eBay: How to Get FREE Shipping Boxes, Mailers, and Other Supplies for Selling (eBay Sellers!)

If you have an eBay store subscription, you are missing out on $25 to $50 worth of free boxes, mailers, tapes and other shipping supplies every quarter. That’s $100-200 that you essentially get back for free every year if you have an eBay Store. Here’s how to take advantage of this:

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Where to get your $25 to $50 of free eBay shipping supplies for Sellers:

Every quarter, eBay sellers who are subscribed to paid eBay stores get a free $25 or $50 coupon for the eBay Shipping Supplies Store. That is a direct discount, no minimum amount to spend, so you could order $48 worth of boxes, use the $50 coupon, and pay nothing!

It’s an easy process, but many people forget or don’t know about this! There is no downside, and it’s easier than purchasing anything else on eBay. Here are the instructions:

1. You must be a paying subscriber to an eBay store, Basic level or higher.
2. eBay Basic Stores get $25 a quarter, Premium stores and above get $50 a quarter. 
3. Visit the following eBay page to claim your coupon once each quarter year:
   https://www.ebay.com/subscriberdiscounts
4. On that page, you’ll see your coupon code. Copy or write it down.
5. Click the “Start Shopping” button to go to the eBay Shipping Supplies store
6. Choose the products you want. They must be from the eBay Shipping Supplies Store only.
   • They have boxes, padded and poly mailers, tape, etc.
     Use “Add to Cart” if you want more than one product, otherwise you can use “Buy it Now.”
7. On the eBay Checkout (Payment) screen, make sure to click apply or “Claim” the coupon.
   • The discount and coupon are NOT applied by default.
     You may need to type the code in if it doesn’t automatically appear.
     The coupon area is usually in the bottom left if using a PC.
8. Complete checkout as normal. Verify the discount is applied before submitting payment.
   • You will still need to pay sales tax on the pre-discount price.

What are the Best Free eBay Shipping Supplies?

In the eBay Shipping Supplies store, they have most of what you’d want for shipping out most items that are standard sized (not oversized.) I’ve had a store subscription for many years and have purchased one of each type of product they have in the store to test them out. All the products are adequate, except for the eBay branded tape!

Here are my reviews of the shipping supplies in the eBay Shipping Supplies Store:

Avoid the eBay branded tape! In my experience, it sticks to itself far too much, is thin, splits, and has pretty much every problem any shipping tape could have. It’s the worst shipping tape I’ve ever tried (out of many) and I didn’t even get through a roll before switching back to my normal tape. That’s right – even when it’s free I won’t  use the eBay branded tape!

I’d also avoid the tissue paper that they suggest using as packing material. Unless you are shipping something like small jewelry it is a waste, too expensive and lightweight, and you’d be better off with bulk bubble wrap or kraft packing paper.

eBay Cardboard Shipping Boxes: The cardboard boxes are a good value. They’re sturdy and come in a variety of sizes. The only downside is they are eBay logo branded on all sides, so if you want to use them off eBay you may want to cross that out and it will look a bit sloppy. Pricewise, without a coupon they are an average value, roughly equivalent in price to standard Uline boxes. Especially with the coupon, these are an amazing deal!

eBay Padded Bubble Mailers: The padded bubble mailers are also fine, though the adhesive is sometimes a little weak. I just reinforce it with a tiny bit of clear shipping tape if I have any concern. These are also eBay branded, sometimes with huge eBay logos, though the design changes. Only a few sizes available, but they’re great for easily shipping medium to small items.

eBay Poly Mailers (unpadded): Poly mailers (unpadded bags) are decent. It’s nice to have the extra large bags to ship something that is already in it’s own, sturdy box, or to ship clothing or fabric. Again these have giant eBay logos on them.

I hope this helps! I have shared this with friends in the past who had no idea they were missing out on $100+ of free supplies a year. Keep in mind this coupon only works at the official eBay Shipping Supplies Store. However, you can of course browse eBay for other shipping supplies and often find some good deals that way!

One last note, I’ll list my favorite packaging tape. It’s the best combination of strength and overall cost, while being the tape that “splits” the least! Works great with any decent quality tape dispenser, or you can re-use a dispenser that came with an old roll.

This article contains affiliate links for which this site may be compensated.

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