April 22nd, 2012 is Earth Day, so I thought I would write a post about how we can contribute as an eBay community! If you think about it, the idea of eBay is all about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. They prevent millions of items from ending up in landfills by allowing people to sell and reuse products. eBay even has their own Green Team that “inspires the world to buy, sell, and think green everyday.” (more information HERE). As a company, eBay earned the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design Gold certification for their buildings. So what can we do as eBayers?
I recently had a small stack of back issue magazines that I sold on eBay, and I just could not find the right kind of box to put them in. I tried the USPS Flat Rate box, but the corners would bend, so I tried a couple more boxes that I had with no luck. After brain storming during breakfast, it hit me. I should use my Honey Nut Cheerios cereal box! It was a perfect fit, and I felt like I just uncovered a hidden treasure. A reader on this blog suggested that I put a note in the box saying that I was “Going Green”, and to excuse the box it was shipped in. A few days later I got an email from the buyer, and she was absolutely thrilled that I sent them in a Cheerios box. She wanted to let me know that she took “Going Green” to the next level. She cut out the box tops points for her kids school, and then she did something that I would have never thought of. She made the box that I shipped her magazines with into a magazine rack!
Now that is inventive and very green! I thought I was being green by reusing a cereal box to ship an eBay item, but for her to do that was amazing! I now take all of my empty food boxes and use them for shipping. It’s kind of funny to see my items being shipped out, because it looks like a grocery store.
So what else can we do in our eBay business to be more green? What are your ideas? Comment below for a chance to win a $20 eBay gift card. I will use random.org to pick a winner tomorrow morning. All you need to do is comment 
For more tips and tricks, check out The Keys To A Successful Ebay Business HERE
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Love it!
As a healthcare professional, I receive a lot of what we call throw away journals (due to the fact that they are full of marketing) in the mail. Whereas I used to throw them away after a quick glance, I now save them and use them as packing material.
I recycle the boxes for shipping that bring use to bring into the thrift shop to donate their clothes.
I have right in my listing that I will use recycled boxes and materials as an effort to go green. “Just doing my part” is what I say. Really I don’t want to pay for boxes, but I figure kill two birds.
My grocery shopping bags and pre-read newspapers have become packing material, the bottom half of the shipping label sheets I print off are turned around and reused in order to print more labels, and when I am not working on it (which is rare!) I turn off my computer to save energy.
I use egg cartons for packing material. Both styrafoam & cardboard types.
There is a recycling box at a local store for plastic shopping bags, everytime I shop there I take a bunch and recycle them as packing material! They work great! Also floor covering stores will save you carpet padding scraps, which are great for packing heavy items too! Carefull packaging and recycling can go hand in hand!
I shred old junk mail and sensitive documents into a plastic grocery bag. When it is full, I tie it closed and use the whole bag as a packing insert. Easy to shape around an item to protect it while shipping.
I shred also but use newspaper, junk mail, and the kids’ papers we don’t want/need.
Oh and I use a shredder I got for $15 when it was originally $60+. This way when I over-use it I won’t be too upset when it dies.
Thanks for the great idea!
I save all the Styrofoam tray that I get from my grocery store, I wash them and keep them as packing insert/material, there is many different size. One day I had to ship a modem that I have sold and I packed it in 2 trays one facing to the other and taped them together, it fits perfectly and made a very light box.
Now that I have been selling on ebay, instead of throwing something out I ask myself if I can sell it on ebay. Before your blog, I had not realized that I can sell used wine corks on ebay. Instead of throwing them out, I am collecting them to sell in a lot. Thank you.
I wonder if there is any way to reuse empty boxes of wine
I use old jello boxes, food coloring boxes, muffin mixes, etc as safety packaging around small items that I ship in padded mailers. They’re lightweight and add good bulk to the depth of the package (for delivery confirmation requirements) I also save egg cartons and cardboard wrapping paper tubes for packaging purposes. As long as there’s no food residue or odors; old grocery packaging is a real moneysaver!
I never thought of old jello boxes! Those are great for the little items!
I use DiJorno Pizza Boxes to ship my records (LPs). I wrap them in bubble wrap first and then put them in the pizza box. I’ve used Card stock and then Avery Big labels to make envelopes to ship V-tech smile games, it cuts down on the shipping and I can use the same piece of paper twice. I have reused icing (for cake) containers to ship odd shaped things, as well as check (for paper check booklets) boxes to ship items. I save all bubble wrap and popcorn styrofoam that comes from shipments at work. They laugh hysterically at me everyday because I take home a box full of stuff everyday. I am a nurse so I get a lot of baggies that our hand braces and post op shoes come in. I save those and resuse them to put items in that I want to protect better or kept sealed. I even reuse the manila envelopes that are sent to us. I carefully remove the labels and waa-laa I can now use it to ship magazines or what ever, I also love getting the bubble wrap ones, espicially the small ones. I won’t let any of the other girls at work open them as I carefully open them along their edge and then reuse those suckers. You usually can’t tell I have recycled my items because they have a label on them or priority tape, but when its obvious I have been doing the same as you and include a note saying forgive the packaging, as I am going GREEN. Ohh just now that of another item I have been saving recently… 3 of our major injections come individually in plain orange prescription bottles (no label), and I have been saving those recently, as I am thinking I may be able to ship something in it or save them and sell them in a bulk, otherwise they get thrown away, not even recycled, which bugs the crap out of me. Oh and I am redoing our garage into a craft room, and to save money and to go GREEN I have been saving the boxes that our letter size envelpes come in. They look like a shoe box but bigger and have a lid on them that is sturdier. Anyway, I am going to spray paint them black, and stack them and use them to organize items in my room
Wow! Great comment, Allison!
I ask for smaller size boxes at the dollar store that would otherwise be thrown out (they don’t recycle them) to package smaller items. And I include an insert in my packages telling people about Freecycle so that they if they can’t reuse the packaging, they can maybe pass it on to someone who can. Spread the “Green”. :0)
Aren’t you supposed to be saving those box tops for your niece’s school??
Lol.. Same thing she said to me today
I really enjoyed reading all of Allison’s comment! For me, I like to reuse my news papers as packing material. Its an easy way to secure your package.
Thanks
I frequently grab a dozen broken-down boxes at the grocery store when the staff is re-stocking shelves and has a cart full of flattened boxes. I can get all kinds of sizes and love to recycle those rather than have to buy odd sized boxes!
Like clever Allison, I have an eye for using anything I would normally put in the recycle bin toward reusing. I use the shiny inserts in the Sunday paper for wrapping up books and also crunch them up for padding inside. I reuse every box including Hamburger Helper boxes, cereal boxes, etc. I am also a private pilot and amass a number of maps that expire and need to be replaced. I use these to wrap up the boxes to cover them up and provide a little extra protection. I have gotten all kinds of comments and requests for the map wrapping! I don’t use newspaper or comics because the ink can transfer onto the item packed. One comment I got from using a larger cereal box that when her daughter picked up the mail, she was excited to receive a box of Cheerios! She was a little less thrilled when it was a book for her but she did get over it! I have contacted several local companies for extra boxes and packing material they would normally toss. Freecycle.org or Craigslist is a great way to post that you are looking for packing material. I no longer need to purchase these items! In addition, I also reuse scrap paper to print the mailing labels on. I just ensure there is no personal information on the back. I have cleaned out my files and gained around a ream of paper that would have normally been recycled. I will definitely mention that the buyer is getting a “green” package to reinforce the recycling. I do have it in my “Me” section on eBay. Everyone here has some great suggestions! A caveat – do not reuse any boxes that contained liquor. I got a nice sturdy box from my neighbor but when I got to the PO, they said even though I packed books in it, they cannot send anything in a liquor box.
Those of you that reuse boxes, especially the food boxes, do you cover the box with something like the brown packaging paper?
Tristen, fridays link doesnt work. Bummer
thanks linda, not sure what’s going on I’ll try to fix it
It didn’t work either when I tried it.
Never thought of reusing food boxes. I’d also like to know if you cover them in paper. Are they sturdy enough to go through the mail or do you just use them as added protection when you ship inside another box. I’ll have to add something to my printed invoice about my recycling. I like the idea of using scrap paper for labels. I always go in the morning and get free boxes from the grocery store. I don’t pay for boxes unless I need a super big ones which is rare.
for me personally I don’t wrap them paper. I think it’s fun to send them as is. They seem to be sturdy enough for me but I don’t send anything fragile.
Yes, I guess wrapping them would almost defeat the purpose of recycling the box.
Excellent shipping idea!
I think I’m the reader who gave you the idea about the note to tell buyers that we are “going green” — I have never purchased a box ever… All my friends save packing material for me, and I use anything that I can get. You know that thin material that comes packed around furniture? That is great for me to wrap around breakables… and I use egg crates, and any other packing materials that come my way.
I have a second business going now, where we are buying and renovating houses — I use empty wine bottles (and olive oil bottles and any other nice looking bottles) for my ‘staging’ when we put the houses back up for sale; I also pick up all sorts of old picture frames from other people’s trash and make new wall art from old pieces of fabric (think used clothing!) and the picture frames. They look very “arty” on the walls of our newly renovated houses.
I am going to start trying to resell some of the materials that we take out of the houses — faucets, sinks, light fixtures, etc. – and whatever doesn’t sell will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. I have also started spray-painting old outdated light fixtures (think 70′s brass….. ) and reusing them in our houses. Painted nickel or copper colored, they look very modern.
My Dad was a huge recycler going back to the 60′s – before anybody had ever even heard of recycling – so I’ve been doing it all my life!
Oh… and I started to compost too. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all the compost, but I like the idea….
What great ideas! As a new seller I’ve been buying boxes and bubble wrap. I’m never gonna do that again. Thanks for all the awesome ideas!!
For those asking about covering the boxes with paper – if the box seems so busy that it might interfere with the USPS reading the mailing label, I cover them in the old aviation maps that I have. I also have an old roll of masking paper that I got at Harbor Freight for painting that I had left over so I started using it to cover the boxes because it is just light enough to not add weight but covers the boxes. Also, when I tried to send a book in a cereal box when I was traveling, two USPS locations would not take the box so I covered it in a paper grocery sack and that seemed to satisfy them. My local USPS has no problem with my “unique” mailing boxes but some might so be prepared with some covering to use if they object. Due to this unique way of recycling, I have literally cut my recycling for my bin in half. If I crumble newspapers and put them in a bag like Rob does, which protects your item from getting ink transferred on it, I almost don’t have anything to put out for the week!
If you’re concerned with the looks of cereal boxes and such for mailing, I just turn them inside out. Many of them are blank inside, so I just open up the glued side and re-tape it together in reverse. Works like a charm. I, too, have friends and neighbors give me their bubble wrap and boxes. And a local public radio station has tons of bubble mailers they let folks take, to keep them out of the landfill, so I never have to buy them.
I agree with Gina. I turn all my recycled boxes inside out. Another item I have recently started using for mailing smaller articles of clothing is potato chip/snack bags, the ones you can’t see through. I turn them inside out and clean them up the best I can. They are sturdy and tape sticks to them very well. I also thought deflated mylar balloons would be great also, but haven’t found a supply of them as yet. Anything to save money!
I have started buying almost everything I need on Amazon. If you sign up for amazon prime you can share a subscription with 4 other people and pay about $16 a year per person for 2 day free shipping. I save all my boxes and packing material for ebay shipments! Amazon uses air-filled plastic tubes as well as bunched up brown paper which works very well for packing shipments. Sorry for what looks like an ad for amazon but it’s made my life a lot easier.