Hopefully everyone already has a stack of the padded flat rate envelopes amongst their shipping supplies. (If you don’t, take a minute and order some HERE. They’re sooo handy!) As the name implies, anything you can get into this envelope ships for one flat rate, up to 70 pounds, as long as you have not altered the envelope. Last year I wrote a post about Capri Sun boxes fitting perfectly into the padded flat rate envelopes (you can read that post HERE). That was a great discovery, and I have shipped a bunch of items that way. More recently I have been buying most of my supplies to keep up with shipping demands, and I bought several different sizes of small boxes. (Is it just me, or is it always the small boxes you can’t get enough of?)
One day I was prepping a heavy-ish item that needed to be shipped in a box and thought I should try to see if I could get it into a padded flat rate envelope. And whaddya know? Another perfect fit! The box is 9x6x3. I buy them from Amazon, and they end up costing about a quarter each. (I haven’t done any shopping around, so it’s possible they could be found cheaper elsewhere.) I’ve gone through several orders of these boxes – they can be a lifesaver!
UPDATE: An (affiliate) link to the boxes I have bought in the past can be found below. As I type, the price for 25 boxes is over $12. The last time I bought some (in March) the price was under $7, so it might be worth waiting a beat to see if the price drops back down.
We are: clamco says
May 29, 2014 at 7:16 amI use the FR padded envelopes A LOT!! When I was shipping all those Lego lots, I would fill a ziploc bag full of bricks and then slide that into the padded mailer and it worked perfectly! I also have boxes that fit inside the mailers which are good for normal size mugs. I always make sure I have a good supply of FR padded mailers! The best thing USPS ever did was change them from paper to poly.
Kari @ She Thrifts says
May 30, 2014 at 1:24 amWhat size boxes do you have that fit a mug and also fit inside the padded mailers? I could use some of those! I usually use the small square priority mail boxes, which means shipping mugs sometimes costs upwards of $9, and makes it had to make a decent profit on most of them.
We are: clamco says
May 30, 2014 at 8:39 amIt’s a 6 x 4 x 4 box. I get them at Uline. They’re a little expensive, but sometimes you can get them on Ebay.
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-1722/Indestructo-Mailers/6-x-4-x-4-Indestructo-Mailers
Oldtime Picker says
May 30, 2014 at 4:29 pmTry Bubblefast they make a box to fit perfectly in the padded mailers. great for cups and mugs
Kimberly Hutmacher says
May 29, 2014 at 12:53 pmI bet that 9x6x3 box gets a lot of use. I’m going to look into getting some of those asap. I’ve used the FR envelopes for clothing, but I’ve been afraid of damage if I tried to put anything else in it, because I have such a hard time finding boxes that will work. Thanks for the tips! 🙂
mrs4jachi says
May 29, 2014 at 12:56 pmi have been paying .59 each at walmart. i need to get on amazon LOL. I also love the legal flat rate envelopes for jeans 😀
Kari @ She Thrifts says
May 30, 2014 at 2:50 amEver since I started putting clothes in a polymailer before putting them in a flat rate envelope they fit inside sooo much smoother, and generally into the regular flat rate envelopes. I hardly ever use the legal size flat rate envelopes anymore.
SAHM Reseller says
May 29, 2014 at 5:44 pmThanks for sharing that tip! I know that Bubblefast had a custom box made to fit into the padded flat-rate envelopes (PFE), but I didn’t know that you could buy something similar on Amazon.
I usually custom make boxes if I have something that fits into a PFE but needs an extra layer of protection. If you have an affiliate link, I’ll purchase some boxes through your link for bringing that to my attention. Anything that can save me time is always a plus! 🙂
Kari @ She Thrifts says
May 30, 2014 at 2:52 amI just added an affiliate link, but noticed the price has gone up since I last bought the boxes.
Linda Shields says
May 31, 2014 at 8:11 amI have trained my friends and neighbors to save all their small boxes, and packing materials, for me. I often find a pile stacked on my front porch. I love them for it! And they are happy to recycle.
Kari Rolston says
May 31, 2014 at 6:42 pmMy mom has trained everyone in her office to save packing supplies for me. They live a few hours away so we don’t see them all the time – but every time we do it feels like Christmas! Air pillows, woohoo! 🙂 I don’t know what I’ll do when she retires in a few years. 🙂
Ashley@SimplySellingGirl says
June 3, 2014 at 5:17 pmLove padded flat rate envelopes! I order them by the 100s!!! I have shipped some crazy things in those envelopes. Love that you found a box that fits perfectly in them.. Ill have to buy some.
My friend in Utah that sells on Ebay recently took a PaddedFRE to her local post office, and they wouldnt let her ship it because it had a box in it. (she lives in a small town…).. She told them that she knew it was allowed. They still refused. She ended up driving the package to a nearby town and they accepted it.
She later took the “if it fits it ships” rules from the USPS website, and they eventually started accepting her envelopes with boxes in them.
If it fits, it ships people!!! 🙂
Kari @ She Thrifts says
June 4, 2014 at 4:10 amHow frustrating for your friend! Glad her PO finally got with the program. I wonder why they would even care about it having a box in it?
Arma Grip says
December 11, 2014 at 6:02 amHello FRndz…
Your blog has always been a good source for me to get quality tips on blogging. Thanks once again.
Our range of quality padded envelope offer a safe and secure way to send items that require extra protection through the post.
Arma Grip says
December 23, 2014 at 8:54 amHello Frndz….
Nice post!..good information,it is really helpful..it really impressed me alot and i just loved it.Thanks for posting such an informative content..
padded envelope
Arma Grip says
February 6, 2015 at 5:44 amThanks for your blog. I just landed up in your blog and I really appreciate your blog. Our range of quality Bubble Lined Envelope offer a safe and secure way to send items that require extra protection through the post.