Packing And Shipping Your Products With Crinkle Paper

1. Packing and Shipping Course Introduction: Hi, I'm Katie of the maker and owner behind lather and Light Co. I mostly make natural soaps and candles, but I also do spa boxes, gifts sets, and more. In this course, I'll teach you how to ship with crinkle paper. I'll show you the resources and the processes that I used to ship my products, even though fragile ones intact. Every time. I'll give you tips about choosing the right boxes, where to get your shipping labels without the long line at the post office and for a cheaper rate. I'll show you some of the eco-friendly resources that I use and low budget branding techniques for that special touch. I'm holding nothing back. Step-by-step videos and printable resource lists are coming your way. You're going to be shipping your products with ease in no time. Let's get started. 2. Packing And Shipping Supplies: Let's talk about some of the supplies you'll need. First of all, boxes. This is about the biggest one that I use in my shop. It's a 13 by ten by four. But most of the time I use these four by four by four cubes, or the six by four by four boxes, or six by six by four. So this one is square on top the long way. And then the short waves behave. When you are ordering boxes, make sure that you get these kind of heavier ones that are made for shipping and mailing versus these kind of lightweight ones that are actually more like gift boxes because these will not withstand the male trust me, I tried. Or depending on what you sell, sometimes a padded envelope is more appropriate. You're also definitely going to need some tape. This tape that I like to use is made with recycled plastic and it also has reduced noise. So when you're wrapping up your boxes, It's not that terrible. Shipping tape noise. I love crinkle paper. It's so much fun. Plus it's recyclable and eco-friendly. Great for stuffing boxes. You'll need to print your shipping labels. I like to use a paper cutter for cutting my shipping labels. I think it gives a nice professional edge. You'll need some products to send. Jill definitely also want to have some business cards and possibly also gift cards. Here's a look at some of the cards that I use. You'll need a scale for weighing your box and a ruler for measuring the length, width, and height. You also might want some logo stickers or a logo stamped for decorating or box. And sometimes scissors come in handy. And then you're ready to pack and ship your boxes. Here are all the supplies you'll need. 3. Choosing The Right Size Box: When I first got started, I thought flat rate box is we're gonna be a total lifesaver for my business. I was so wrong. These flat rate boxes are way too tall for my products. This is the medium box, the small boxes even smaller. I had no chance of fitting these inside. My first month selling subscriptions, spa boxes. I sent out about 70 Mother's Day gift sets in flat rate boxes, but I didn't put enough filler in them and the products rattled around inside. And I suffered from big time breakages and there is nothing worse breakages, you have to remake the product and re-buy this applies to make the product, redo the shipping supplies and pay for postage all over again. It's the worst thing. So I learned to do it right the first time. Now with the method I use, I have had products go on a world tour and international subscription box customer accidentally entered her address wrong. So I sent the box off, not knowing. And it went from country to country to country looking for the recipient. Eventually the box wound up back in my mailbox and when I opened it up, everything was in perfect condition inside. I packed it back up and send it back out to her correct address. What's the difference between these two stories? The number one, most important thing in shipping is choosing the right box size. And number two is filling your box up with the right amount of padding or filler. When you're choosing a box for your products, you want it to just barely fit inside with a little bit of space for the padding or the cushioning of the filler. You definitely don't want it bouncing all around the body. You also don't want it to be such a tight squeeze that the product is right up against the edge of the box because it's probably going to get bumped there. And bumping can lead to breakage or damage. You also want to make sure that your box is big enough that your products aren't touching each other. Because especially when you have two glass products, if they're bumping each other in the box, that can cause breakage too. So you want to have just about half an inch around any given side of your products inside of the box. You also don't really want to pay to send an entire box of crinkled paper to hold one tiny product in the middle. Here's some examples of a good fit. Sometimes if you have a fairly flat product like soaps or I also make mall and necklaces. Padded envelope is perfect. Just pop it right in. Only thing is to make sure that it's big enough that it can actually fit in. Like I bought these ones. And my soaps really have to. We used to get in there. And it works. They can send it in there. But it's not easy for me. I prefer a little bit of a bigger package because I don't have to fill it up with crinkle paper. It's already padded. Perfect. 4. Branding For That Special Touch: I have two methods that I love for branding the side of my boxes. I bought a rubber stamp from rubber stamps.com. That's my logo. I like to stamp it on the side of the box. I think it's the perfect size. And then you can also choose a colored stamp pad that's a good match for your brand. You just want to be sure that the color you choose isn't too light unless you're going to use a light box. I also like to use stickers. I got roles and roles of stickers with my logo on them as well. And I like to put them on both sides of the box. So however the recipient picks it up, they're definitely going to see that this box came from me. Or if I'm using a padded envelope, then I seal the back with a sticker. Another place where you can get creative is the color of your crinkled paper. I actually prefer ivory, but they stopped shipping into me here in Hawaii. So now I have craft color crinkled paper, which is also on-brand for my natural products. When I first got started, I thought it'd be really cute to put a little bow on the box. I spent time tying bows on all of the boxes. And as soon as they got to the post office, the postmaster snipped them all off. Apparently they get caught in machinery and it's just not allowed. So be careful that you don't do anything to Q that's coming off of the box because it won't go through when we're talking about branding. Of course, we have to mention business cards. I stick one on the top of every box. Yes. I know that a lot of people just take them off and throw them away. But other people might actually visit my website or send me an email or follow me on Instagram. I feel like it's an important part of customer service to give them an idea of how they can reach out to me. Plus, it's just another great place to show off the brand. And of course, some customers want to share a gift message for the recipient. I printed these little notecards that match my brand. They have my logo and these little flower leaves are also on the side of my candles. So that's perfect. Customers love that. It's a handwritten note. I usually use a fine point sharpie to write them. And for me, I love it because I print tons of them. Card stock all at once. And then they're ready to go. I also do little theme notes for holidays, Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day, birthdays. So those are also cute and fun. 5. Starting The Boxes: Starting your boxes. Some boxes have a slightly shorter side and that's meant to be folded in first. And then this slightly longer side is longer so that it can go over that. So when you're folding in your boxes, you want to start with the shorter sides and then fall down the longer sides. Then you'll use just one piece of tape. Start way over on this side, come across the bottom and down the other side. Perfect. Or also some boxes are already assembled. They don't need tape, but they need to be folded together like this one. The sides fold in and then the bottom is fold up, down, and it's ready. Side note, if you're going to use the rubber stamp, do it before you fold the box up. Stickers can't go on later. Hello. 6. Adding Filler (The Crinkle Paper!): Adding the crinkled paper. So basically, you want your product to be surrounded on all sides by crinkle paper to help protect it in the mail. So you're going to start by putting a small handful of crinkled paper down in the bottom. Mine almost looks like it's filling up the box, but it's going to squish down. So I'm going to use my hands and kind of dig a little hole inside. So there's a little spot for the candle to fit inside. So I'll pop it into that hole and it kind of looks like it's surrounded already, but paper is not really dense enough. When you shake your product, you don't want to hear it jiggling around inside. So I'm going to take another handful of crinkle paper and stuff it into a corner. That way. When I'm stuffing in this front corner, it's covering these two sides. Then I'm going to flip the box around so the 180 degrees, so that the next corners in the front, and I'm gonna do the same thing. Take another little handful of crinkled paper and stuff it in that corner. Now when I shake the box is not moving, you know, it's safe in there. So right now I can see the product. I like it when I open it and it's a little bit of a surprise. So I'm gonna put just a little bit more crinkled paper on top. So now it's like basically all the way to the top. In general with the crinkled paper, you'd rather add a couple more strings. If you're not sure, then end up having to replace and remake your product. And in case you're wondering, yes, they sell ways smaller containers are crinkled paper. And if you're putting in multiple fragile project, you're going to want to put some crinkled paper on the bottom. It's when I put it in, it looks like it's about half-full already. Then you'll add your products. I have a trio of Campbell's that I sell. So I usually put two, but two, but then the other one going the other way. So they're kind of all next to each other. And then I'm going to stuff all the way around all three of them with little handfuls of crinkled paper in the corner where there aren't any next to the one by itself going to put some there to help hold it in place. So this one is not moving the front one. And then between the candles is actually the part that scares me the most. So I'm going to stuff it really well with crinkled paper. That one's between the one and the two. And then this part is going in-between these two. Then I'm still going to stuff all around the edges of the Kindle between the edge of the box and they can't go. This trio used to make me nervous because three glass candles together seems a little precarious in the mail. Like obviously they could bump into each other, but actually, that's the box that went all around the world and they came back and they were fine. So I trust myself more now. So now I have crinkled paper in front of the candles, on the side of the candles, behind the candle on the other side, and making a t in-between the candles. So if I shake it, they're not moving at all. And then I'm going to add a little bit more crinkled paper on top. And why. 7. Sealing The Boxes: Then we're ready to seal them up. So you're going to throw in your business card. And if you had a gift note, toss that in. If there isn't a note, a gift note from another customer to the recipient. If somebody bought it for themselves, I'll usually write thank you. And their name on the back of the business card. Or thank you for supporting my small shop and heart cavea. So once you have your business card or your business card and your note tucked in, I always put the note on top. That's the most important thing, the person that sending it. Then you can close up the box. This one, it just tucked in and then it's closed. Perfect. But I still like, oh, okay. So sometimes there's a little bit of a crinkle paper fringe hanging out. And I'll just give it a little trim because I don't like it's sticking out and then sometimes I just toss it on another box that's open with crinkled paper ready to go. So this one, even though it's self-closing, I still like to put one line of tape all the way around it. So let's start over on one side and then pull it across, across the other side, the bottom, and then down so it meets and the tape crosses itself on the end where I started. And then these ones where we already had one line of tape across the bottom, I tried to make sure that I get the harshly the wrong way first. So if I close that 1 first, this is the one with the smaller side, and then it doesn't meet for one thing. But also if I then do tape coming around this way, it won't meet the tape until the very bottom. I'd rather have the tape meet where it ended halfway up the side of the box. So then I'll put one finger here. I like to put the base of the tape on the top and then pull the tape so that it comes down and meets the side of the other tapes, smooth it out across the top, down the side. Then on this side I can see where it meets and I can cut it off. I used to then take the tape and go also around the other way on both of these styles of boxes. But I found that that was kind of unnecessary. And to be honest, a little bit wasteful. Or if it's going in a little padded envelope, I like to put the product in and organs and bag and then tuck it in. This soap has a little note behind in the bag with it that explains what it is. And then I would also put a business card and if you have a gift note, then that goes in there too. And then close it up, seal it with a sticker. Perfect. When I put the product in, I like to make sure that the front of the product or the logo are facing towards the person who's going to open it and the logo on the front so that when they open it, everything is facing forward. And then I also put the business card in facing the same way before I close it up. 8. Everything Shipping Labels: Next it's time for the shipping labels. I like to use pirate ship. It's cheaper than going to the post office. I can print it on my home printer and it easily connects to all of the platforms that I use. Etsy, Cratejoy, Squarespace, and I'm sure tons of others as well. I have not done a ton of research to find out about other shipping companies because I tried this and I liked it. So you might have a different one that you like better. And that's also most of the rest of this video will still apply to you on pirate ship. It can also print my labels in bulk and it remembers my boxes because they basically shipped the same stuff all the time. The big candles, small candles, soap and a candles soap. So it knows how much each of my bosses ways and how big they are and it remembers. So I just have to click Pay and it prints on its own, more or less. It's really simple and easy, and I always use USPS, but you can also use other carriers on pirate ship in case you're wondering, no, they're not paying me to tell you about it. I just like it. So if you don't have pre-measured and prearranged boxes, you'll need to measure and weigh them. So it'll use a standard ruler to measure the length, width, and the height of your box. And then you'll also need a posterior scale or a kitchen scale. To weigh your box. You'll measure it in ounces. And if it's more than 16 ounces, then it's a pound and whatever else is left. Or if it's more than 32, then it's £2 and whatever. Most of my packages are, between six ounces and £3. So you'll need to remember the length, width, and height of your box, as well as the weight when you go to buy your shipping label. They're kinda particular about those measurements with postage. But on pirate ship, if you make a mistake, they'll charge you the difference and send your box on anyway. One little secret I'm going to tell you. Pirate ship says that I cannot use these little four-by-four boxes, that they're too small. So I cheat a little bit and I tell them that it's a six by four by four. So that I can still use these boxes because they don't really want to pay to just fill up the other end of the box with crinkled paper when it fits in here. That being said, then when I go to print it, this label is a little bit big for my tiny box, which is probably why they don't sell labels boxes this small. So I print my labels on 80%. And it's perfect for the size of the top of the box on the website. They also say, don't shrink the labels. But I've been doing this for a couple of years and I've never gotten caught and all my packages have been delivered. So if you try it and you get caught, you didn't hear for me, I like to use a paper cutter to cut my shipping labels. Remember this is the one that's a little too big. It would have to fold over the top, which I've done that too. But they also say don't do that. This one, look how perfect. So when I tape it onto the top, it just put it in the middle of the box. I like to if it already has the sticker or the stamp on it. Let's say this one did. Then I like to make it so that the label is facing the stickers. So this is definitely the front and the top, and it's easy for the customer to see everything at once. So you put it in the middle. And then this one, I'm just going to put two lines of tape, one on the far end, and that's holding down about half of it, you can see. And then I need one more. I like to turn the box so that I can just do it from the same angle. That's at ways easier for me. Then this one's good to go. I also make the tape come over the edge a little bit. So from the label and then down the front. Just a little bit. While I'm doing a six by six by four box, then it just goes straight in the middle. And same thing as this, except it needs three lines of tape because it's a little bit wider and so two doesn't quite cut it. You want to be sure that you cover the whole surface of the labels so that if it gets wet or range on, the ink doesn't run. So I just put 123 lines of tape, but I'm actually going to show you this label on the six by four by four box because it's a teeny bit trickier. So I put the label on top and it's the perfect size, right? So then when I put the tape down the middle of the label. It has two flaps sticking off the sides. And this flap is not as wide as the tape, but it's almost to the edge of the box. So I thought about trying to keep the tape like right on the edge, but then I feel concerned that it won't actually stay down. I've seen the edge come up a little bit. So what I do is put the tape so that it's just barely touching the other tape. And make sure there's a little bit of flap that goes over both the short end. And then I cut it off. Then I do is sort of an envelope fold. So these two little flaps from the side that are sticking out, I tuck them in like this. Then. So then I have this kind of bits sticking up and then I took that down. But that way there's nothing extra that sticking off. The tape is all typed in. I'll show you one more time. So it goes over the sides. So there's a little bit of a flap on both sides. Then I tuck in the flap from the two sides and it makes kind of a triangle on top. And then just tuck it down, then they're ready to go. If you're going to pop them in your personal mailbox. I've tried putting like a whole line of them because these ones can go in and this one can go in sideways this way. And sometimes they put like a bunch of boxes in there and my mail carrier misses the ones at the end. So double-check if you put more than one box that they got them all. Also, if you know that you're a victim of mailbox theft, be wise about when you put your boxes out and people have definitely taken my boxes out and that's x because then I have to make it all again and ship it again. You can cancel the label though and get a refund for the label because it's not being shipped. Somebody took the mailbox that's closest to my house, you know, the light blue kind of rounded ones. When I pull down the flap to put the male in these boxes that are four inches tall actually fit in there. So a lot of the time, if I just have a few boxes, I'll put these in that box, but there are other ones they may area that they don't go in. So then you have to go to the post office. Or you can also arrange on the USPS website to have them come to your house and pick it up. You can choose a time that's good for you. And of course, you could also use UPS or FedEx or DHL or whatever Neil carrier you personally prefer. Here's that envelope fold with glue tape so you can really see what's going on. 9. Bulk Packing and Shipping: When I have a lot of orders that I'm packing and shipping at once, like when my subscription boxes renew, I like to do the work in stages. 10. Wrap Up: I think that's about it. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message me. I'm happy to help and I'd love to hear from you. And if you're looking for something new to learn to make, to put into all these fabulous boxes. Or just want to try something new. Checkout, leather and light coves. Other courses like soap making, candle making, at-home spa day. Can't wait to see you there. Otherwise, happy shipping. Thanks for joining me. That's a wrap.