UPS is a shipping company that specializes in shipping packages of all shapes and sizes at competitive prices and speeds.
But does UPS accept and ship poly mailers, and if so, what do you need to know before using UPS to ship your next poly mailer? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I discovered!
Can You Use Poly Mailers for UPS In [currentyear]?
UPS allows you to ship using poly mailers and other types of envelopes as long as the UPS label can be attached safely and securely in [currentyear]. Poly mailers are a great choice for non-fragile items that can’t be crushed like clothes or shoes, items that already have sturdy packaging like phone cases, or items such as books.
If you want to use a poly mailer to ship your next package with UPS, be sure to keep reading to learn more about price comparisons, what to use your poly mailer for, how to ship your poly mailer correctly and other related facts!
When Should I Use Poly Mailers for Shipping With UPS?
Poly mailers are becoming a more popular choice for shipments containing less delicate items, and with good reason.
Poly mailers are an affordable, lightweight and small-sized packaging alternative that’s easy to customize and brand, and comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, including bubble padded poly mailers, expansion poly mailers, and even eco-friendly options.
So, when is it a good idea to use a poly mailer rather than a box? The following is a list of items that are suitable to ship with poly mailers:
- Phone cases
- A deck of cards
- Board games
- Shirts
- Footwear
- Jeans
- Bedding
- Face masks
- Yarn
- Swatches
- Cloth
- Fabric-based products
- Vitamins and supplements
- Cosmetics
- Nutrition products (provided they are already in sturdy packaging)
- Books
- Printed media
Alternatively, here is a list of items you should never ship using poly mailers:
- Glass or anything containing glass (i.e picture frames or glasses)
- Food or any other perishable item
- Technology such as phones, laptops, headphones, microphones, cameras, etc
- Valuable shipments such as art or musical instruments
If you’re not sure whether using a poly mailer is the right choice for your package, it’s always best to err on the side of caution to avoid any mishaps that can occur in shipping.
What Are the UPS Poly Mailer Shipping Costs?
Like most shipping companies, UPS determines your shipping costs by factoring in a given package’s weight, dimensions, and the distance the package will travel.
One significant upside to using a poly mailer is that it helps to reduce your package’s weight and dimensions, thereby making most packages less expensive to ship!
One thing you should factor into your shipping costs when using poly mailers is the cost of the mailers themselves.
Perhaps the easiest way to purchase poly mailers if you’re planning on shipping with UPS is to make a free My Choice account, which you can sign up for here, and then to order your poly mailers directly from UPS.
UPS offers a range of poly mailers(which they call packs on their packaging and shipping supplies page), all of which range in size and can be ordered at no cost to you.
If you’re interested in checking out what UPS has to offer in terms of poly mailers, you can order packaging and shipping supplies off of their supplies page.
Other places you can purchase poly mailers from are listed below:
- Target
- Walmart
- FedEx
- USPS
- Amazon.com
- Uline.com
Once you’ve purchased your poly mailer and are ready to ship your package with UPS, you can create a shipping label and see estimated shipping costs by visiting this page of the UPS website.
How Can I Ship Using Poly Mailers at UPS?
The most important step to shipping anything with a poly mailer is to ensure that you have the right poly mailer for the job.
Cheap poly mailers can rip while your package is in transit, which means the contents of your package can be lost or damaged.
Therefore, be sure to choose a sturdy mailer.
It can be worth the extra expenditure to opt for a bubble or padded poly mailer, which offers an extra layer of protection for your shipment.
Be sure that you’ve chosen the right size poly mailer- you want the contents of your package to take up almost the whole mailer, leaving very little wiggle room and overhang, which eliminates the potential for snags.
If your poly mailer seems a little too big for whatever you’re trying to ship, you can always use padding such as newspaper or packing peanuts to help fill up some of the extra space.
Once your shipment is safely packaged into your chosen poly mailer, simply create your UPS label and securely attach it to your package, making sure there are no wrinkles or creases and that all information is visible and legible.
Next, set a time for your package to be picked up or drop it off at one of the approved UPS drop-box locations, which can be found here, and you’re done!
To learn more, you can also see our posts on UPS dry ice shipping, UPS jewelry shipping, and how fast is UPS ground.
Conclusion
UPS accepts items shipped in poly mailers as long as the item’s label is securely attached, visible, and legible.
Poly mailers can significantly reduce your shipping costs since they’re lighter and smaller in size than traditional packaging.
As well, they’re available for free through the UPS website if you have a UPS My Choice account.
To ship with a poly mailer, it’s most important to ensure you have the right poly mailer for what you want to ship, and that you can fit the shipping label on it securely.
