Start Shipping: The Starter Pack for Your First 100 Orders
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
A practical starter list for anyone new to shipping: which boxes, tape, and void fill you need right away, what you only buy once you hit your fiftieth order, and approximately how much it all costs.
The first order comes in, and then you realize: you don't have a box. Or you do have one, but it's too big, you fill it with old newspapers, and seal it with office tape that comes undone after two days. That works exactly once. From order three or four, you'll want a fixed set of materials that you can grab blindly.
Below is what you really need at the start, what you only buy later, and how to avoid ending up with five half-stocked supplies. Starting point: you send small to medium-sized items to private individuals in the Netherlands, and you do it yourself at the kitchen table or in a corner of the shed.
Step 1: First determine your two standard sizes
The biggest mistake at the start is buying a few of everything. You'll end up with six box sizes, three types of tape, and not enough of anything. Do it the other way around: look at what you sell and choose two sizes that cover 80 percent of your orders.
For small, flat items — jewelry, cards, small accessories, phone cases — a mailbox box is usually the cheapest route, as the recipient doesn't have to do anything at home. The recycled mailbox box of 180 x 115 x 28 mm (A6) comes in a bundle of 100 for €17.95. If your product doesn't fit in that, the A5+ size of 255 x 160 x 28 mm is the next step: 100 for €24.00.
Pay attention to that 28 millimeters. That's the height of the box, and that number is the whole reason a mailbox box works. If your product just doesn't fit, it becomes a parcel and your entire cost structure changes. The current maximum dimensions and rates can be found with your carrier, for example on postnl.nl; these change occasionally, so check them before ordering a large bundle.
Step 2: Fill material — one roll is enough to start
Filling material has two tasks: absorbing shocks and preventing your product from shifting inside the box. For both, bubble wrap is the most versatile, as you can both wrap with it and use it as filler.
Start small. A roll of bubble plastic of 50 x 500 cm costs €5.00 and is enough to discover how much you use per package. Once you know that and ship regularly, the bubble wrap roll of 500 mm x 500 m for €12.95 is significantly cheaper per meter. Keep in mind that such a roll takes up space: plan for a spot where it can stand upright.
For delicate small items, you can skip the box and go straight for a padded envelope. The bubble envelopes of 22 x 17 cm cost €0.90 each, the larger variant of 33 x 23 cm €0.80. They are light, which helps with weighing, but they offer less protection than a box with filler — for glass or electronics, a box is still better.
Step 3: Sealing, cutting, and labeling
Starters most often economize here, and this is also where things most often go wrong. Office tape is not designed to keep cardboard sealed at fluctuating temperatures. Use packing tape 48 mm wide. A roll of KINZO packing tape 50 meters costs €3.00 and is enough for dozens of packages.
A dispenser is not a luxury once you're doing more than five packages a week. With the Kinzo tape dispenser with 2 rolls (€9.95), you get a strip of the desired length in one motion, instead of having to find the end every time. That saves seconds per package and annoyance per day.
You'll also need something to open boxes without damaging the contents. The set of 8 utility knives costs €4.95; loose replacement blades cost the same. A dull knife makes tears instead of cuts — replace the blade before you start pushing.
Step 4: What you buy later
A few things are useful, but not in week one. Only buy them when you notice you're missing them.
Security seals. Visible proof that a package has been opened en route. A set of VOID security seals, 60 pieces, costs €9.95 and is especially useful for higher-value items.
Loose envelopes. If you send invoices, cards, or return labels, a box of white envelopes 156 x 220 mm, 500 pieces for €3.00 is one of the cheapest items you can have.
Gift wrapping. If you sell items that are often given as gifts, a white gift box with magnetic closure of 9.5 x 9 x 10 cm (€5.00) gives a different feeling when opening. Place it in a shipping box; a gift box is not transport packaging.
What does this cost in total?
A workable starter package for someone shipping small items looks something like this:
Item
Price
Mailbox boxes A6, bundle of 100
€ 17,95
Shipping box 15 x 15 x 15 cm (10 pieces at € 1.99)
€ 19,90
Roll of bubble wrap 50 x 500 cm
€ 5,00
Packing tape 50 meters
€ 3,00
Tape dispenser with 2 rolls
€ 9,95
Set of utility knives, 8 pieces
€ 4,95
That's around sixty euros for materials that will last you a long time. If you spread that over the first hundred packages, you're well under a euro per shipment for packaging — provided you don't switch to a different size halfway through.
Three things you'll be grateful for in month two
Measure your product accurately once. Not the box it's currently in, but the product itself, including its thickest part. Choose your standard size based on that. Do this before ordering a bundle of a hundred boxes.
Keep track of your consumption. After every ten packages, mark down what went into them. After thirty shipments, you'll know exactly how much tape and film a package costs, and you can reorder before you run out.
Give everything a fixed place. Boxes flat and upright, tape within reach, knife in a fixed spot. A shipping corner of half a square meter that's always ready is faster than a large table you have to clear every time.
Getting started
Start with two box sizes, one roll of tape, one roll of film, and a knife. Ship thirty orders with that and only then adjust what isn't working. Everything you need can be found in Packaging & Shipping, Mailbox Packaging, Tape, and Value Packs for Webshops. If you're unsure which size suits your product, email the dimensions to info@verpakkingdeals.nl — we'll help you decide before you order a bundle that doesn't quite fit.
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