If you’re looking to save money on the cost of shipping, getting free shipping supplies is the first step.
Maybe you have a business and need to ship items regularly.
Perhaps you’re an eBay seller trying to find free shopping supplies for your eBay business.
Or maybe you just want to send something to a friend or family member.
Whatever the case, an easy way to cut costs is to get shipping supplies for free.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways you can get free boxes, labels, free envelopes and other shipping supplies at no cost.
Here are a few ways you can get shipping supplies for free:
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How to Get Free Packaging & Shipping Supplies from Mail Carriers
You can get supplies from labels to boxes for free from these four major mail & package carriers…
1. UPS
Are UPS supplies free?
Yes! The UPS provides free shipping supplies. All you need to do is visit the website or go in-store and you’ll be able to get packaging, forms and labels at no cost!
Unfortunately, you can’t get stamps for free but you can save money by buying from these 4 cheapest places to buy stamps.
2. USPS
Does USPS have free shipping supplies? Indeed it does.
You can find lots of supplies on there, like:
- Envelopes
- Boxes
- Mailing labels
- Stickers
You can even get a complimentary shipping kit on there!
- Visit this page to order your complimentary supplies.
3. FedEx
Are you wondering if FedEx offers free shipping supplies? You’ll be glad to know that you can get supplies like padded envelopes, tubes, and boxes from FedEx.
- Visit this page to get your packing supplies from FedEx.
4. DHL
Lots of people report getting packing supplies from DHL.
- Order your shipping supplies here.
More Ways to Get Shipping Materials for Free
Here are some more tips for getting supplies like boxes and envelopes at no cost…
5. Craigslist
Craigslist is a good place to find free stuff, including shipping supplies. You may be able to find boxes on there. At the time of writing, I found free USPS boxes and bubble wrap available in my city.
Finding Craigslist freebies is very easy. To find your city’s free section, go to the “For Sale” section. Under that, click on “Free.” Then you can search for packing supplies near you.
- Browse Craigslist here.
6. Local stores
Local stores often have boxes left over that their shipments have arrived in. So it can be worth calling local stores to see if they have any boxes they could give you.
Examples of stores to contact include:
- Office supply stores
- Pharmacy chains like Rite Aid and Walgreens.
- Grocery stores
- Dollar stores
- Local furniture stores (great for bubble wrap!)
- Boutiques
All are great places to find packing supplies.
7. Freecycle
People can give away stuff and get stuff for free on Freecycle. You may be able to find some shipping supplies on there like boxes, bubble wrap, and envelopes.
- Visit Freecycle here.
8. Facebook Marketplace
Another place to check is on Facebook Marketplace. While the website is mostly known as a place where people can buy and sell stuff locally, there’s also a section for free stuff. Have a search of the site and you may be able to find someone who’s giving away supplies like boxes, envelopes, or bubble wrap.
- Visit Facebook Marketplace here.
9. Reuse old boxes
A while back, my husband needed to ship a piece of artwork to someone who had commissioned it last minute. Because we didn’t have time to go out and buy a box, we had to find packing supplies in our home.
We took the box from a bird bath we’d recently purchased and used that to make a box for the framed artwork. We then used some brown Kraft paper for padding. It worked well, it was free, and we were able to ship the package fast!
So look around your home to see if you have any items that you could repurpose for shipping.
Lots of us get packages from Amazon for example – so reuse those old boxes and paper! Use them to ship your own products. Just make sure you remove old shipping labels!
10. OfferUp
OfferUp is a website where people can buy and sell stuff locally. But it actually has a section just for free stuff. You can search for free packing supplies on there. I’ve seen people giving away boxes and tissue paper on there in the past.
- Search for packing supplies on OfferUp here.
Packing Up!
If you’re looking to cut costs when shipping stuff, whether it’s for your own business or just an item for a friend or family member, one of the easiest ways is to get your shipping supplies at no cost.
You can really cut costs if you get your packing and shipping supplies for free. Fortunately, you can find everything from envelopes to labels and you don’t have to pay a cent for them!
