Part of an efficient order fulfillment process is delivering your products in quality shipping materials that are affordable for you and also create a positive unboxing experience for customers. However, finding reliable and high-quality shipping supplies can be difficult.
We evaluated the top shipping suppliers on the market, selecting the top five options based on price, product selection, customization options, user experience, reviews, reliability, and overall quality. Based on our evaluation, the best sources for shipping supplies for small businesses are:
- Best overall: The Packaging Company
- Best for free shipping and returns: Amazon
- Best for wholesale pricing: PackagingSupplies.com
- Best for fast and reliable shipping: ULINE
- Best for customer service: ShippingSupply.com
Top Sources for Cheap Shipping Supplies Compared
*Does not apply in cases of fulfillment error.
Why You Can Trust Us:
We considered the top shipping suppliers from across the market, taking our experience working with small businesses to narrow down the best options for SMBs. We considered more than a dozen different factors to make our selections, weighing price and product selection most heavily.
Based on our in-depth evaluation and combined experience in ecommerce and retail, we found the best options for small business shipping suppliers and have laid out our reasoning below.
Retail Software Expert at FitSmallBusiness
The Packaging Company: Best Overall Source for Shipping Supplies
Pros
- Extensive customization options
- Wide product selection
- Bundling, composite, and kitting tools
Cons
- No significant bundle discounts
- Returns incur 15% restocking fee
- Quantity discounts don’t apply to custom products
Overview
The Packaging Company was our top-ranking provider during our evaluation, earning an impressive 4.65 out of 5. It is the only provider on our list that offers extensive customization features—you can set exact dimensions and colors and even add your branding at a competitive price. The Packaging Company also has a wide array of supply options and great pricing, and it has received great customer reviews.
The supplier has an excellent customer service department with 24-hour messaging support and helpful phone support during standard business hours. Plus, the provider doesn’t tack on any additional shipping fees.
Where The Packaging Company fell short was its return policy. The Packaging Company charges a restocking fee of 15% on top of return shipping costs for all returned merchandise—compared to Amazon, which offers many free shipping and return options.
- General product price point: Low, wholesale pricing
- Bundle sizes: Many options
- Return policy: 30 days; return shipping plus 15% restocking fee; except for custom orders unless defective
The Packaging Company offers competitive pricing on both its standard and custom materials.
- Standard materials: Minimum order quantity: 10 to 50 units, price scaling available
- Customer materials: Minimum order quantity: 25, no price scaling
- Extensive customization options: The Packaging Company is most remarkable for the breadth of its supplies and customization options. It offers custom sizing, adhesives, stickers, boxes, and mailers.
- Wide assortment of packaging materials: It has standard packaging materials for every product type—from food and perishables to posters and clothes. As a plus, The Packaging Company uses eco-friendly materials and can keep its prices down simultaneously.
- Loyalty program: The Packaging Company offers a customer rewards program where you can earn points for every dollar you spend and redeem those points to get money off your purchases.
- Green initiatives: The Packaging Company is dedicated to making eco-friendly packaging materials affordable for businesses of all sizes. It is constantly working to develop new green products and to utilize a high percentage of post-consumer waste. Additionally, all of its facilities are designed to reduce waste and energy consumption.
- Custom quotes: If you plan on ordering in bulk, you can get a custom quote for extra money off your supplies.
The Packaging Company lets you design custom boxes from the inside out.
Amazon: Best for Free Shipping & Returns
Pros
- Free shipping and returns with Prime vendors
- Wide variety of materials
- Easy-to-use interface and customer support
Cons
- Inconsistent pricing
- Inconsistent quality
- Limited customization and branding options
Overview
Amazon earned a 4.13 out of 5 because of its massive selection of suppliers. As an online marketplace where sellers can list goods for consumers to shop, Amazon is sure to have the packaging materials to satisfy your shipping needs, budget, and timeframe.
Plus, If you’re a Prime member and work with a Prime-eligible seller, you’re guaranteed free shipping and returns—which sets Amazon apart from other options.
Amazon’s major drawbacks are its inconsistent price points, quality standards, and lack of customization options. Additionally, it can be challenging to find the quantities and sizes you need in single orders, and unit prices do not typically decrease as order quantities grow.
- General price point: Midrange (no wholesale pricing)
- Price scaling: Yes (depending on the seller)
- Bundle sizes: Many options, although may be limited for individual listings
- Return policy: 30 days; free Prime returns
Due to the vast number of vendors on Amazon, its price points are highly varied. You can find both fantastic deals and high prices on the Amazon marketplace. Our recommendation would be to base your price point on a steadily economical supplier like PackagingSupplies.com or ULINE, then look for Amazon listings that can compete.
In general, Amazon requires a bit more digging and research to ensure you get a fair price but, in many cases, it’s worth the effort to save on shipping and return fees.
- One-stop shop: Like The Packaging Company, Amazon offers a wide variety of products for shipping in addition to janitorial supplies and other goods your business may need. Amazon’s vast selection could serve as a one-stop shop for setting up your entire store.
- Free shipping and returns: Amazon offers free shipping and returns on eligible products. To ensure you get free shipping and returns for Prime orders, you must become a Prime member for $14.99 per month.
- Excellent customer support: Amazon itself is your point of contact for customer service. Rather than dealing with individual sellers, you can take up any issues with Amazon’s 24/7 customer service representatives, and they will work with the seller on your behalf.
- Vendor options: With Amazon, you can shop from tons of vendors allowing you to choose the ones with the best reviews. Additionally, this gives you more reassurance that you won’t run into a stockout as there are likely multiple vendors for every item you need.
- Prime membership: If you choose to become a Prime member for $14.99 per month or $139 per year, you will get access to free, fast shipping (and returns) from all Amazon Prime sellers. This can save you immense amounts of money, especially when ordering in bulk or needing a quick turnaround.
PackagingSupplies.com: Best for Wholesale Pricing
Pros
- Wholesale pricing
- Price match guarantee
- 17,000 products and an ever-expanding catalog
Cons
- Limited custom and color options
- Large order size requirements
- Most returns incur 20% restocking fee
Overview
PackagingSupplies.com, the only wholesale seller on our list, is dedicated to providing the lowest prices for your shipping materials, offering a price match guarantee. It is also well-regarded for its customer service and easy shopping experience. With all this, PackagingSupplies.com earned a total score of 4.13 out of 5.
While certainly offering a lot in terms of price, PackagingSupplies.com lost points for moderate color and size limitations in its product selection and customization options (consider The Packaging Company for extensive customization). It also does not allow you to split cases or order custom quantities. Additionally, it requires a return authorization for any return requests and charges return shipping plus restocking fees (unlike Amazon).
- General price point: Low, wholesale pricing, price match guarantee
- Price scaling: Yes
- Bundle sizes: Some options
- Return policy: 30 days; return shipping plus 20% restocking fee (depending on the reason for return); authorization required
PackagingSupplies.com’s best asset is its pricing. Not only are prices low but they also decrease as your quantities grow. It offers wholesale pricing and a price match guarantee.
Like ULINE, shipping charges are based on an order’s size and weight, but it doesn’t tack on any additional handling fees.
Unless the products arrived damaged or a fulfillment error occurred, PackagingSupplies.com charges a 20% restocking fee—the highest among the providers we have evaluated.
PackagingSupplies.com offers wholesale pricing and significant bulk discounts.
- Bulk and wholesale ordering: Unlike The Packaging Company, which offers small orders that work well for budding businesses, PackagingSupplies.com supports orders of up to 2,000 units. It is best for larger businesses simply because of the large orders it expects you to place with them.
- Special packaging options: Under its Retail Packaging product category, it also offers in-store packaging supplies, such as bagging bags, candy and jewelry boxes, and takeout containers. This makes it a helpful resource for all the packaging materials you need for your in-store operations.
- One-stop shop: Along with shipping supplies, you can also order office and janitorial supplies. Not only that, Packaging Supplies also has packaging solutions for in-store, like baskets, shopping bags, and wrapping supplies.
ULINE: Best for Fast & Reliable Shipping
Pros
- Wide product and bundling selection
- Fast, reliable shipping times
- Easy site navigation
Cons
- Limited customization and branding options
- Return shipping fee
- Limited deals and sales
Overview
ULINE is one of the country’s most trusted shipping supplies resources, known for its fast delivery times, high-quality products, and wide selection of goods. In our evaluation, ULINE earned a 3.95 out of 5, mainly owing to its large variety of shipping materials and bundle sizes.
While ULINE scored in terms of its shipping and product selection, the supplier has a few flaws to consider. ULINE primarily lost points because of its prices, which are high compared to The Packaging Company and most Amazon sellers, its limited customization options, and its return shipping fee.
- General price point: Midrange (no wholesale pricing)
- Price scaling: Yes
- Bundle sizes: Many options
- Return policy: 30 days; return shipping fee (except in cases of fulfillment error)
While it doesn’t run many sales or offer wholesale pricing, ULINE delivers consistent midrange price points, along with fast shipping. And while ULINE doesn’t offer free shipping, it won’t add fees on top of USPS prices. All shipping costs are based on the weight and size of your materials, so be prepared for larger orders to incur relatively high shipping costs.
- Fast shipping: ULINE has eight warehouses across the country, enabling reliably fast delivery if you need supplies in a rush. For most addresses, it can guarantee a two-day shipping window, although it incurs an additional fee, unlike with Amazon orders.
- Expansive product line and bundle selection: All its products come in various bundle sizes and offer office and janitorial supplies.
- Order by phone or via mail: The company provides a free catalog if you want to browse the newest products and place orders over the phone or via mail.
- One-stop shop: As with Amazon and PackagingSupplies.com, ULINE doesn’t stop at shipping supplies. You can also order office, janitorial, storage, safety, in-store, and other supplies.
- Same-day shipping: ULINE guarantees same-day shipping for all orders.
ShippingSupply.com: Best for Customer Service
Pros
- Excellent material quality
- Responsive customer service department
- Easy site navigation
Cons
- Limited bundle and customization options
- Smaller range of materials
- 10% restocking fee for returns
Overview
ShippingSupply.com is a smaller provider than others on our list and provides a more basic selection of shipping supplies and fewer flashy or high-tech packaging materials (unlike some larger competitors such as ULINE). However, it’s highly regarded for its dedication to customer service and for providing a painless buying process.
Overall, ShippingSupply.com earned 3.14 out of 5 for its offerings. It earned points for its lack of a minimum order requirement, great order tracking options, and dedication to serving small businesses. Meanwhile, Its mid-tier pricing point, short 10-day return window, longer shipping times, and return shipping and restocking fees prevented it from getting a higher score.
- General price point: Midrange, no wholesale pricing
- Price scaling: Yes (most products)
- Bundle sizes: Some options
- Return policy: 10 days; return shipping plus 10% restocking fee; authorization required
While it doesn’t offer low prices and price matching like PackagingSupplies.com, ShippingSupply.com offers competitive pricing in most cases. Not all of its goods decrease in unit price with more significant bundle sizes.
Compared to other providers in our list, it has a shorter window on returns, although it charges a lower restocking fee.
- Good user experience: ShippingSupply.com has an easy-to-use website with straightforward navigation and ordering procedures. While it doesn’t have flashy products or custom packaging, it offers all the basics.
- Strong customer support: The company prides itself on its strong customer service department, which is highlighted in user reviews.
How We Evaluated the Best Sources for Shipping Supplies
When evaluating sources for cheap shipping supplies, we look for features that make the ordering process seamless and provide the best quality goods. We also factor in budgeting considerations like pricing, shipping fees, and each company’s return policy.
Overall, The Packaging Company was our top-ranking provider with a 4.65 out of 5 score. We found that The Packaging Company offers the most comprehensive services, the best branding and customization features, a wide product selection, competitive pricing, and a strong customer service department to help make for a more effortless buying experience.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria.
30% of Overall Score
We looked at the overall price point as well as shipping fees, return fees, and bundle options.
30% of Overall Score
We looked at product variety, color selection, customization options, and size availability.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at ease of website navigation and customer service quality.
20% of Overall Score
We looked at overall quality, reliability, and user reviews.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Click through the questions below to get answers to some of your most frequently asked shipping supplies questions.
FedEx, UPS, and the United States Postal Service (USPS) all offer free shipping supplies for your business, complete with free shipping. While it’s hard to beat free supplies, these couriers have strict quantity limitations, a limited variety of shipping supplies, and require you to ship your orders with them. So, this option is best for microbusinesses or companies just starting.
Shipping supplies do not have to be expensive especially when you buy wholesale and in bulk. Customizations, perishable-safe packaging, and shipping fees can typically make shipping supplies pricier.
Typically, plastic mailers and cardboard boxes are the cheapest shipping supplies.
Bottom Line
Affordable packaging is a crucial element for small retail businesses, and finding suppliers that meet your needs while fitting into your budget can be daunting. It’s vital to know the best providers on the market, their strengths and weaknesses, and how they will function in your business’s operations.
Considering these factors, The Packaging Company is our pick for reliable and customizable materials at a reasonable price.