Where do you put 500 boxes? Storing packaging supplies without losing space
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Stocking up on boxes, tape, and film for the autumn peak is one thing, keeping them in good condition for half a year is another. Here's how to store packaging materials dry, flat, and in order.
At the end of August, you order a hundred letterbox boxes, a few rolls of tape, and a roll of bubble wrap, knowing that things will get busier from October onwards. Two days later, everything is in the hallway. And there it stays. Packaging materials are cheap per item but large per order: exactly the combination that can clog up a study, shed, or warehouse corner within a few weeks. What a waste, because the same stock can often fit in half the space, and will last longer too.
Measure your stock before you store it
Almost all shipping packaging arrives flat. That's convenient, but it also means you only know how much space you need once you have a bundle in your hands. Measure it just once and note down the dimensions, then you'll never have to guess if a shelf is deep enough again.
Cardboard absorbs moisture from the air. A box that has spent a winter in an unheated shed will feel flimsy, the flaps will no longer spring back, and tape will adhere noticeably less well. You only see it when you use it, and then you're stuck with a customer calling about a dented package.
Three things remove most of the risk. Never place cardboard directly on a concrete floor, but on a pallet, a shelf, or, if necessary, two upside-down moving boxes. Keep at least ten centimeters distance from a cold outer wall, so air can circulate. And it's better to store your stock in a heated room than in the garage, even if that means you buy less at once.
Film and tape are less sensitive to moisture, but they are to dust. A roll of Bubble Wrap 500 mm x 500 m (€ 12.95) left open for months collects just enough dust to make the outer layers less pleasant to work with. After use, roll the roll back into its film or into an empty box. The same applies to a smaller roll of Bubble Plastic 50 x 500 cm (€ 5.00), which can be easily stored in a tall moving box.
Flat, upright, and heavy at the bottom
Most space-saving comes from the way you store things. Flat boxes are placed upright next to each other, like books on a shelf: you can see each bundle, you can take one out without knocking over the stack, and you can easily replenish. Stacked horizontally, the exact opposite happens. The bottom bundle gets crushed and you automatically keep taking from the top.
Heavy bundles and boxes with tape at the bottom or underneath, light material like envelopes above.
Rolls of film upright, but never under weight: a dented roll will never unroll neatly again.
Leave tape in the box it was delivered in. A box with 36 rolls of tape 48 x 66 mm (€ 108.00) is itself an excellent storage box, from which you can take a handful of rolls per week.
Small envelopes like the Metallic Bubble Envelopes 22 x 17 cm (€ 0.90) disappear in any stack. Give them their own bin, otherwise you'll be searching for them every time.
First in, first out
Packaging material doesn't spoil, but it does age. Adhesive on tape and self-adhesive seals becomes less reliable after long storage, especially if the rolls have been cold or dusty. That's why the order in which you use items is more important than most people think.
Write the month on each new bundle with a marker and place new deliveries at the back or bottom. This takes ten seconds per delivery. Especially for items you buy in large quantities, such as Security Seal Stickers VOID, 60 pieces (€ 9.95), this prevents you from finding a stock at the bottom of a box whose age you no longer know.
Working stock at the table, the rest out of sight
Divide your stock into two parts: what you will use this week and what will be used later. There should be about a week's worth of work at the packing table, no more. This keeps the table clear and ensures you notice in time that something is running low.
Measure your most used bundles and note the dimensions.
Get everything off the floor: shelf, pallet, or inverted moving box.
Stand flat boxes upright and give envelopes their own bin.
Write the month on new bundles and place them at the back.
Limit the working stock at the table to about a week's worth.
It will take you an hour. Afterwards, in October, you'll know within ten seconds if you still have enough boxes, instead of having to overturn a pile to find out.
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