Poly mailers vs. boxes: why should I use poly mailers?

Boxes are a staple for shipping, but they can be unnecessary for shipping certain products. For example, shoes are often packaged in strong cardboard boxes, so shipping them inside another cardboard box wouldn’t make sense.

Apparel is also a great option for poly mailers as clothing isn’t susceptible to being crushed or broken without a box. Here are a few reasons why you might consider using a poly mailer instead of a box.

Significantly cheaper shipping costs
While corrugated boxes are sturdy, cheap, and resistant to damage, poly mailers provide protection while reducing shipping costs. Due to their light weight and small size, poly mailers cost less per shipments when compared to boxes.

One major factor in the pricing of shipments is dimensional weight, a pricing technique used by shipping carriers where they charge whichever number is greater: the actual weight of the package or its calculated dimensional weight.

This way, carriers can charge more money for a lightweight package that takes up a lot of room on the truck. They also have surcharges for heavyweight shipments, so keeping packages small and light is in any ecommerce company’s best interest.

Poly mailers take up less space than boxes, so they help reduce dimensional weight to help you save even more on shipping costs. The more shipments that go out in a box that could go out safely in a poly mailer, the more shipping costs will eat into your margin over time.

Smaller and lighter
Since poly mailers are made out of plastic, they’re much easier to store from a warehousing standpoint. Their small size also means they take up less space in carrier’s vehicles, so you pay less for shipping too.

When it comes to delivery, poly mailers can sometimes fit in a mailbox, which reduces the chance of theft as compared to a package that’s sitting on a porch.

Custom branding options
Custom packaging that uses your branding helps your shipments stand out. Like boxes, poly mailers can include your logo, colors, and imagery if you desire a sleek look.

Boie’s noissue compostable bags that ShipBob shipsEco-friendly options
While you might think plastic poly bags are a terrible option for the environment, there are many packaging companies that provide eco-friendly packaging options for poly mailers.

If your brand foundation is built on an environmental-conscious mission, it wouldn’t look suitable for your brand to use standard plastic mailers. You can use everything from recycled poly mailers to biodegradable poly mailers like ShipBob customer Boie does (picture to the right).

eco-friendly packaging

Opt for a little extra padding
Shipping damages are an unfortunate reality that can be prevented in many cases. Some poly bags come with a bubble-lined interior to maximize security. These bubble mailers provide an extra layer of protection for products, though they won’t fully protect fragile items, they can be a good alternative if you’re worried regular poly mailers may damage certain items.