Which types of ecommerce products can be shipped with poly mailers?
Poly mailers are a good option for any products that can’t be crushed like apparel or fabric, or useful for products that are already in sturdy packaging like shoes that you don’t think will stay sealed while in transit. If it passes the test of ‘Will this product be okay if a carrier throws the poly bag into a pile that gets heavy boxes tossed on top of it?’ then you can use a poly mailer.
Poly mailers should never be used for fragile items like sunglasses, foods such as chips that can be smashed and crumbled, and products made out of glass. Unless these products are already in sturdy packaging, stick to boxes.
Apparel
Poly mailers are great for apparel because it’s hard to crush clothing. When fulfilling apparel orders, you want to use poly mailers for products like jeans, shirts, or footwear that aren’t at risk of being crushed while in transit. However, if you sell dresses with intricate beading or ornaments on them, they’re better suited for boxes.
Cloth and fabric-based products
Like apparel, most products made of cloth, cotton, or any type of fabric are good candidates for poly mailers. Ideal products include swatches, yarn, face masks, and bedding products like sheet sets.
Books and printed media
Books are a good option for poly mailers as they’re often already sturdy. A bubble-lined poly mailer can provide the extra security needed to prevent rips and dents in the book when shipping books with a poly mailer.
Some health, beauty, and wellness products
Fulfillment for health, beauty and wellness products can be done in both boxes and mailers, but it’s ultimately dependent on the product’s packaging and materials.
Liquid products like face wash and products in glass aren’t good for poly mailers, but shipping vitamins and supplements, nutrition products, and cosmetics (e.g., shipping makeup like a tube of mascara, liquid eyeliner, or lipstick) may be done in poly mailers so long as the they are sealed tight and already encased in materials that won’t break when dropped or thrown.
Anything else in strong, sturdy product packaging or that’s soft and flat or not easily crushed
One of the reasons brands use poly mailers is to ship products that are already in sturdy packaging. It’s often overkill to ship products in cardboard boxes if the product is already packaged in cardboard.
Other examples of sturdy packaged products include:
A deck of playing cards
Smaller board games
Phone cases