Sue,

Even though you ship a wide range of things, my guess is that you could choose a few Sue-standard box sizes that would cover say 75-90% of what you do. Unlike large-volume shippers, getting the absolute optimal packaging doesn't matter as much to us as our sanity and a desire for a limited box inventory.

While we're all anxious about the rate and service changes, it's just because it's new and unknown. Figure it out once, and life should get back to normal.

I recently sold a batch of stuff of all shapes and sizes. Most fit in one of my 8" cubes. Some items were in the center and 3" away from the edges of the box. So what? I chose the 8" cube so I wouldn't have to trim 4x6 labels, or wrap them around. There are three other Ned-standard stock sizes of box and two sizes of padded envelope right now, ones that I buy in bundles or cases.

It seems to me that shippers who "recycle" shipping boxes may want to rethink that policy. When you have both odd-size goods and an assortment of odd-sized boxes, you complicate your packing decision. Time is money.

If you're going to use new boxes, then you really should buy'em by the bundle--and I don't mean a 3-pack at Staples. If you don't have a packaging company nearby, U-Line, Associated Bag, and a bunch of others would be happy to help. Boxes are radically cheaper in 25 unit bundles. Padded envelopes too.

I have a "local" (only 40 miles away) box company. I buy some of my boxes there, and all of my bubble wrap, since shipping on a 2-foot wide, 4-foot diameter roll is a killer.

Don't forget that the US Post Office offers free Priority Mail boxes, in a variety of sizes, online to eBayers. There's one additional size of flat-rate box, and 3 or 4 other sizes. Give them up to two weeks to get your order to you--they don't have a very efficient distribution system.

If you're selling on Half.com, it is imperative that you buy packaging in bulk. You cannot buy packaging at retail without your total shipping cost going above Half.com's shipping allowance. One fairly cheap source for padded envelopes is the Linton Company out of Georgia.

Even when selling onesies, I think it's important to have in advance some idea of how you're going to ship it, which is to say, weighing and measuring is part of the pre-listing activity for me. You're going to have to do this anyway, the only question is when in the process. If you're like Judy, with a significant number of multi-item shipments, this might be wasted time, but not if you think you'll probably ship items individually.

You might want to look at "Vari" boxes, the ones that can be folded to different heights (for instance, a 12x15 that can be folded to 12, 9, or 6 inches high). You can make your own vari boxes with a $15-20 carton sizing tool that lets you adjust just about any carton.

There are two downsides to keeping a real packaging inventory on hand: you're tying up capital and you need space. Kinda makes me envious of Judy, who can apparently just put "another warehouse" on her husband's to do list.

Ned