Something better than the (packing) peanut gallery.

June 3, 2009 8:03 AM

I need to buy packaging/shipping foam from a brick-and-mortar store in Northern VA. Is there such a place?

We are shipping a heavy piece of electronic equipment (at work), and we need something sturdier than bubble wrap to pad the sides of the box. We've gotten bubble wrap, boxes, and packing peanuts from Wal-mart, UPS, FedEx, and the like before, but a source for foam would be ideal both for our immediate shipment and for future ones. I know there are online sources for foam, but the shipment is somewhat urgent, and I'd like to buy something along the lines of these.

Oh, we can probably cut it ourselves, so we don't need something custom made.

posted by hellogoodbye to shopping (5 comments total)

You can try crafts stores which sell the kind of foam used for cushions. They are thick and heavy and can be cut down.
posted by HeyAllie at 8:13 AM on June 3

craft stores will also sell blocks of plain old styrofoam if that's more to you're liking.
posted by Kellydamnit at 8:15 AM on June 3

I wonder if a specialized shipping company, like Parcel Plus in Vienna (not an endorsement; that was just one of the Google results) or one of these would be able to help.
posted by arco at 10:01 AM on June 3

For the benefit of any future readers of this question...

My co-worker eventually got the google-fu going and found "Handle with Care Packaging Store" in Fairfax (which is on arco's list). I called them and I think they sell the kind of foam we want (it's called etafoam).
posted by hellogoodbye at 10:13 AM on June 3

The larger U-Hauls usually carry all sorts of packing stuff.
posted by rtimmel at 11:17 AM on June 3