Auction supplies are clearly an expense and major consideration for an eBay auction business. Of course,
most critical supply is item you are selling, but mailing supplies are necessary for every auction and their cost and supply must be figured into your overhead. If they are not, you might get a nasty surprise when you sit down to figure out your eBay profits at end of week. The most basic supply is, of course, a box. Obviously packing begins with a box - but not just any old box. A shipping-type box is necessary because if you use a shoe box or some other flimsy box, you can be certain your package will be a disaster! Your customer will be quite peeved when her item arrives in pieces!
You will become a box-fanatic, like rest of us. When you swoop into a store or home, with joy in your voice, proprietor will foolishly assume that it is merchandise you are exclaiming over! We're just like kids on Christmas day - dump toy on floor and play with box! In other words, drooling over boxes is an occupational hazard.
Be aware that lots of merchants have boxes that you can have for free. You might become a scavenger at stores like WalMart, Linens & Things or Bed, Bath and Beyond. They have hundreds of boxes every week, and will often give them away to anyone who wants them.
If you are shipping really fragile items, two boxes are safest. The outer box should be a couple of inches larger than inner one, to allow extra padding.
Padding for your packages: do you always need padding? Well ... yes and no. I have sent a few tough books without padding. But sending grandma's dishes unprotected is a recipe for disaster!
What kind of padding do you use?
Newspaper is my padding of choice, because it is cheap and readily available. However, be careful because ink can rub off on some objects and detract from their beauty. Wrap these kinds of items in plastic. Some auction users buy shredders and use strips of paper as packaging.
I hate those plastic peanuts, personally, but lots of people swear by them. They are an environmental disaster and static electricity is terrible. Electronics manufacturers say to never pack computer and other kinds of equipment with peanuts, just because of electric problem. Electrocuting your customers isn't good business :-)
