6 Things You Can Ship with USPS Padded Envelopes to Save Money (2023)

Shipping costs are one ofthemain reasons shoppers leave anonline store without completing apurchase. But, asanecommerce merchant orshopper, you probably already knew that. Inthat case, you probably also know that sellers are not usually able tochange shipping rates. What ashame!

But! What ifItold you that you might beable toship your products forless money? What ifyou didn’t follow standard packaging practices, but went your own way instead? After all, themain requirement forpackaging anitem toship isensuring theproduct’s safety andthepackage’s integrity onits journey. But being creative with recommendations andrates can help you escape thetyranny ofhigh shipping rates, andmake postage work better foryour brand.

Read ontodetermine how you can use free USPS (the most popular post service intheU.S. asof2019) shipping supplies tomaximize profits andcustomer satisfaction.

USPS Flat Rates are Awesome

Aflat rate isafixed level ofpayment that stays thesame nomatter what you’re shipping. You may have heard that famous USPS adcampaign “if itfits, itships.” Well, that’s exactly what we’re talking about. Let’s explain:

Ifyou ship anything via thepost office, your shipping cost typically depends ontheparcel’s weight. But you can choose topay aflat rate tosend your item, aslong asitfits into apre-set package. Your payment will depend only onthetype ofpackage you choose: anenvelope orbox inanumber ofdifferent sizes.

This isaconvenient option ifyou can’t predict ifshipping byweight will cost more orless than aquick estimation, orifyou don’t have ahome scale tomeasure parcel weight.

USPS flat rates can beappealing forU.S. ecommerce merchants shipping domestically, because they are often lower than rates based onweight.

The Magic ofUSPS Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope

USPS offers awide array offlat rate packages— from small envelopes tolarge boxes. But there’s one option that wethink isespecially magical:

Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope isanenvelope of9.5in (L) by12.5in (W), lined with bubble padding forextra protection. It’s flexible, bendable, andthick enough toprotect your item from thebumps andtumbles ofpostal transit.

Now, combine these physical capabilities ofthis mailer with asimple flat rate, andyou get alight-bulb moment: anything that fits inthis envelope will cost thesame price todeliver anywhere intheUnited States. The weight doesn’t matter. The destination (domestically speaking, that is) doesn’t matter. USPS even brands their envelopes with this promise: “One Rate Any Weight”!

How toGet USPS Padded Envelopes

You can find these handy bubble envelopes atUSPS online stores, your local post office, andother shipping supplies locations (Mailboxes Etc, anyone?). Insome locations, you don’t even have topay forthemailers: order them forfree, andthepostman will drop them off atyour residence during their next mail delivery.

The padded envelopes are sold anddelivered inpacks of10and15. You can order 10packs of10atonce, inmost locations.

7Products You Can Ship for8Bucks Across The US

Okay, now that we’ve given you thescoop onflat-rate shipping—it’s time tochat about what products can fit these magical padded envelopes! Basically, anything big but soft, orsmall but heavy. We’ll give you some ofour top picks, below:

1.Hoodie/sweater

Hoodies andsweatshirts can bethick andheavy. However, folded properly, they can fit into aUSPS padded envelope andreduce your overall shipping cost. Hello, cheaper merch foryour most loyal customers!

Not afolding expert? Check out this video tohelp you out:

Hoodies might strike you asseasonal, but our research shows that demand doesn’t wane over therest oftheyear. Look!

2.Pillow

Pillows shrink down well because theinsides are mostly air! Ofcourse, stuffing your oversized body pillow into aflat rate envelope probably won’t cut it. But how about adecorative pillow fortheliving room sofa?

You’ll beamazed how compact your pillows can become with asimple vacuum technique. All you need isavacuum cleaner andthin plastic bags. Here’s anexample ofhow topack apillow:

3.Jeans

It’s not surprising that jeans can bestuffed into asmall shipping envelope. However, wefelt like alerting your attention totheshippability ofjeans foraspecific reason: presentability.

Yes, many ofusexpect tosee jeans packed snuggly andarrive unharmed, but also weexpect them tolook nice upon arrival.

Incase you didn’t know, ifyou sell jeans, you’re right ontrend. Jeans have been awardrobe staple andpopular ecommerce buy foralong time!

4.Metal art pieces

Okay, okay. Weknow that not every piece ofart made from metal can physically fit into aUSPS flat rate envelope, sosize iscritical here. Plus, some art, although made ofmetal, can befragile—too fragile forasimple padded envelope. Inthese cases, you might use abigger envelope orconsider aflat rate box, which isabit more expensive but will keep your product safer.

But metal figures are onthis list because they are heavy—especially scrap metal figures (which are quite popular these days!). Ifyour figures are heavier than 1lb, but still small, envelopes can beanappealing money saver.

Plus, metal isasolid material andoften fairly durable. Inother words, many metal pieces can easily withstand transportation without athick box. However, wrapping your metal figures pre-shipment will add anextra layer ofprotection. Depending ontheart figure size, you can ship 2-3items inone envelope; just make sure they’re wrapped individually.

Here’s asimple guide topacking metal figures. Don’t mind thebox. That thing could easily fit into aflat rate envelope.

Art pieces made from metal are popular presents andcollectibles Metal figures are visually appealing anddurable. Which means they make great gifts that have thepotential tolast forgenerations.

5.Books

Itseems like these padded envelopes were made toship books. Again, thesize matters, but thehard-cover version of“The Hobbit” byJ.R.R. Tolkien will fit right in, andyou’ll even have extra space forasecond layer ofbubble wrap toprotect thebook. Want toship the576-page long monster “The Institute” byStephen King? Goahead, it’s only eight bucks toship itacross theUnited States with Ecwid.

And don’t forget about special touches! Beneath theouter bubble wrap mailer packaging, limitless possibilIties exist forinternal packaging tomake your customer’s experience ofunpacking their new book asexciting asreading it.

Here’s asimple yet interesting idea onhow you can wrap your books tomake them look like gifts. Agreat suggestion forselling around theholiday season, oranytime.

Books are timeless, sowehardly need toarticulate why they are agood vertical tobein. But incase you’re interested:

6.Wooden cutting board

What’s something heavier andmore rectangular than abook? Yep, acutting board! Big, boxy, andmade ofwood toboot: aka theperfect candidate foraflat-rate bubble mailer.

Obviously, wood isn’t theonly material cutting boards can bemade from. Stylish boards also come instone andplastic, forexample. But when itcomes totransportation, stone isfragile, andplastic isvery lightweight. Soyou risk losing thebenefits ofusing theUSPS envelope.

When itcomes towood, wefeel like this istheperfect candidate forflat-rate shipping: it’s solid andwon’t split ifyou hit it, soyou’re not taking arisk shipping itwith aUSPS padded envelope.

Unfortunately, our exhaustive internet search didn’t pull upanyinsightful videos about packing acutting board into anenvelope, but we’ll keep aneye out forfuture finds. Ifyou find one inthemeantime, leave alink inthecomments, andwecan add ittothepost—with acredit toyou.

Believe itornot, wooden cutting boards are trending! They are expected toblast themarket inthenear future ifweare tobelieve theoracle ofGoogle.

Reduced Flat Rate with Ecwid Labels

Before weget tothepart where wetell you about all theamazing things you can fit into these envelopes, let’s chat about another shipping trick— discounted shipping labels with Ecwid.

Yes, thanks toEcwid’s USPS partnership, you can get aflat-rate discount, allowing you toship your products inUSPS flat-rate envelopes foraslow as$8.00(instead ofthealready low $8.55). Print your shipping label right from theEcwid control panel (in order details). Stick ittotheenvelope, package itup, andyou’re good togo!

Ifyou prefer touse Ecwid Store Management Mobile App foriOS tomanage your online store, you can purchase discounted shipping labels right intheapp andprint them onfrom your nearest cloud printer.

The discount andprinting are available only forUSPS United States domestic deliveries. But we’re working onadding more shipping services tothis offer, sointernational sellers, check back soon!

InClosing

USPS Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelopes are excellent forshipping big andsoft orsmall andheavy products. Itcost only $8.55toship anything across theUS, nomatter theweight (Remember, “if itfits, itships.”)

And ifyou purchase shipping labels with Ecwid (in your order details, ondesktop ormobile), you’ll score aneven lower rate!

Doyou have agreat idea foraproduct that can fit into theUSPS envelope?

Doyou want tolearn more about shipping forecommerce businesses?

• End-Year Shipping Deadlines
• How Business Owners Can Save With Flat-Rate Shipping
• 6Free Shipping Strategies andTheir Alternatives
• 6Things You Can Ship with USPS Padded Envelopes toSave Money
• How UKSellers Can Save Money andTime onShipping
• The 6Cheapest Ways ToShip APackage with USPS
• Your Guide ToInternational Shipping Address Formats