Sending parcels through the mail can be very stressful. It’s natural to worry whether your package will get to its destination in one piece, or even get there at all! To be fair, the USPS delivers 95% to 96% of packages on time, so that’s one thing you can cross off.
As for protecting the package, there are things you can do to hedge your bets, even if you can’t find bubble wrap.
Try some of these if you’re in a bind and need to get that package out on time.
Tissue Paper or Newspaper
If you have tissue paper or newspaper laying around (and who doesn’t) you can improvise with these as packing materials in a pinch.
Admittedly, they’re not quite as suitable as packing peanuts but they still do a pretty good job. Just wrap your parcel in newspaper, then ball up some paper and fill in the voids in the box.
Then close the box and shake it gently. If the contents inside move around, wad up more paper and keep packing the recesses until the parcel won’t shake anymore.
Packing Peanuts
If you can’t find bubble wrap but you can find packing peanuts, these will likely do just fine.
First, pour in a layer of peanuts before placing your package inside. Then place your package in the box and continue to pour peanuts in around it until the box is filled up.
Fill the box up to the top so that the parcel cannot rattle around inside the box once closed.
Air Pillows
The modern era is a marvel, and you can now buy packaged air. Fortunately, at this point, it’s still only sold for packaging!
If you can’t get bubble wrap, ask about air pillows. You can use these to pack your parcel in effectively the same manner as bubble wrap.
Paper Honeycomb or Corrugated Bubble
Paper honeycomb is similar to bubble wrap in that it has voids and little pockets of air trapped in it. It’s typically fairly affordable and can be used to provide a decent level of protection to wrapped parcels.
Corrugated is sort of like, folded cardboard. It’s better than shredded paper for filling the voids in a box since it adds both cushioning and structure which can prevent packages from rattling around.
And, since both of these are made from paper, they’re fairly affordable and recyclable – two additional bonuses associated with them.
Old Clothes
One more hack for you – if you have a bunch of old clothes or fabric scraps laying around, these can be used to add cushioning to a package before you ship it and can save you a trip to the store.
Just get a few scraps of cloth and wrap up your parcel in it, then fill the voids with the same material. If you don’t have it, just fill the voids with wadded-up paper instead.
Skip the Box and Use a Poly Bubble Mailer
Finally, if what you’re shipping is small and fragile but relatively flat, maybe your problem isn’t that you can’t find bubble wrap but that you’re using a box in the first place.
Some small, light parcels are best sent via poly bubble mailers. They’re more affordable than boxes, lighter than boxes, and have bubble wrap built in.
And while poly bubble mailers do not offer the same degree of protection against being crushed as a box does, they do offer protection against drops and falls. And, since they’re made of PE, they’re environmentally friendly and recyclable too.
To learn more about poly bubble mailers and other shipping materials, visit Mailers Direct online at MailersDirect.com. They carry a wide range of products at excellent prices.
