I recently started selling books on amazon. Does anyone know where I can get cheap or free packaging?

[snowboardchick1989]

Also, for experienced shippers, do you have any tips on shipping in general? Thanks.

[rtfm]

Just wrap it in brown paper, or tear apart a box that you already have at home and fold it again into a size that will hold the book securely.

Sending the book via USPS Media Mail is the cheapest way.

[Uncommon Sense]

Free? No. Don't you have cardboard boxes?

[Gino]

The best bet would be to find a local box company. One that produces boxes not one that is a middle man. You can get your best deals there. If you don't have one in your area the next best thing would be to find a packaging company rep in your area. If you google it you will most certainly find one, they are everywhere. They will be able get you rates on book folds and bubble mailers. It is pretty much impossible to get free shipping if you want to have a professional look to your package when the item arrives to the customer. Also, free shipping material tends to break open in the abusive mail stream and lost to never be seen again. If you want to skip all of the Amazon selling you could use an online buyback service. You would sell it quick and the shipping is handled for you. A recommendation would be http://sellbooks.com they have treated me well in the past. I hope this helps you out.

[Natalie]

Depending on how you ship it, you can most likely get the packaging from your local USPS location. For example, if you have already charged a certain price for shipping with the purchase of the book, then use that money to ship it to the customer via Priority shipping. It doesn't cost much and the packaging is free (they have small boxes, small non-tearable envelopes, and large non-tearable envelopes.

The post office will allow you to wrap it in a brown paper bag, as long as there is packing tape wrapped around it to hold it in place.

If you are looking for the lowest price for shipping, go to the USPS counter and request "Book Rate". They only allow books to be shipped this way, but it is about 1/3 the cost of regular shipping. *Due note - book rate takes a few extra days, so depending on what your Amazon order specified for timeliness of the shipping, this may or may not work.