As an ecommerce seller or frequent shipper of fragile items, you know that proper packaging is essential to ensuring your products arrive undamaged. Bubble wrap has long been a preferred cushioning material for its superior protective qualities. But what are your options for purchasing this air-filled wonder plastic through the United States Postal Service? In this ultimate guide, we‘ll dive into everything you need to know about buying and using bubble wrap for USPS shipments.
Bubble Wrap at USPS: The Basics
Let‘s start with the key question: does USPS sell bubble wrap? The answer is a resounding yes! The postal service offers bubble wrap and bubble mailers both online and at many post office locations.
According to USPS, bubble wrap is one of their top-selling packing materials. In fact, a 2019 report from the Postal Service Office of Inspector General found that cushioning materials like bubble wrap accounted for over $80 million in retail product sales that year.
Bubble wrap works by providing a layer of densely-packed air pockets that absorb shocks and impacts. When an item wrapped in bubble encounters a bump or drop, the air bubbles collapse and redistribute the kinetic energy, minimizing damage to the contents. Bubble is particularly effective for shipping electronics, glass, ceramics, and other breakable goods.
At USPS.com, you can find rolls of perforated bubble wrap in two sizes:
| Roll Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 12" x 9‘ | $4.49 |
| 24" x 9‘ | $8.49 |
Larger rolls may also be available for individual purchase at your local post office, but USPS does not sell bulk quantities or full cases online. For bigger orders, you‘ll need to look to office supply stores or specialty packaging retailers.
In addition to bubble wrap rolls, USPS stocks padded bubble mailers. These Kraft paper or Tyvek envelopes have a layer of bubble lining the interior for all-in-one cushioning and shipping. Bubble mailers are sold in packs of various quantities based on the size:
| Bubble Mailer Size | Pack Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 6" x 9" | 10 | $12.25 |
| 9 1/2" x 14 1/2" | 5 | $9.95 |
| 12 1/2" x 19" | 4 | $9.95 |
The 6" x 9" mailers are perfect for jewelry, small electronics, collectible cards, and other compact valuables. Use the 9 1/2" x 14 1/2" for shipping books, cosmetics, videogames, etc. The largest 12 1/2" x 19" size can accommodate bigger items like laptops, tablets, or fragile decorative objects.
These online prices are generally in line with or slightly lower than major office supply chains. For example, Staples sells a 6-pack of 12 1/2" x 19" bubble mailers for $14.99, which comes out to $2.50 per mailer compared to USPS‘s $2.49 each when purchased in a 4-pack. However, brick-and-mortar post office locations may charge a small premium over online rates.
Bubble Wrap vs. Bubble Mailers: Which to Choose?
Now that you know your bubble wrap and mailer options at USPS, how do you decide which to use for a given shipment? The choice ultimately depends on several factors:
- Size, shape, and fragility of item
- Desired level of protection
- Ease of packing and presentation
- Total shipping costs
Bubble mailers are best suited for small, relatively flat items that have a low to moderate risk of damage. Things like jewelry, collectible cards, coins, and computer components often fare well in bubble mailers. The attached bubble lining provides decent cushioning, while the paper or Tyvek exterior can be easily customized with labels or branding stickers for a polished look.
However, bubble mailers fall short when it comes to larger, heavier, or highly irregular shaped items. The built-in bubbles simply don‘t provide enough protection against drops and impacts. Stuffing too big an item in a mailer also leaves little room for extra padding. And if a mailer is overpacked, it may burst at the seams during transit.
That‘s where bubble wrap rolls shine. You can use them to thoroughly encase items of practically any size and shape in multiple protective layers. Rolls also give you the flexibility to tear off precisely the amount of wrap you need, minimizing waste.
Wrapping items yourself does require a bit more packing time and effort compared to the all-in-one convenience of mailers. Loose bubble needs to be securely taped around the item. You‘ll also have to package the wrapped bundle in a second container, like a box, for mailing.
If maximum protection is the goal, your best bet is a combination approach of bubble-wrapping the item and placing it in a cushioned mailer or box with additional padding like air pillows or packing peanuts. Just be sure to balance damage prevention with dimensional weight shipping costs, which we‘ll cover later on.
The (Bubble) Wrap Artist: A How-To Guide
Proper wrapping technique is key to getting the most protective benefit from your bubble wrap. Here‘s a step-by-step guide to expertly cocooning your fragile items:
-
Cut a piece of bubble wrap that‘s large enough to completely cover your item several times over, with excess for taping. For especially fragile goods, plan for a minimum of 3 layers of bubbles.
-
Wrap any protruding parts like handles or knobs individually with small strips of bubble for extra stability.
-
Place your item in the center of the cut bubble piece with the bubble side facing inward. The bubbles should be making direct contact with the item‘s surface, not the flat backing material.
-
Fold the wrap over the item until it is fully encased, then secure the loose ends with packing tape. Avoid placing tape directly on the item itself.
-
For added protection, repeat the wrapping process with a second layer of bubbles. Rotate the item 90 degrees so the new bubble rows run perpendicular to the first layer. Use more tape to hold everything snugly in place.
-
Place the wrapped item in a shipping box with at least 2" of space on all sides. Fill any empty areas with additional cushioning to prevent jostling.
When wrapping irregularly shaped items, use smaller bubble pieces to cover jutting angles and fill in crevices before encasing the entire bundle in larger sheets. Fragile or vintage items may benefit from archival tissue padding as a barrier between the item and the bubble wrap.
The Sustainable Shipper: Eco-Friendly Alternatives
While highly effective at protecting shipments, traditional plastic bubble wrap has some notable drawbacks from an environmental standpoint. Most varieties are not biodegradable or easily recyclable. As lightweight plastics, they‘re prone to blowing out of waste streams and polluting habitats. Reusing bubble wrap helps reduce the amount of new plastic produced, but the material still eventually ends up in the trash.
Fortunately, there are a number of sustainable alternatives that offer similar cushioning benefits:
- Corrugated bubble wrap made from recycled cardboard
- Biodegradable air pillows
- Cornstarch packing peanuts
- Recyclable paper cushioning
- Mushroom-based packaging materials
USPS does not currently sell these eco-friendly options directly, but you can purchase them from various online vendors and use them for your USPS shipments. Some green replacements do fall short of plastic bubble in terms of resilience and moisture-resistance, so you may need to use a little extra material to achieve comparable protection.
The Bottom Line: Bubble Wrap and Shipping Costs
At the end of the day, your packaging goal is likely to get orders to customers safely and efficiently while preserving your profit margins. So how does bubble wrap factor into your total shipping spend?
Several elements affect the cost of sending a USPS package:
- Shipping service (First Class vs. Priority vs. Retail Ground, etc.)
- Package weight
- Destination zone
- Dimensions
Bulky, lightweight packing materials like bubble wrap can increase the dimensional (DIM) weight of a shipment without adding much heft on the scale. DIM weight reflects a parcel‘s density and is calculated by multiplying length, width, and height, then dividing by a set factor. Whenever DIM weight exceeds actual weight, it becomes the billable weight for determining postage.
Thus, using too much bubble wrap, or putting a small item in an excessively large box with lots of bubbles, can unnecessarily inflate your shipping fees. On the flip side, skimping on bubbles to save a few cents on postage can have disastrous results if orders arrive broken.
Most ecommerce experts recommend a 2" cushion of infill on all sides of a lightweight, padded item. However, extremely fragile items may require more like 3 to 4 inches. It may take a bit of trial-and-error to strike the optimal bubble balance for your products.
A 2017 survey from Sealed Air found that 77% of consumers believe bubble wrap and other cushioning is necessary for protecting their online orders. However, 66% said they want this packaging to be as minimal as possible while still preventing damage.
To wrap it all up (pun intended), using bubble wrap and mailers from USPS is a reliable, cost-effective way to safeguard your shipments. With a little know-how and practice, you‘ll become a bubble wrap master in no time!
