Shipping Books Safely- How To Pack The Book You Have Sold

Packaging books is simplicity itself.

1. Wrap the book in tissue paper

There are several reasons for doing this:

- It looks nice.
- It keeps the book tight, that is, it does not let the book come open, slide around, and so on
-It provides an initial layer of protection against dust and grime getting to the book

2. Place both book and invoice in a plastic bag

We use 2 mil bags from u-line, but I see no reason (other than cost) why a gallon size zip-lock would not work. Again, it keeps dust and moisture out.

3. Wrap the lot in bubble wrap.

We use LOTS of bubble wrap. 3-4 layers, minimum. We usually wrap it till the thickness of the bubble wrap/book bundle slightly exceeds that of the box. That way, the bundle is slightly mashed by the box, and prevents sliding.

4. Seal with brown tape

Remember why we use brown tape? To let the client know where the tape is, and to make it easier to open.

5. Place the bundle in a Sturdy Cardboard Box

We generally use 12×10×2 boxes. Needless to say, we use new boxes.

6. Pack all the open space with bubble wrap.

Sometimes we use leftover foam peanuts, but I really like bubble wrap better. There are very few things in life that, when they perform exactly as they were designed to, piss everyone who uses them off.

Foam nuts are one of those things.

There should be NO open space in the box.

7. Close the box and tape it shut.

Using, you guessed it, brown tape.

8. Tape the label to the box

I assume the worst for my packages. I see it as a certainty that they will get left in the rain, the truck will run over them, and the dog will run off with it.

With that in mind, I always place a layer of CLEAR tape over the label, so if it indeed does get wet, it will not smear.

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That is it; our simple, never fail, guaranteed to get it there safe method to ship books. It is not hard, but it does take a commitment to both your client and your business to do it.