Your Preferred Packing / Shipping Method for CDs

i'm in the beginning stages of selling off a few CDs, and i'm trying to decide what packing / shipping materials i should purchase. personally, i'm not big on padded mailers. items i've received in them have never arrived unscathed. i'm leaning towards corrugated boxes that house a single cd. they don't appear like they would provide much protection, but every cd i've ever received in one has arrived in great shape. plus, they're pretty cheap at $0.30 each. please let me know the packing / shipping method you fellow forum members prefer.

chris

 

#0 padded envelope. I used to buy them in bulk for < $0.30 each. Now I have hundreds of them from GoHastings' ridiculous order fulfillment (order a bunch of CDs with free shipping and they come one at a time from their different stores)!

Anyway, I don't think I've ever had an issue with a single CD in a #0 padded envelope sent through the mail.

If you are going to be sending multiple CDs in one shipment, then you should consider things like cardboard mailers or boxes.

 

I'm interested in this too. Also what method; media mail, first class, priority.
When to think about insurance, tracking, etc... And last but not least, International.

 

I always ship in a cd sized box or if more than one still a box of some sort. Sometimes I even tape 2 boxes together to ship 2 cds to the same address.

 

do you prefer the kraft bubble mailers or the poly bubble mailers? i imagine the poly bubble mailers are more sturdy, but the kraft bubble mailers are much cheaper on uline.

chris

 

i prefer priority mail myself, but most people seem hesitant to pay for it. however, it's been my experience that there is not much difference in delivery times when it comes to priority, media, or first class mail.

chris

 

I've used both Kraft and poly-bubble--I don't think there's much difference.

As for shipping method: For a standard single CD (4-5 oz), First Class with tracking (pay online and get a discount on the tracking) is cheaper than media mail. Priority Mail is a waste of money--it's just First Class with priority into the truck if they are overloaded (possibly a difference during the height of the holiday season, not typically any difference otherwise). Unless someone wants it and insists on it and is willing to pay for it, Priority Mail for packages < 14 oz is just, typically. money tossed in the street.

If the weight is a bit higher, then you can realize a savings using Media Mail, but Media Mail can be appreciably slower, especially during the heavy shipping times of year.

Ultimately, for a single CD, Kraft #0 mailer and first class mail with tracking would be my suggestion.

The only exception would be if the CD you are shipping is a high value item being sold to a collector. In that case, sometimes I bite the bullet and ship in a box just to avoid headaches. (Very high value items should be insured as well, of course).

 

i just ordered 250 count of jiffylite #0 bubble mailers. thanks again for your input.

chris