Duck EZStart Packaging Tape - Not Recommended

I recently became annoyed with the cheapest Duck packaging tape.  It shreds as it comes off the roll, which wastes time.  I purchased the more expensive Duck EZStart Packaging Tape to see if it would be easier to use. 

The tape is easier to use.  It comes off the roll very easily.  The trouble is that the packaging tape also lifts right off the package.

I didn't realize this at first.  Around a week ago, I realized that the tape was lifting off of packages that had been packed on the previous day.  I thought maybe I wasn't pressing the tape down firmly, so I became more careful to press the tape into place completely.  

You know... I really shouldn't have to do that.  Tape should stick easily, not lift off the package easily.

I also considered that the problem could have been the boxes.  I ordered boxes from Uline at about the same time that I purchased the tape.  I feel like the Uline boxes are slightly lower quality.  However, the eBay tape seems to be sticking fine as always, even on these new Uline boxes.  I think it's the Duck EZStart tape that is the problem.

I've continued using the tape but began using a little more of it on the packages.  I packed three packages this morning for shipping tomorrow.  I looked at them this evening.  Uh-oh.

The tape has partially lifted from both packages, most noticeably from the one on the left.  I had pressed the tape into place very firmly this morning.  It should not have lifted.  I pressed it down again and then wrapped tape all the way around the box across the middle top, down the side, across the bottom, and back up the other side.  I then wrapped some around going lengthwise along where the tape lifted. 

Since the packages don't go out until tomorrow, I will check them again in the morning.  If I see more lifting, then I will wrap eBay tape all the way around both boxes.     

I'm going to have to buy some other tape to use with this tape until I get it used up.

eBay Selling Tips #2 + One for Buyers

This is a tip for people who use the PayPal shipping and print their own shipping labels. Really, it is just common sense, but a small group of sellers do not seem to realize that labels should be affixed to the packages securely.

I remember one transaction in particular. The seller stated that she had had quite a few lost packages and recommended insurance as she was not responsible for lost packages. I knew immediately why she had so many lost packages when I received my package from her. She used PayPal shipping and affixed the label to the package with one small 1 1/2 inch long piece of 3/4 inch wide scotch tape along each of the four sides of the label. There was no adhesive on the back of the label, so the small pieces of tape were all that held the label to the package. I was amazed that the label was still attached!

This post can be easily turned into a buyer tip as well. Any seller who states in their listings that they have had quite a few lost packages should probably be avoided. There is a reason why those sellers have a bunch of lost packages. They are doing something wrong, and they have no idea that it is their fault. Remember from my last selling tip that I stated that I have mailed out thousands of packages, and none have gone missing. I'm sure I will have one eventually, but it is not the norm for packages to disappear.

I use plain paper for my shipping labels, as many people do. I use a glue stick to put glue on the package where I intend to place the label. I then place the label on the package and use packaging tape to securely fasten all four sides of the label so that it is extremely unlikely that the label will be torn from the package. I had an occasion this summer where I had to remove one of my labels after the glue had dried. It was not easy. Once the glue dries, those labels are stuck in place.

Another selling tip: do not use brown packaging paper on your packages unless totally necessary. Many sellers reuse old boxes; I once did and for a time, I used brown paper. When I did, I securely taped it on all seams. Even so, brown paper can easily be ripped off of the box, causing the box to go missing. I have received some packages in the mail in which the paper was badly ripped.

If you are reusing boxes, there is a way to avoid brown paper and still have a professional outer appearance. Turn the boxes inside out. Along one of the four corners of the box, a seam can be found and the box pulled apart at that location. Turn the box inside out, and tape it back together. I did this for quite a few years until I finally decided that saving boxes took up too much space and that turning them inside out was too much trouble.

These are the boxes that I purchase for my packages:

https://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-4312

I use these boxes for one or two books.

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https://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-4406

These boxes are used for smaller lots of around five books.

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https://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-4105

These boxes are used for lots of around 10 to 12 books.

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https://www.uline.com/ProductDetail.asp?model=S-4125

I use these boxes for large lots. Two of them are enough for a complete set of 56 Nancy Drew books. I avoid shipping packages that weigh more than 20-23 pounds because the packages are too heavy to carry and more likely to be damaged.

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These boxes serve all of my needs when I sell books. The shipping costs from Uline nearly double the cost of the boxes, so the boxes always end up costing around $0.75 to $0.95 each depending on the box size.

Uline ships really fast. They have a number of locations around the country, and anybody who lives near one of those locations gets their orders very fast. My orders ship from Dallas, and I always get my orders the very next day, even when I order in the late afternoon.