Best (source for) packaging material/boxes for books?

June 24, 2024 4:45 PM

I'm going through my library with a scythe and getting rid of books I won't read again in this lifetime. Some of these I'm going to sell on eBay, and I was wondering which boxes (NOT envelopes) would be good for shipping books, and best places to get them. (I can do Amazon if need be). Book sizes range from paperback to suitable for a coffee-table.
posted by gtrwolf to Shopping (6 answers total)

I don't ship books, but my favorite way to receive a book is in a wrap mailer like this. The book is secured inside the first layer so it doesn't move, and the wrap layer gives it a buffer to absorb shock. I've never received a damaged book when shipped like this. (Bubble mailers and normal boxes with filler? Much damage.)
posted by phunniemee at 4:52 PM on June 24 [9 favorites]

I used to edit the book review section of an academic journal, and part of the job was receiving books from publishers and then sending them off to reviewers.

The publishers all shipped books to me in a single piece of cardboard about 1.5 times as tall as the book and about 3 times as wide as the book. They'd put the book in the middle width of the piece of cardboard, fold the first and third widths over the book, and then staple the open ends shut with a heavy duty stapler.

When the book arrived (always undamaged because shipped in a rigid container its exact size), I'd extract the staples, shelve the book, and throw the piece of cardboard in a box. When I assigned a reviewer, I'd grab the book, grab a piece of cardboard out of the box, re-wrap the book with the publisher's address label on the inside, re-staple the open ends with my own heavy duty stapler, and send it off.

On preview: It's really the same as the product phunniemee linked to above, only simpler, and free behind the grocery store.
posted by Scarf Joint at 5:31 PM on June 24 [4 favorites]

Yup, those cardboard wrap mailers are standard for shipping single books in the commercial side, too. You can get away with bubble wrap for paperbacks a lot of the time but they're easier to damage, and I wouldn't put a hardcover in one. The corners could punch right through and get trashed.
posted by restless_nomad at 5:59 PM on June 24

Definitely wrap in something plastic under the cardboard, though; I just sold something on ebay to someone who specifically requested that, pointing out that she lives somewhere rainy and the package might sit on her porch.
posted by gideonfrog at 6:22 PM on June 24 [3 favorites]

Here's a quick video for making cardboard wrappers.
I would put the book in a plastic bag, or wrap in plastic for protection against rain/moisture.
I also put clear tape over the labels.

Sources for book-sized cardboard boxes range from local grocery/liquor stores to anyone you know that receives frequent online shipments.
Libraries re-use our boxes-- and they are generally too large for only one or two books.
posted by calgirl at 8:43 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]

There's a specific type of cardboard package the publishers use to ship 1 - 2 books. Your local bookstore is highly likely to happily give you some. it's what phunnimee linked. It adapts to different books sizes and is quite sturdy. Also, you can wrap a book in cardboard, then use a bubble mailer very successfully. /former bookseller
posted by theora55 at 1:48 PM on June 25 [1 favorite]