To online sellers, shipping supplies are as valuable as gold. However, we also know that they can be clumsy, space-hogging necessities. Here are a few tips to manage shipping materials in a way that will make them accessible and organized.

ONE) Keep all your Styrofoam peanuts or other loose packing materials in a large garbage can with a snug, snap-shut lid.

TWO) Fill plastic bags with packing material and use them to pad items. I take an old coffee can, put a grocery produce bag in it, and fill it with Styrofoam pellets or shredded paper. I then tie the bag, take it out of the can, and Voila! Easy to handle packing materials. My customers really appreciate that they can handle those stuffing materials quickly and easily (many reuse them).

THREE) Get a reasonably good shredder. Shredded paper makes great packing material, but make sure it doesn't come in contact with what you are shipping. Newsprint can rub off and is hard to remove on some surfaces. (See previous tip.)

FOUR) I buy bubblewrap by the roll and hang it on a short curtain rod in my storeroom.

FIVE) I have one drawer full of various kinds of tape (and nothing else) stacked tape side up so I can see at a glance what and how much I have. I keep a good supply of every variety on hand all the time.

SIX) I use 4X6 and 3X5 cards for my mailing labels and keep a stack next to my computer. They are cheap and when I put them on a parcel I cover them with tape to keep them dry and in place.

SEVEN) At Christmas, I save the boxes from every present I receive. I am particularly fond of the shirt boxes that are 9.5 X 14 inches. I use them to support sheet music and other flimsy items that need support. You can usually buy these all year round. I get mine at Big Lots Discount, 10 for $3 (which is actually 20 the way I use them).