Poly mailers are one of the most popular and cost-efficient solutions to ship e-commerce goods today
They’re durable, weather-proof, and come in a wide variety of materials including 100% recycled and bubble-lined
In some cases, poly mailers might not be the best idea for shipping items that are fragile or don’t fit snugly in the mailer itself
Poly mailer bags are easier to store than cardboard boxes and can be customized with eye-catching design components to boost your brand and make a statement with your shipping
The Story:
For the uninitiated, poly mailers are a widely used e-commerce shipping option. Technically defined as “polyethylene mailers,” poly mailers are lightweight, weather-proof, easy-to-send envelopes often used as a shipping alternative for corrugated cardboard boxes. Poly mailers are also flexible, self-sealing, and ideal for shipping apparel and other non-fragile items. They offer strong protection against dirt, moisture, dust, and tampering, to ensure your items arrive at your customer’s doorstep intact and secure.
In this piece, we’ll explore the nitty-gritty behind what poly mailers actually are, various uses, and how they can help e-commerce companies ship merchandise easily, effectively, and on the cheap.
What Are Poly Mailers Made of?
Poly mailers are made of polyethylene—a light, synthetic resin that composes the most widely-used plastic in the world. Polyethylene is used to produce everything from shopping bags to clear food wrapping, detergent bottles, and even automobile fuel tanks.
Poly Mailer Varieties
There’s no one-size-fits-all shipping solution with poly mailers. In fact, there are many different types to choose from:
Layflat Poly Mailers
Layflat poly mailer bags are basically the industry standard. If you’ve ever ordered something from a popular e-commerce company, you’ve probably received it in a layflat poly mailer. It’s a flat plastic bag that can hold a wide array of items, is good for items that don’t need a lot of cushioning, and can be easily affixed with stamps and sealed with a self-adhesive strip.
Clear View Poly Mailers
Clear view poly mailers are a solid choice for shipping print materials like catalogs, brochures, and magazines. They’re completely transparent (hence the clear view) on one side with an opaque backside that’s perfect for postage, labels, and other shipping information.
Bubble-Lined Poly Mailers
For fragile goods that don’t necessarily need a fully packaged box, bubble-lined poly mailers offer extra cushioning and added protection. They’re a low-cost way to send small, delicate items to customers and are usually self-sealable.
Expansion Poly Mailers
Expansion poly mailers come with an expandable, durable seam along the side that makes it easier and more efficient to ship bulky items. These work well for shipping large items like jackets, sweatshirts, books or binders.
Returnable Poly Mailers
As we all know, product returns are one of the many inherent costs of doing business online. Returnable poly mailers are a popular way to ship products while planning ahead for potential returns (and are often included in initial shipments). They have two self-seal adhesive closures, offering customers the ability to conveniently return an order directly to your receiving address.
Recycled Poly Mailers
If you’re trying to build a more eco-friendly, sustainable business, 100% recycled poly mailer bags are made with a mixture of post-industrial and post-consumer materials and have a significantly lower carbon footprint than their virgin counterparts.
Post time: Mar-21-2022