I have been reusing envelopes and taping the pbs label to the top.  I have noticed mailing an envelope is cheaper than mailing a package.  For light books, they go first class for less than media mail :)

wegmans shopping brown bag. with book wrapped in plastic bag first.

I am new to this and I wish I would have looked at this thread before I sent out my books today!  I had large manilla envelopes lying around the house, so I used those in combination with a lot of packing tape.  However, the books were loose in them.  I sure hope they will be ok!  I guess I never really thought about how it would help to have them tightly wrapped.  Now I know for next time.

I cut up a grocery bag and wrap it like a present (cause thats really what it is!) and use lots of tape.

also I put the book in a zip-lock baggie first to protectect it from water damage!

Got a great deal on padded envelopes from ebay so I will be using those for all orders of 1 or 2 books. 

I use the tyvek (?) FedEx envelopes.  I flip the envelope inside out (to cover up the FedEx part)  then cut it down to fit the shape of the book.  The envelopes are pretty darn sturdy and keep the water out.    We have so many documents delivered to us in these everyday at work that I can always find an already used one to reuse for my books.

I just started mailing out my first books last week and was trying to find a way around having to buy the overpriced envelopes at the office supply. 

I discovered what I thought would be a temporary solution, but now after mailing 4 books, I've found it to be the perfect solution.  At least for me.

I am using manila FILE FOLDERS.    I had a handful left over after organizing my office and found it to be perfect to "wrap" the first few books I have mailed.  I even just mailed an 81/2 x 11 book and the file folder still wrapped around it perfectly.  I cut the ends into like a trapezoid shape so that they "flap" over, like a gift (or an envelope).  And tape the whole thing with clear packing tape several times, especially reinforcing the edges.

I just went to Target yesterday to restock and they are less than $4 for a box of 100.  At Office Depot/Office Max they are $9-$10 for a pack of 100. Walmart too has them for less than $4 per hundred but they were out of stock.

I wish I can receive a book from D.Y.M. so that I can see how to use a manila folder to wrap a book for mailing.  I checked D.Y.M.'s shelf but there isn't a book for me there.  I think I received one wrapped in a manila folder several years ago when I used to buy my books from EBay and I thought it was a great idea then.

Actually y'all have already said everything that needs/should be said. And thank you for more ideas! The calendar and wall paper wrapping sounds so delightfully colorful!

  I personally love the idea of asking for paper bags at the grocery store, knowing I will recycle them as wrapping for books.  I wrap in some kind of cling wrap first, then use the paper grocery bag after I've cut the bottom out of it and carefully removed the handles.  It's JUST the right weight.  And I agree with some of you:  you can never tape the corners too much.  That's where most books can get banged up.  I actually use scotch tape - the satin finish kind- on the corners.  It can be bought for VERY cheap at  99 cent  or Dollar stores or even Goodwill Thrift stores.

I appreciate those who wrap their books well and hope I return the favor!! 

Wonder if the stock price on packaging tape has gone up since this club began?? :-)

Alice M.

I

Right now I think I'm doing overkill on my packaging.  I bubble wrap each book (or set) and then place in a poly mailer.  I dropped off about 5 packages this morning at the PO.  While I was putting them in the chute I thought to myself how they look like bundles of illegal drugs.  My roommate once paid me rent with  a 5 foot wide roll of bubble wrap - so I have plenty to spare (plus a ton of the smaller bubble wrap envelopes he gave me another time).  The poly mailers were left over from my ebay selling days.  I'll have to try that "manilla folder" technique once the other supplies run out.  As a teacher, I always have a TON of these left over from previous years.  What a great way to reuse them

i, also, am new & sending out some books tomorrow (i used a galon size ziplock bag & just taped down the excess and then wrapped it in taa paper and then some more tape...) and im anxious for feedback on deliveries (as to changes i need to make).

should i have put the stamps under the tape? im buying stamps & mailing them off tomorrow...i wonder how stamps stick to tape. 

(and ps. LOVE this site. how cleaver, a site dedicated to avid readers, saving $$ and all about recycling...love it!!!)

I have wrappped the books in a plastic material normally an old DHL plastic wrapper flipped inside out and wrappedit like a present then put tape on all the edges and the corners. Most of the times I wrap the books in a vinyl material to protect from water damage and then in brown shipping paper. As long as you make sure what ever you wrap it in is wrapped tight and the edges and corners are tapped with packing tape they should arrive with no problem. In the last month I have sent out 20 books all recieved in good condition with no problems.

You can buy bubble envelopes at Sam's at a very reasonable price.  I use the 6 x 9 for single paperbacks and the 8.5 x 11 for 2 paperbacks or 1 hardback.  They come 25 to a box.  The price isn't on the box, but I think I paid about $6.00 for the larger envelopes and less than that for the smaller ones.  I'm not as creative as you guys with wallpaper and calendars, lol.  I'm looking for simple and convenient.

I hate complaining but I really wish people would stop "entombing" the books they send with nary an opening or tiny slot to get started with the unwrapping, no place to even stick the point of a knife!  It's really not necessary to totally encase a book in tape it's just plain irritating.  I have never had a book lost or have damage reported using the PB printout wrapper, I always use the prepaid just for the convenience of being able to leave in my mail box for the postman to pick up and I always circle the little space I leave in the tape and mark it "start here" so people won't damage themselves or their books in trying to open them.

Alice, just FYI, PBS cautions against using Scotch tape for sealing, and it's questionable as to whether it meets USPS standards.

Amber, USPS won't accept the package if there is tape placed over the stamps.

I usually use either small bubble wrapper or just regular 6"x9" manilla envelopes, bigger if there are more books. Usuallly this size is great to keep the book in place. Also, if using a regular manilla envelope, put a small piece of scotch tape over the inside brad, so it won't rub the book. Then, even on envelopes that have sticky stuff, I tape around the flaps and then place the label o n top and tape all four edges of it (careful not to cover the scaning barcode). I also make sure that I place the paperbackswap logo somewher eon the package, either leaving it attached to the mailing label, or the one I sent out yesterday, I cut that piece seperate and taped it to the back, just so the person receiving will know what tehy are getting (especially if they have forgotten about it).

I agree with those who said bubble mailers - so easy to use and not too expensive if bought in bulk on ebay, Sam's, Costco, etc. Poly bubble mailers are better than the paper bubble mailers because they are already waterproof and you don't need the extra layer of saran wrap or a ziplock baggies. Just drop the book in the mailer, seal, label and mail. : )

If you use paper wrapping of some kind, make sure to tape the side seams as well as the ends, the seams tend to rip during the long trek cross country and sometimes the package makes it without the book inside or the edges of the book get dirty through the ripped seams. :(

Welcome to PBS and happy reading!!!

Christina

I try to recycle mailing materials, and one thing I've done is to start saving the air pillows that come with my shipments from Office Depot at work.  I cut open one side to let out the air, then put the book inside the resulting pouch & tape it shut with scotch tape.  This replaces the Saran Wrap I used to wrap my books in before packaging them.

I do what a number of other people have mentioned and usually wrap the book in a plastic bag (usually from Wal-Mart!) or tissue paper and then place it in a brown kraft envelope.  I fold it over to make any excessive space in the package turn into an extra layer of protection and make the package tighter and more concise.  Then I just use Scotch packaging tape (the kind that's USPS certified) along the edges and where it needs to be sealed.  They just built a local dollar store down the road that sells the envelopes in a package of 5 for a dollar so I think that's a pretty good deal.

I also have rolls of brown kraft paper I'll sometimes just wrap a book in a plastic bag and then wrap it in the brown kraft paper instead of the envelope and it seems to work.  My mother, who works for the USPS and who I send my packages with because she's my live-in Postal Service (Haha.), always tells me to use plenty of tape because the processing centers are rough with some packages.  (Thankfully, because the Post Offices around me are very small and I know all the workers, I know everyone's kind to the books I mail out!)

I have found that sometimes the suggested rate that's printed on the PBS shipping label is not what I end up paying when I go to the Post Office, as it's usually a little more.  However, I think this is only because of the plastic bag...perhaps it makes the package a little heavier?  I'm not sure.  It's not a big deal, because I think what's most important is that a book gets to its owner safely and well-protected, so I don't mind.  :)

I made a video a few months ago for another member to show her how I used manila folders to wrap my books.  Just thought to post it here too in case anyone wants to use this idea, or have manila folders lying around to recycle!

Hope it helps someone.  (hope this link works, its a youtube video).  If not feel free to email me for the link...  Or search for lavishbeautybar on youtube and go to my first video made 2 months ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQCG4JIQjiM

D.Y.M., thanks so much for your video. What an inventive method for recyling all those manila folders. I still have lots of folders left over from my teaching days and will definitely try your method. I will use some sort of plastic wrapping before I encase the books in the folders.

If you are in need of boxes, you can call your local Barnes and Noble and ask for someone in receiving and ask if they have any spare boxes that you can come by and pick up.

Most B&N stores get large deliveries several times a week and the staff can set aside some boxes for you. From small boxes to large boxes, they get them all.They can also provide air bubble type packing material sometimes.

This is not a guarantee but the receiving room I manage saves empty boxes for customers all the time. I look at it this way, it's an easy way to make happy customers, it recycles boxes that might otherwise be trashed, and it helps people in need, so everyone wins.

Border's Books may be able to help in this way too, but I don't know for sure.

Great Video DYM!!!  :O)