Shipping books, comics, and records: spines, corners, and moisture
- , by Verpakkingdeals.nl
- 6 min reading time
Books, comics, DVDs, and records get damaged in their own ways: creased spines, dented corners, and moisture. Here's how to choose the right packaging for each format to prevent that.
A book doesn't weigh anything special, but it gets damaged in a way few other products do: not by breaking, but by the corners of the cover pressing into the cardboard and the spine getting a crease. With an LP, it happens even faster. A sleeve that slides askew in an oversized box during transit will arrive with a bulge in the cardboard edge that will never come out. And because paper absorbs moisture, rain on the delivery bike is a bigger problem for a book than for a mug.
So, if you're clearing out your closets after the summer and selling books, comics, DVDs, or records, you're not shipping a "light and easy" package. You're shipping something flat, relatively heavy, and susceptible to precisely three things: pressure on the corners, bending of the spine, and moisture. This guide covers them.
First, measure, then choose packaging
With books and records, the pitfall is grabbing a box by feel. Don't do that. Measure your item with a ruler: length, width, and spine thickness. For a stack, measure the stack, not the thickest book. Write it down and find packaging that has no more than about one centimeter of play on each side.
Why that play needs to be so small: anything that can slide, will slide. A book that slides back and forth in an oversized box will use its own weight to smash its corners against the inside. This won't happen with tight-fitting packaging, even without cramming in a lot of padding.
For thinner titles, a letterbox box works best because the box itself is already flat and rigid. The recycled letterbox box of 180 x 115 x 28 mm (A6) comes in a bundle of 100 for €17.95 and fits paperbacks. Larger paperbacks and most comics go into the A5+ version of 255 x 160 x 28 mm, €24.00 per 100. If you sell regularly, a bundle is cheaper per piece than scrounging together individual boxes.
Whether your shipment can travel as a letterbox package depends on the maximum dimensions and weight your carrier allows. These change occasionally, so check them before ordering from the source itself, for example on PostNL's letterbox package page. A thick hardcover or a stack will definitely fall outside these limits and will go as a regular package.
Hardcovers, stacks, and records: box instead of envelope
As soon as more than one book goes in, or the book has a hardcover, the task changes. The weight increases and the package gains real mass. Then you want a box with four flaps that you can tape shut, not a flimsy envelope.
For a single DVD or a thin bundle, the holographic shipping box of 20 x 13 x 3 cm (€3.99) is a neat flat solution; if you want something more sober and cheaper, the red flat shipping box of 13.5 x 8.7 x 2.6 cm (€1.99) is an option. For a compact stack of books, the white cardboard shipping box of 15 x 15 x 15 cm (€1.99) works, and if you're clearing out an entire shelf, the moving box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm (€3.50) is the cheapest way to move volume.
With that large box, pay attention to one thing: books are heavy per liter. Filling a moving box completely with books will result in a package you can barely lift yourself and that will collapse at the bottom. Fill such a box at most halfway with books and fill the rest with something light, or preferably use two smaller boxes.
Padding: not more, but in the right place
For fragile items, padding is about shock absorption. For books and records, it's about two other things: protecting the corners and preventing movement. A tightly packed book needs little padding; a rattling book won't be saved by a handful of crumpled paper.
- First, wrap the product itself. One layer of film around the book protects the corners. Additional layers help little more after that.
- Then fill the space. Fill anything remaining between the product and the wall until nothing shifts when you shake the box.
- Always shake. If you hear anything move, the box isn't ready.
For occasional shipping, the bubble wrap roll of 50 x 500 cm (€5.00) is enough for a good number of shipments. If you ship regularly, you'll be overpaying with small rolls: the bubble wrap roll of 500 mm x 500 m (€12.95) is many times cheaper per meter.