Shipping 30 lbs of textbooks via USPS media mail - how to find a proper box?

[InquilineKea]

E.g. https://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-f684fc759db65d357a228d2b4892dec2

 

This is like 30 pounds of books in a thin cardboard box (there are some massive textbooks on the bottom, like Atkins' Physical Chemistry). I'm not even sure if the cardboard box can handle it all without falling apart. How can I find a box that can hold all of this without falling apart?

What type of packaging should I use and where should I get it? Is it ever advisable to ship 10-15 books in the same package? Or will there be friction between the books that could damage them during transport. Is it possible or advisable to use padding at all?

Is it okay if I use an old Amazon box as packaging? Or any other type of old box?

 

I could ship books in more boxes, though that will definitely cost more.

Edited July 25, 2013 by InquilineKea

[nugget]

What about buying a plastic storage box from a store like Walmart and taping it shut with duct tape? Plastic boxes don't weigh much so it shouldn't add too much weight to the parcel. Otherwise, contact USPS and see what they recommend.

[mpheels]

You can use old amazon packaging, just have to mark out or cover all of the logos and barcodes on the box. I like to use opaque packing tape to close the box then quickly cover all markings on the outside of the box before adding the address label. You can also buy sturdy shipping boxes from most big box office supply stores (And even Target/Walmart).

 

You really should consider breaking it up into a few smaller packages. A 30 pound box costs $15.12 to ship via media mail. Three 10 pound boxes costs $19.56. That isn't a huge difference in price, but it will be much easier to pack, much easier to handle (for you and the USPS employees), and greatly reduce the risk of damaging your books.

[TakeruK]

I agree with going 3x 10 pounds instead of 1x 30 pounds. USPS sells some boxes too, and you can also buy them at UPS stores, FedEx locations etc. The extra cost is probably less than the price of any one massive textbook, so it's well worth it!

 

In Canada, liquor is only sold at certain liquor stores so sometimes you can go there and ask for old wine boxes, which are really sturdy. Sometimes they aren't allowed to give them to you directly (for some weird reason) but it's okay to pick them up from the back once they put the boxes out for recycling. Depending on where you are, maybe liquor is sold at grocery stores, so you can check there too. When we were moving, I also regularly looked in my apartment building's recycling room to see if anyone threw out a useful box. I guess another good idea is to go to the bookstore and ask them for leftover boxes -- surely those boxes can handle books! 

 

As for protection -- I guess it depends on how much you care about the books. For most of my textbooks, they are hardcover, so it's pretty hard to damage them when they are all tightly packed in a box (use newspaper to fill in gaps). I wouldn't worry about padding each individual book though, unless you want to do it for a few really treasured ones (then maybe put it in your suitcase?). I would be more worried about weather damage, since boxes aren't usually waterproof. If you don't want to buy plastic containers, then one thing you might do is to put all your books in a garbage bag then put it into the box. I would put one stack of books per bag, not one book per bag!

 

If you reuse any old shipping boxes, definitely block out any old labels and especially barcodes. Using tape is quick and easy but if you only have the clear stuff, then just tape printer paper over the old markings.

[Sigaba]

MOO, do not pack a box of anything of value so that it is heavier than what you can easily lift. If a box is too heavy, the people handling it are going to have added incentive to let gravity help them out by heaving or throwing it or simply dropping it.

 

FWIW, the rule of thumb for packing is two inches of packing material from each edge/side/corner of the items being shipped. This standard can make the cost of shipping higher as you're paying for the packaging materials and larger boxes. That being said, I've never received a damaged book from Oxford University Press while I've done the back and forth with Amazon and others a number of times.

 

Also, see http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/601.htm#1203497

 

I would pay the extra expense and send the item via UPS ground.  .GOV does many things well. Delivering packages isn't one of them.

[rising_star]

I've never done more than a 22 lb box of books via USPS Media Mail and it was fine. I didn't have 2" of packing materials on all sides, I just made sure everything was packed tightly so that the books couldn't move and then added newspaper to fill any gaps. Shipped about 1500 miles and it was fine.

[wankerlust]

FWIW, I just shipped five 70 lb boxes of books across the country, media mail. I used recycled Sysco food shipping boxes-- fairly sturdy, but nothing beyond your average corrugated cardboard-- and nothing at all in the way of packing materials (like rising_star, I just packed 'em tight). All made it to the destination intact and damage-free-- though their prohibitive weight forced me to unpack them in the lobby of my building, and bring them up to the apartment in smaller loads. In the end, not an option I'd repeat or necessarily recommend, but it was the cheapest option for me (total cost was ~$150), and I preferred having fewer packages to track than risk losing smaller ones in the mail.