What kind of boxes are best for shipping?

Find the packaging box that best meets your business needs and your customer's preferences! Here are some popular types to consider for shipping.

Imagine waiting for weeks to light the beeswax candles you ordered online. But when the package arrives, it looks like it has been run over by a truck and smashed to pieces.

If this happens to your buyers often, even the highest quality products won't stand a chance of retaining them. In fact, 70% of shoppers avoid brands that give them a bad shopping experience.

Thankfully, with reliable protective packaging, breakage/damage shouldn't be an issue. There are various types of packaging boxes that can keep your products safe while in transit. The only tricky part is deciding which one may be best for your brand.

To makes things easier, this article will help you find the packaging box that best meets your business needs and your customer's preferences.

6 types of packaging boxes for efficient shipping

Finding the right packaging box isn’t clear-cut. But there are a few rules you should know. Fitting your product into the box is the most important thing. If not, you risk damaging your product as well as your reputation and sales.

Next, you must ensure that the material is suitable for protecting your products. For this, you need to familiarize yourself with different types of boxes that have already proven their value in the packaging industry. Check out these top 6 options for ideas and inspiration.

1. Corrugated cardboard boxes

If you often shop online, you’re probably used to seeing big, brown boxes at your doorstep. Those sturdy, stackable piles of shipping containers are called corrugated cardboard boxes. Popular among retailers, the global production of corrugated boards is projected to surpass 190 million tons this year.

Corrugated boxes are in high demand owing to their superior protection. They have multiple fluting layers (either a single wall or a double wall) sandwiched between flat liners. This design creates structural stability, allowing the box to shield your goods from shock and vibration damage.

Despite being strong and durable, corrugated boxes are lightweight and easy to assemble. They don't add much to a shipment’s chargeable weight. Thus, they’ve become the go-to packaging solution for heavy and large-sized items, such as those in the apparel, electronics, and textile industries.

This type of box is recyclable as long as it’s dry, clean, and free of wax or plastic film. noissue’s Custom Container Shipping Boxes are the perfect example. These are also great for branding purposes. They can be customized on both sides with your logo/designs using non-toxic, water-based inks that make them safer and more sustainable.

The clean layout of noissue’s Custom Container Shipping Boxes provides the perfect canvas for our Custom Packing Tape and Stickers.

Corrugated boxes are cost-effective, sturdy, and sustainable shipping containers. And with a little tweak, they become brand-friendly and visually appealing too.

2. Folding carton boxes

Cardboard and carton boxes are often mixed up, but they're not the same. Folding carton boxes aka product packaging boxes are smaller and thicker than the former and made of paperboard — not cardboard. To distinguish them from other types of packaging boxes, look for high-quality graphics on their surface. Or better yet, imagine cereal boxes.

Product packaging boxes feature folds and tuck flaps that slide into opposite sides for closure. This collapsible structure reduces your freight-in expenses because your supplier can ship them flat. By stacking the boxes on top of each other, you can order them in bulk without wasting too much space.

While these boxes aren’t as rugged as cardboard boxes, they’re tough enough to add extra protection to your products. They’re also versatile to meet any packaging needs. For instance, you can print directly on the box material or add special features like die-cuts, windows, metallic foiling, and gloss or matte coating.

Folding carton boxes are custom-made to fit your product dimensions. They’re the most common packaging for luxury products, such as cosmetics, perfumes, and premium candles. During shipping, the box protects the items from moving, breaking, or splattering out.

noissue’s Product Boxes are fully customizable with your branding – and sustainable, too.

Folding carton boxes are also often compostable and curbside recyclable — such as the ones from noissue. They are a worthy packaging investment if you want to secure your products during transport while adding a flair of elegance to your brand.

3. Recycled kraft boxes

With 52% of consumers demanding products with recycled packaging, the demand for kraft boxes has increased dramatically. Today, the kraft packaging market holds 4% of the global packaging market amounting to $914 billion.

Since paper is produced from trees, it isn't naturally white. The fibers must first undergo bleaching several times before they can transform into the sheets of paper we write on. On the contrary, virgin kraft paper comes from the unbleached pulp in its purest and most natural form.

Recycled kraft boxes are made out of old and used kraft paper. This recycled paper reduces the amount of landfill waste, as well as the demand for virgin kraft paper.

Kraft mailer boxes — particularly suitable for shipping small items — are best suited for eCommerce businesses on a budget or craft stores. They are more affordable, but with their uncoated, rough texture, your packaging will look rustic and handmade.

Here’s how handmade macramé shop @iwouldratherknot boosts its branding through packaging from noissue. Our compostable Kraft Boxes complement the macramé products' zero-waste, plastic-free beauty. Inked with a noissue Custom Stamp, the owner transforms an otherwise plain packaging into a branded one brimming with personality.

noissue Kraft Boxes and Custom Stamp by @iwouldratherknot

The packaging industry continues to seek ways to reduce post-consumer waste and carbon footprint. As a business owner, using recycled kraft boxes to ship your products is a revolutionary move to contribute to this cause.

4. Corrugated mailer boxes

Corrugated mailer boxes are so called because they’re small enough to fit through letterbox gaps. They're more compact and customizable versions of cardboard boxes. But they share the same corrugated material, protecting your in-transit products from dents and scratches.

noissue’s Custom Mailer Boxes can also provide your customers with stunning unboxing experiences. You can tailor it to your exact product specifications. Adding printed logos, text, and other graphic elements on both the exterior and interior can also highlight your brand’s visual style.

noissue Custom Mailer Boxes are 100% compostable or curbside-recyclable.

If you want to go the extra mile, packaging inserts like dividers or foam corners are worth the extra cost. They restrict the product’s movement inside the mailer box. These add-ons are common for delicate and fragile items like electronics, cosmetics, and ceramic products.

Tissue paper also works — especially if you're on a tight budget and sell less sensitive items. It’s a small but impactful way to add a finishing touch to your packaging. As such, 22% of subscription box customers demand more personalized experiences. Using Custom Tissue Paper in your packaging is a great way to deliver them.

Whether you’re selling homemade cookies or gift items, corrugated mailer boxes can help your business look more official. They ship your products safely, but they also leave a wow factor to customers upon delivery. They also break down easier, making them an excellent alternative to plastic packaging.

The right packaging can protect your shipments while increasing your brand visibility. With corrugated mailer boxes, your products can withstand the rigors of shipping while arriving at your customer’s doorstep exquisitely and in one piece.

5. Rigid boxes

Rigid boxes, or set-up boxes, are made of heavier paperboard and have a thick, sturdy structure. This box style is more classy and sophisticated than most types of packaging boxes. Its high aesthetics can help increase your products’ market appeal over time.

Think iPhone, Rolex, and Pandora boxes.

High-grade printing paper or premium fabric wrap covers these boxes. To add extra depth — visually and physically — some also use embossing and debossing techniques. This process allows them to imprint striking visuals on the surface.

Rigid boxes can have either a partial finish or a full finish. In a partial finish, only the outside of the chipboard is wrapped, leaving the inside bare, whereas every space and edge is entirely covered in the latter.

This retail packaging ensures that your products hold steady en route to customers. It comes in a variety of styles for different packaging needs. The following are the two most well-known examples.

Rigid telescope boxes

These have two separable rectangular pieces: a lid and a tray. The tray is slightly smaller, so it slides off the lid when opened. Here's an example from a stylish sleepwear brand, WOKE UP LIKE THIS.

6. Folded takeout containers

Plastic packaging waste is becoming increasingly uncontrollable as the demand for food delivery grows. For instance, in a developed nation such as the UK, the waste burgeons to 2.2 million tons each year. This problem calls for more eco-efficient packaging alternatives, such as folded takeout containers.

Made of food-grade paperboard, these circular to-go boxes are ideal for takeout food products. They're safer than standard foam or plastic containers because they’re free from chemicals that can seep into the food and cause poisoning.

Folded takeout containers are sturdy and grease-proof, ensuring that the meal arrives to customers in the best possible condition. A sturdy structure and a well-designed package are essential to preventing leaks and spills in food packaging.

These containers often have large opening flaps for easy access. They're also collapsible, requiring less storage space than other types of packaging boxes. You can often see them available in kraft, black, white, and colorful layouts.

The noissue Custom Folded Takeout Container in this example highlights the shop's primary brand colors. You can use them to get the word out about your chart-topping dishes and dainties.

noissue Folded Takeout Containers are FDA approved and recyclable after use

Food products deserve high-quality and protective packaging. Look for to-go containers that can travel the distance without jeopardizing your deliveries.

Wrapping it up

Whatever you sell, the right packaging can make or break it — literally — in transit. Therefore, online retailers should prioritize finding the best packaging solution for their business needs.

Make your products look more professional, and your brand stand out with noissue. We provide an array of circular packaging solutions, all of which are customizable to fit your specific needs. Browse your options and start wrapping your products with care today!

Key Points:

• Shipping boxes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials
• Top shipping companies like USPS, FedEx, and UPS all offer free shipping boxes
• Boxes made of corrugated cardboard are sturdy enough to ensure safe packaging and shipping of fragile items

Ever Googled “shipping boxes near me?” If so, you know that they are available from many retailers, both online and offline. If you’re not careful, though, the cost of shipping boxes can add up quickly. This is why it’s good to know where to buy shipping boxes for cheap.

Easyship is here to help you save on shipping in every way. Aside from pointing you towards cheap boxes, we can also save you 91% on your shipping rates from leading couriers like USPS. Try our free shipping rate calculator to see exactly how much you’ll save with Easyship.

Here’s a full guide on where to buy shipping boxes – plus, how to get them for free.

Table of Contents

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What Types of Boxes Are Available?

Shipping boxes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials. Prices can increase based on their size and the quality of materials.

Here’s an overview of what types are available.

1. Corrugated Cardboard Boxes

Corrugated cardboard boxes are a staple of eCommerce shipping.

This is because cardboard boxes are sturdy containers for most products, including fragile items. All couriers accept cardboard boxes for their shipments.

Cardboard boxes can be found in all sizes from extra small to extra large.

You can also get cardboard shipping boxes in many shapes, including square, telescopic tubes, and even triangular. Heavy-duty versions are available for shipping large items. Cardboard boxes that fold open, slide open, and more are also available.

As you look for where to get boxes for shipping, remember: if you need a cardboard box of a certain size or shape – it probably exists.

2. Custom Boxes

Custom boxes are corrugated cardboard boxes that have been personalized for your brand. In most cases, your company logo or other messaging is stamped on the box exterior.

The benefit of adding your logo to your packaging is making your packages stand out. Customers are also more likely to remember the unboxing experience if you add a branded touch. You can also have boxes made of a certain size to match your product. For example, a bike box.

Where to buy shipping boxes with your logo on them? Well, websites like Uprinting and Packlane sell customized boxes for around $1 per box. This makes these boxes more expensive than normal boxes by a lot. That said, the dazzle of a customized box may be a competitive advantage worth looking into.

3. Insulated Shipping Box Kits

Insulated shipping boxes are a combination of a cardboard box and a styrofoam/ polyurethane container that fits inside. Encasing your items in both allows you to ship things like food and medical supplies that may be sensitive to temperature or exposure to air.

Insulated shipping boxes are more expensive than traditional cardboard boxes. However, if you’re sending sensitive items, they may be right for you.

4. Poly Mailers

A poly mailer is a lightweight but sturdy plastic bag designed to ship non-fragile products. Your shipping label can be affixed to the bag exterior, and the top is self-sealing.

(Source: Uline)

Poly mailers are a lightweight and therefore inexpensive alternative to corrugated boxes. Shipping companies tend to price their services according to package weight or size, whichever is larger. This means that using lightweight packaging can help reduce shipping costs.

Merchants often use poly mailers to send clothing, shoes, and items already enclosed in their own packaging. You can generally get poly mailers from the same retailers as you look for where to buy boxes.

Where to Buy Shipping Boxes

Google “shipping boxes near me” and you'll see a slew of shipping box retailers. The trick is finding where to buy shipping boxes for your specific needs on the cheap – without spending hours combing through stock lists online.

Here are a few Easyship favorites of where to get boxes for shipping.

Uline

Uline is an online wholesaler of boxes and other shipping supplies.

With over 38,500 boxes and supplies to choose from, it’s hard to imagine you can’t find what you need. And since the company sells in bulk – it’s like Costco for shipping – it’s hard to beat their prices.

Here's the price for a 6 x 5 x 5" corrugated box on Uline. If we buy a pack of 25 boxes, we pay just $0.46 per box. The price falls to $0.33 per box when we buy 1000 or more boxes. You can also order in volumes of 100, 250, and 500. Uline also provides us the weight maximum for each box as well, which is 200 pounds for this particular box.

Uline ships from 10 warehouses around the US, which translates to fast delivery for your shipping supplies. You can even get same-day shipping if you order by 6 PM. Uline is where to buy shipping boxes if you need them fast, cheap, and in bulk.

Amazon

Amazon is the go-to retailer for many shipping supplies these days, shipping boxes included. Due to its economies of scale, Amazon can be a great place to buy cheap shipping boxes. Amazon Prime members can also get their orders delivered in two days or less.

For example, here’s the price for a pack of 28 cardboard boxes. At $36.99 for 28 boxes, we pay roughly $1.32 per box. Unfortunately, that's almost 4x the price of boxes on Uline. Amazon’s free shipping likely won’t compensate for the difference, but that depends on your order and location.

New vendors are always being listed on Amazon. This means that one day someone could pop up with the cheapest boxes anywhere and start selling. For this reason, you may want to do a quick price-check on Amazon before deciding where to buy shipping boxes.

Walmart

Walmart is the largest brick-and-mortar retailer for shipping supplies in the US. You can also visit Walmart.com for free shipping on all orders over $35. It's a common solution to the question of where to get boxes for shipping.

Here's the price for a 25 pack of 6 x 6 x 6" corrugated cardboard boxes via Walmart.com. We pay $21.06 for a 25 pack, or roughly $0.84 per box. If you buy a 50-pack for $20.95, the price drops to $0.41 per box. This means you can get roughly the same price from Walmart as Uline, depending on your order size. If convenience is your thing, Walmart is where to buy shipping boxes.

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Free Shipping Boxes from Shipping Companies

Top shipping companies like USPS, FedEx, and UPS all offer free shipping boxes of various sizes. If your products fit these boxes snugly, this could be the best-value option.

To get free shipping boxes, visit the courier’s website. Click on the shipping supplies section. From here you can order a range of shipping supplies, including:

• Cardboard boxes (S - XL)
• Poly mailers
• Envelopes
• Tubes

Place your order online, and your order will be delivered to you. Supply depending, you can also visit the nearest physical location for USPS, FedEx, or UPS to pick up these free boxes.

Free USPS shipping boxes can only be used with certain shipping services, and the same is true for each other couriers. USPS Flat Rate, for example, requires you to use Flat Rate boxes instead of free boxes. This is because the Flat Rate box itself functions as the shipping label. In most cases, though, free boxes can be used for any shipment.

Free shipping boxes from a certain courier may not be used with another courier. In other words, you won't be able to ship with FedEx using free USPS boxes. Make sure to consider your preferred courier company as you consider where to buy shipping boxes.

USPS

Free USPS shipping boxes can be ordered in packs of 10 or 25. You can also buy singles for up to five boxes. Boxes are available in sizes from small to extra large.

USPS offers the following free shipping supplies:

• Priority Mail Boxes
• Priority Mail Express Boxes
• Registered Mail Envelopes
• Global Express Guaranteed Envelopes

FedEx

Free FedEx shipping boxes come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. You can order them online in packs of 25, and they’ll arrive with free shipping in 2-5 business days.

FedEx offers the following free boxes and supplies:

• FedEx boxes (S - L)
• Airbills
• Pouches
• Poly mailers
• Envelopes

UPS

UPS provides free shipping boxes for UPS Express services. The minimum order is 20 boxes for all UPS Express box sizes. Order online from the UPS website, or pick up boxes from any UPS location.

UPS offers the following free shipping boxes and packaging supplies:

• Express boxes and envelopes
• Labels and stickers
• Shipping forms and labels
• HAZMAT boxes
• Pouches

DHL

DHL is a leading international express courier. For international merchants, free DHL shipping boxes are a great way to lower shipping costs. You can order free boxes online from the DHL website, including:

• Cardboard boxes (S - XL)
• Envelopes
• Padded pouches
• Tube Mailers
• Waybill sleeves
• Poly mailers

Other Ways to Get Free Boxes

Trying to be sustainable in your shipping? Looking for where to buy shipping boxes? You can satisfy both your needs by using used shipping boxes, which can be found in a couple of ways.

• Grocery stores: Free used boxes are available at your local grocery store. Call ahead to confirm availability because used boxes get recycled weekly. Avoid boxes from liquor stores -shipping restrictions prohibit couriers from shipping them.
  
• Freecycle: Freecycle aims to reduce global waste by helping people reuse materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Boxes are among the most common items at Freecycle. Just place an ad to say that you need used boxes, or wait for members to post on the community forum when they have packing boxes available.

Where to Buy Shipping Boxes & Easyship

Buying boxes is most cheaply done online from wholesalers like Uline or retailers like Walmart. If your choice of shipping service permits, you can also order free boxes online from couriers like USPS, UPS, and FedEx. As you look for where to get boxes for shipping, make sure that your chosen shipping services can use free boxes, as not all do.

Once you know where to buy shipping boxes cheaply, it’s time to ship for cheap. With Easyship, you’ll save up to 91% off every shipment. This is because all Easyship users get access to our pre-negotiated discounted rates from all couriers directly.

To save on your next shipment, create your free Easyship account.

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Where to Buy Shipping Boxes FAQ

What is the best material for shipping box packages?

Corrugated cardboard makes the best material for shipping boxes. Boxes made of corrugated cardboard are sturdy enough to ensure the safe packaging and shipping of fragile items.

Which factor is the most important for shipping boxes?

Size and shape are the most important factors when choosing a shipping box. Ensure that the box is appropriately sized and shaped to make for a snug fit of your item. Consider the price too, to avoid overspending on shipping.

What is the cheapest way to ship boxes?
To find the cheapest way to ship boxes, use an online shipping rates calculator to compare rates from different courier services so that you can choose the service that best fits your needs.