You knew that online auctions would allow you the freedom to work flexible hours, give you autonomy and might even be lucrative...but did you know that it would test your spatial imaging skills and creativity?

Aside from all the fun you have finding treasures to sell, listing auctions and watching the money roll in, you are also gaining valuable experience in the field of shipping and packing! Think about it, if eBay ever goes south, you can become a Teamster!

Those of you who sell online regularly know the challenge of packaging items safely and trying to fit a wide array of oddly shaped auction items snugly into Priority Mail boxes. I frequently buy merchandise at Estate sales and flea markets that I'm excited about...until stop and think, "How the heck am I going to ship this"?

Since Priority Mail seems to be the overwhelming method of choice when shipping most items because of the 2-3 day shipping (usually), fair rates and most importantly, free shipping supplies, I thought it might be time for a primer on Priority Mail packing.

There is a wide selection of Priority Mail packages available. (http://supplies.usps.gov/ps/scripts/Showcase.idc?pouchno=3098932578.0) These packages generally handle most small items being shipped. However, as I mentioned, sometimes packaging an item with these supplies can be like trying to squeeze an elephant into a phone booth. With a little ingenuity, there ARE ways to combine Priority Mail Boxes to cover a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Here are a few suggestions and examples:

The Empire State Building
Great for long items that don't have much girth. Take a few #4 Priority Mail Boxes and slide them together.

Tape around the girth of the box and up the sides.

This will give you a package that can accommodate an item the shape of a baseball bat, golf club or any long, slender item. Make sure that you pad around the item with Styrofoam peanuts so that the item is immobilized in the center. Be aware that items packed like this MAY be charged a balloon rate by the USPS. That is an extra charge that applies when the combined length and girth of a package falls between 84" and 108" and the weight is less than 15lbs.

The Sears Tower
Same construction as the Empire State Building, but created with #7 Priority Boxes. This allows for shipping items that happen to be taller than a single #7 Priority Box. Again, slide the boxes together and tape all seams so that the boxes are firmly bound together.

The Bonneville Salt Flats
Great for shipping wide and long items that are flat, like a tennis racket. Take two 0-1097 boxes (11-1/4" x 14" x 2-1/4") and slide them together like the two previous examples.
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Tape them together securely

One thing to keep in mind when building these boxes: Maintain the structural integrity of the package. As a USPS representative remarked to me, "When we ship, especially in freight airplanes, we put packages and mail into plastic containers that may hold as much as 500lbs of mail. Pack as though your box will be at the bottom of those 500 lbs".

There are also limitations on what you can do with Priority Mail Boxes. You CANNOT turn the boxes inside out and use them for other methods of shipping. Priority Mail boxes are stamped with special codes on the interior cardboard. If, for example, you try to mail a package book rate using Priority Mail supplies, you will be charged the Priority Mail rate or be asked to repackage your items. You SHOULDN'T cut up Priority Mail Boxes and use them as padding or to make compartments inside your package. The USPS probably won't know you're doing this but these are free supplies and shouldn't be taken advantage of.

Now for the packing itself: Use styrofoam peanuts, not newspaper. Styrofoam peanuts may be more expensive (however, you can probably find plenty of retail stores that just throw them out and would be happy to give them to you for free), but they immobilize an item much better than paper and they don't leave newsprint marks.

Here's my usual technique:
- Wrap the item in bubblewrap.
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If the item is silver or some material that might have a reaction to the bubblewrap, I wrap it in paper first, then put the bubblewrap over the paper.
- Add a healthy layer of Styrofoam peanuts to the bottom of the box

- Place the item in the box on top of the peanuts, making sure there is plenty of empty space on all sides of the item.

- Pour on the peanuts. Don't skimp on this step. Make sure there is plenty of padding around the entire item and pack the peanuts in firmly.

The goal is to keep the item immobilized in the center of the box and as far away from the cardboard as possible.
- Add more peanuts to the top of the item

No part of the item should be touching the inside of the box!

The peanuts will give the box more interior strength to help it stand up to other mail being stacked on top of it. If you don't put enough padding in the package, your item will settle or shift, and it will find it's way to the bottom of the box, where it is more likely to be damaged.

A final tip: Use Delivery Confirmation with your Priority Mail packaging (with one exception). Delivery confirmation enables you to log onto the USPS Web site http://www.usps.com/cttgate/welcome.htm and track the item you've sent. This has saved my bacon several times, and is only 35 cents. However, if you are insuring a package for over $50, Delivery Confirmation might be considered redundant, because the recipient must sign for the item to take delivery.

These are just a few ideas for safely packing your items. I've spoken to some sellers who say, "I drop the packed item from 5 feet, and if there's no damage, I know it's ready for shipping". A little extreme, but if you have tips for packing items, email me at dsteiner@auctionbytes.com. I'm sure we'll be doing a follow-up to this article soon.