (water) hopefully can't get it. Thanks! Duane

Nice job, thanks for sharing!

Went looking for some good info on selling some books I found on eBay. Your video was easy to follow and you visually showed me what to do. Thanks so much for the help!

Very helpful! Glad I found your channel.

Thanks for the info - very useful.

Thank you

Support local journalism...buy a newspaper! Great video!!

Just sold my first book today! I did use a Polly bag but it was a loose leaf book in a binder, and I wrapped it with the brown paper that comes in chewy boxes 📦😎

Padded envelopes much easier

Dark matter is a great read!

Great video thank you so much very helpful!!

Interesting💁🏻‍♀️ Media Mail🤔

Thank you for making this video. It was very informative and helped me so much.

Good stuff! Thanks

fantastic

Thank you for the pro tips! I just started selling books online.

Great video and Dark Matter is one of my favourite books! Cheers from Canada :)

Thank you so much for the video. It was very helpful & will save me money in shipping 😁

There are a lot of videos of people describing how they ship media mail, but I have yet to see anybody address the topic of the lack of insurance available. What happens if USPS damages or loses the package, or porch pirates steal it. What then? Do you reimburse the buyer the price plus shipping and just take the loss? Does this kind of thing happen often, or is it so rare it's basically a non-issue?

Thanks!

I didn't think I could ship a book in a box and use media mail. I don't know why. ... I shipped out a spiral book/planner in bubble wrap and a poly mailer and the spirals broke. Now I know I can.

Super helpful video, thanks for sharing!

Excellent video! Exactly what I was looking for. Very easy to follow. Thank you so much!

Excellent video presentation. Earned a lot!

Excellent, Concise info!

Thanks for such great tips. This was exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks this is one of the best videos I watched, very detailed, God bless you.

Thank you Thank you so much!!! Learned so much from you. Best regards

Valuable insight. Much appreciated.

useful, thanks

Great video. Thank you.

Great video Buddy! :)

where does one get a 12x9x3 box for 40 cents? And, where is the best deal on tissue paper?

very helpful, thanks a lot!

Can I get a cost analysis on how much scotch tape you use?

Books, my husband wrote many, still writes daily. I wrote some small ones. They are the most powerful force for real education. Weekly newspapers may have small rolls of clean newsprint that are discarded because hey are too short to make another run. Cheap and they last. Please provide a link to your store (s) below.

I love the Scotch shipping tape and refuse to use anything else because I'm a lover, not a fighter and all I do is fight with any other brand. I never thought of putting another brand in the Scotch holder. I'm going to have to try that. Thanks for the tip! Definitely worth a try! Last time I bought tape, there was a family standing in front of the tape yakking so I just politely walked around doing other shopping and then went back hoping they'd be done, but no, they were still standing there talking. I said "excuse me," but they ignored me. I said, "Excuse me, could I get one of those Scotch tapes please?" but nope, they continued to ignore me, so I just got another kind and scurried away, ticked off. And sometimes I'm somewhere they simply do not have the Scotch. But now I know what to do! Thank you!

Thanks for the vid.

Thank you! 👍

Because RU-vid keeps making changes to this site, I can't respond to comments. I can only post new comments... Thanks for the response to my lost / stolen packages questions. According to other sources, there aren't any insurance options for media mail. I may have to stop by the post office and hear what they say about that and if they have a chart with media mail insurance rates. Don't see it in the PDF I downloaded. Good to hear loses are rare, but I'm still a bit concerned about a porch pirate stealing an expensive package. And in that case I have to wonder why / if that's considered the seller's responsibility. The seller doesn't have control over whether the buyer is home to receive the package or whether they have a secure area to leave the package.

Really helpful video. Appreciate it.

Do you ever worry about rain or during the winter, snow etc getting through the book with only paper around it? I'm a bibliophile too & would probably feel better about using a clear bag. But I may overpackaged! Avoiding returns at all costs LoL

Love the shirt

I would think the newsprint could transfer to the book???

Great video and wonderful insight, thanks. Any suggestions for boxes when selling bulk books or lots?

Great video!

Great video! Thank you for sharing. Liked & Subscribed

What box size is good for 15 paperback historical romance small paperback novels?

Great information. Just subscribed.

Great video, but early on in the video you weighed the book and say that it weighs 1.3 ounces. It looks more like maybe 1.3 pounds. Could you clarify please? Thanks

Great video! If you ever need inventory we are a wholesaler that caters to amazon seller for over the past 10 years. Feel free to let us know if you need help or inventory!

I went through all the links above, which I appreciate, but could not find the flat cardboard choice that can be folded into several different sizes and I can't seem to call it something that eBay recognizes so haven't been able to locate it. :(

Thank you, fantastic video! Would this work for rigid mailers/carboard mailers?

What are your thoughts on using file boxes to ship sets of books? The handles are quite handy for lifting since they are quite heavy (even if I divide the larger sets between 2 boxes), they’re the perfect size, and I also have a good many, so I can use what I have!! I would wrap the books inside tightly with bubble to protect against impact and also moisture coming in through the holes. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks again for all the great information and keep up the good work!!

Ive seen alot of people selling books on ebay for 7$ free shipping..how in tbe world do u make any money that way ..even if u got the book fir free your basically going in the red to sell it .

won’t the newspaper bleed onto the book?

Can you just use USPS boxes you get for free???

Is media mail insured. I have some expensive books I might sell.

Lost my comjent 3 times now! Is the navy blue, padded binding of the 15th edition of the Encyvlypaedia Britannica real leather? Hard sell against those who say it is if it isn't. How to ship it several volumes per box and keep it safe from water damage? I'll post this and add another. Thank you! I've subbed.

Do you have to take the packages to the post office or are you able to schedule a pickup?

Do you use the free triangular USPS boxes to ship posters? Do those items arrive safely? I'm used to using tubes to ship our posters but I'd love to save on costs.

Hi I wanted to ask you guys 2 questions. Does media mail mean you have to use your own brown boxes or can you use both brown and usps white and red boxes? And the other question is mainly the same but with priority mail. Do you have to use just their boxes or any box?

If the media mail package is lost by USPS, do you have to pay for the refund if it was not insured?

I speak Olde Fortran! Where do you get a shirt like that? 😁

Haven't sold anything on ebay before. Is the shipping label emailed to you after item is sold?

Where can I get the list for prices and weights ?

Where is the cheapest place on eBay to purchase the boxes? I’ve looked all over eBay and they are expensive😢

How long you take to pack a book?

How long do you find it takes for media mail to arrive vs priority mail? Thank you.

When shipping for ebay do you recommend paying for a tracking number or insurance?

I don’t see any boxes in that price range on Amazon. Anyone have a link by chance? 🙏

What type of scale do you have?

Do you charge 4.00 shipping no matter the weight of the shipment? What about protection from rain?

anybody can ship an item with the cheapest mail ever without damage the items as long the package was shipping with care and love, the problem is there's many lazy sellers online.

What size are the flat mailers?

Watch your packing tape and bubble wrap. Sometimes in shipping it gets very hot and they release odors like paint thinner. I have had multiple books ruined by sellers shipping a paint thinner smelling book and send that shit straight back. Don’t be that seller.

あなたはスマートマネーです！！！

Boxes are now more expensive due to inflation!