Arty Business Ep.6 : Packaging

Hello again, my darling Patrons and Friends, and welcome to another episode of the Arty Business series! This article will be all about packaging for small Arty Businesses! How to package all your delightful Arty Goods in a safe, affordable, and memorable way, before you ship them off to their new homes.

Packaging feels like it should be fairly obvious. We've all mailed a letter or shipped something in those USPS flat-fee boxes. But mailing your artistic creations to an actual Customer as part of your Business is a whole other story, and something people don't often talk about. It can be especially daunting when you're first starting out and have no idea how to even buy postage (hello, me two years ago.)

As usual, I'll share below how I package my goods as of 2019, as well as ways I used to package and how I hope to improve my packaging in the future. Feel free to use my techniques and tools, but I also highly recommend ordering products from other creators as well. Not only are you supporting fellow artists, but you get to see how they package and brand their packaging. 

I'll have a list of recommended vendors and other resources at the end of the article.

Alrighty then, let's talk packaging!

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Two envelopes ready to mail! I'm waiting for some custom printed tape and using what I have in the meantime: duct tape.

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+ Stickers! My stickers go in a small envelope with a forever stamp. There's a possibility they could be bent or lost with this method, but since stickers are such a low price item I find it's worth the risk. It also means the customer doesn't have to pay $3 shipping for a $3 sticker. 

You can buy plain envelopes from a store or Amazon, or order bulk recycled paper envelopes. I've done and do both depending on the time of year, how many orders I'm getting, how much time I have.

+ Prints! My prints are packaged in 100% recycled rigid mailers. Rigid mailers are envelopes made out of very thick paper or cardstock, to prevent the contents from being bent in transit. I keep two sizes, 6x8" and 9x11.5". I previously would buy rigid envelopes from the drugstore, but decided to order bulk envelopes when I was having to grab all the envelopes the drugstore had.

I don't offer larger prints than 8x10 at the moment, but I have read of artists using a wide diameter mailing tube to ship their larger pieces.

+ Pins + Earrings! I currently mail my pins and earrings in bubble mailers from Amazon. Bubble mailers are plastic or paper envelopes pre-lined with bubble wrap. Pins and earrings need extra protection to prevent the metal pieces from being bent or damaged in the mail. Right now even partially recycled bubble mailers are hard to find, and I hope to find a more sustainable option in the future, but right now they're the most commonly used mailers for this kind of product.

+ Apparel! If you've ever bought clothes online, you probably know what most clothes are shipping in: poly mailers. Poly mailers are like plastic envelope bags, that prevent clothes from being damaged by water or dirt in transit, but are much cheaper than boxes. When I release my new shirt and tote bag products this holiday season I will be using these 100% Recycled poly mailers. You can also buy much cheaper poly mailers in stores or on Amazon, or you can just use a rigid mailer if that's all you have (speaking from experience haha.)

+ Large orders! As your business grows it can be useful to have a variety of small boxes, in case you have a customer who orders a large number of products. Take a look at your products and imagine what a larger sized order could be. For myself, I might visualize if a customer bought an 8x10 print, a pin, a pair of earrings, and a shirt. I would want to protect the prints from the pointy pins, and prevent all of it from bending, therefore a box would work well in this situation. 

At this point, if I get a larger order I just walk to the post office and buy one of their premade boxes. Once that begins happening too much and I have a sense of the size box I'll most commonly need, I'll order some boxes.

The basic components of a simple Etsy order.

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+ Sleeves! To protect my prints and original art in transit, I put them into protective sleeves. When I was first starting out I bought archival quality art and photo sleeves from a local art supply shop. My current sleeves of choice are the compostable sleeves from Clearbags.com. Like my rigid envelopes, I order these in two different sizes: 5x7" and 8x10".

I also use these at markets and conventions! I give a sleeve to every customer who orders prints, let them know that it's compostable, and drop in my business card. They always really appreciate it.

+ Tissue Paper! I've also seen artists wrap customers' orders up in tissue paper like it's a cute little present. I've been recently gifted custom paper from Noissue, and it is phenomenal. But if that's out of your price range (it was out of mine,) you can regular large sheets of tissue paper from art supply stores or online. The other benefit of this is that opening the tissue paper creates a fun ~*unboxing experience*~ for your customer. 

+ Bubble Wrap/Protective Filler! I absolutely always use bubble wrap around my pins and earrings. I want to prevent either of these items from being damaged or damaging the other items in the order. 

My current method is saving the bubble wrap from any other order I may get, and cutting it into long thin strips. Then I wrap the strips around the product and tape it in place. When my sales overtake that technique I may test out a product like Ecoenclose's
paper GreenWrap. In the past, I've also used crinkle paper, but that can get messy.

+ Business Card! Adding a business card to your order is a simple and affordable way to emphasize your brand and direct your customers back to your shop. Easy peasy! I get mine in bulk from Vistaprint.

+ Thank you! Adding a little thank you is another great way to treat your customers and even direct them to other places they can enjoy your art. And there's a million ways you can do this! In the past, I printed out a packing list from Etsy and wrote a little thank you note in the blank space. Currently, I cut scrap paper into smaller pieces and write a note and doodle on that. For the coming holiday season, I plan to order affordable postcards with my art and provide a little extra info on the back. 

This can also be the place to remind them about leaving a review on Etsy, direct them to your social media or website, or offer them a discount code for the future! Really anything you want!

One of my earliest packages, in 2017. All handwritten, cut, and drawn. And so pastel!

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+ Printing! There are so many different ways you can print a package label and shipping. At the most basic you can handwrite the address and buy postage at the post office, which is what I did when I was first getting started. I highly recommend buying a postal scale and printing your postage with Etsy's shipping platform. 

When I first started I printed the labels with my regular printer onto shipping labels I bought at the drugstore. In a pinch, you can also print it onto regular paper and tape it with packaging tape. Since then I've upgraded to a thermal label printer to save time, paper, and printer ink. I also just found some 100% recycled label paper that I absolutely will be ordering in the future!

+ Return Address! Be sure to include a return address in case there's an issue with the shipping. You can handwrite it, use a sticker, or a stamp, or make sure it's printed with your label. For shipping stickers with plain envelopes, a reusable stamp would probably be more eco-friendly than plastic intensive stickers.

+ Do not bend! An important notice to add to almost every order! It seems like one of the biggest complaints customers have is the postal system bending their order. Something that clearly says "DO NOT BEND" hopefully will remind the postpeople to be careful with that package. Or at the very least it will show the customer that you tried! When I first started I handwrote my "do not bend" notes, and currently I use these stickers. Once I'm out of these I plan to make or order a custom-made stamp to reflect my business and branding.

+ Something extra! The outside of your package is another place to reinforce your brand and to get your customers excited to receive their orders. Once again, there are endless ways to do this! For free/very cheap you can doodle on the package or use fun stickers, stamps, or tape to decorate the outside. You could order a roll of stickers with your logo or brand name to seal the envelopes. You could order or hand-carve a stamp with your logo or brand name. Do as little or as much as you like, but a little something extra will remind your customers that they've supported an independent maker, not an enormous soulless company.

My gifted tissue paper from Noissue.

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+ Shipping days! I highly recommend having designated shipping days for packaging and mailing your orders. That way you can consolidate tasks and get the whole process done faster. I ship my orders on Mondays and Fridays.

+ Process! Speaking of process, it's nice to eventually establish a system of packaging your orders. It makes it go faster and prevents you from forgetting something important. Of course, you'll develop your own process. But if it helps, my process goes a little something like this: 

• Pull up Etsy orders on my iPad. Put on a podcast!
• Lay out the correct envelopes for each order (based on the largest item.)
• Gather the items for each order and place them on top of their respective envelopes.
• Toss a business card on each order pile.
• Write a thank-you note for each order.
• Place each order in its proper packaging (sleeves, backers, bubble wrap, etc.), then place the order in its envelope. Write the name for each order in pencil on the front (so I don't have to double-check inside each time.)
• Seal up the envelopes (with tape, wet the seal, remove the adhesive liner, etc.)
• Print and apply shipping labels. Apply "do not bend" sticker. Doodle on the back.
• Give them to the postal carrier or drop in the mailbox! 

+ Etsy online shipping! Many online retail platforms have a system for printing postage at home, and I highly recommend using them! You save a little money and a lot of time by printing your own postage. And time is money, baby!!

+ Outsource! I think it's a very smart idea to start small with your packaging when you're first getting started. Buy your envelopes at the drug store, handwrite your labels and thank you notes, decorate the outside with doodles. You'll know when it's time to start expanding your shipping materials and buying in bulk. When you are ready, it becomes really helpful to outsource your labor in the ways I've mentioned throughout the article. Buy a stamp for your return address instead of handwriting. Buy postcards instead of handwriting a thank you note. Buy a big box of 100 rigid envelopes instead of clearing out the store twice a week. 

At some point, it's time to save your wrist for creating, instead of writing labels. But that's up to you to determine!

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• "Packaging and Posting Hundreds of Orders" Video by Minnie Small
• "How to Package Etsy Orders" Video by Katnipp Illustrations
• "Eco-Friendly Packaging" Video by Leigh Ellexson
• "How I Pack My Etsy Orders" Video by Kristin Askland
• (There's a million other packaging videos on Youtube!)
• Etsy's Shipping Handbook 
• Arty Business Ep.2 Etsy Basics Hey, that's me!

• EcoEnclose : My favorite place for sustainable packaging!
• Uline : Probably the most widely used shipping supplies company.
• Noissue : Sustainably printed custome tissue paper.
• Vistaprint : Super affordable printing site, offers recycled options.
• Clearbags : Great for protective sleeves, especially their compostable sleeves.

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So there we have it, a more in-depth look at Packaging for your online shop!

Whew, looking up those Youtube videos to share in the resources section had me feeling very inexperienced. Packaging and posting hundreds of orders? I think the most I've ever shipped was around 30 orders over Black Friday weekend last year. That said, I think I'm glad my shop has been growing at a slow but steady pace, rather than exploding all at once. It's allowed me to learn and experiment as I go, and slowly scale my packing game along with my sales.

If you're new to packaging and shipping like I was in 2017, then I hope this guide gives you more of the confidence and tools to be able to jump into e-commerce. Your packaging will adjust and improve and change over the course of your career, so there's no harm in just giving it a go.

If there's anything I missed in this guide, if you have any recommendations for other resources, or if you found anything particularly helpful, please let me know in the comments! 

xoxo,

Ragon