What Is a Poly Mailer? Does Your E-commerce Business Need Them?

So you have been researching to cut down your shipping costs without robbing customers of the unpacking experience and poly mailers made it to the top of the list. Well, they should be. They are a highly cost-effective, and customizable shipment packaging option most of the smart businesses are using in 2024. In fact, according to a report demand for poly mailers will keep growing and the market will project over $1.7 billion by 2028.

Let’s dig deeper into poly mailers and if your business requires them.

So What is a Poly Mailer?

Poly Mailer is a shipping envelope made from moisture-resistant low-density polyethylene. It is a durable plastic and you can get it in various sizes and dimensions so that you can ship a wide range of products without the worry of tear or damage. 

Poly mailers come with a one-time-use seal which keeps your product safe, highly secure, and intact until the customer opens the parcel.

They are also dust and moisture-resistant providing a tough layer of protection to your shipping goods. So you can ship your goods to any location with ease of mind and not worry about products getting damaged. 

But that’s not all, poly mailers are also customizable you can add your branding elements or even get custom figures and drawings on them. This gives your product a sleek look and adds an extra touch of luxury to your product; enhancing customer product unpacking experience.  

Common Types Of Poly Mailers Used For Shipping

Now that you know what a poly mailer is. Let’s dig deeper and get to know common types of poly mailers and their uses.

Flat Poly Mailers

These are standard lightweight, durable, and strong poly bags. Flat poly mailers usually come in grey or white color. You can also get different sealing options. You can opt for self-sealing sticky strips, tab lock closures, or gusseted mailers for bulky items

If you ship documents, certificates, legal documents, magazines, clothes, etc; they are an excellent choice. Flat poly mailers keep your products from folding or bending, ensuring your documents stay wrinkle-free.

Bubble Mailers

If you are looking for mailers with extra protection for your semi-fragile goods bubble mailers are the choice. They are typical poly mailers cushioned with bubble wrap inside. Although they could be a bit more expensive than poly mailers they offer more protection for your goods.

They are a perfect choice if you ship jewelry, CDs, small electronic gadgets, dresses made with stones and ornaments,  medicine, etc. 

Glamour Mailers

Glamour mailers are funky mailers you can use to further enhance customer experience. You can get these mailers in various colors including, purple, gold, black, silver, red, and more. It is a perfect option to ship your makeup products, limited edition goods, jewelry, magazines, journals glamour mailers.

It’s 2024, and branding; creating a full wow experience with your product and its packaging matters more than the actual product usage. In fact, according to statistics, 72% of customers say they prefer brands that create aesthetics or experiences with packaging. So take advantage of Glamour mailers to increase your customer base. 

Expansion Poly Mailers

If you run an e-commerce businesses that ship hoodies, large stacks of books, sweatshirts, etc you need expansion poly mailers. They are durable, strong, and temperature-resistant polyethylene mailers.

Expansion poly mailers keep your product safe from weather, dust, and rough product handling during transit as they are highly tear-resistant. You can also get them with bubble mailers or padded bottoms adding more protection to your delicate product. 

Decomposable Mailer

A business prioritizing eco-friendliness and environmental consciousness should choose them. They are also strong and treat-resistant. However, their main feature is that it’s created from a compostable material meaning it decompose back to nature.

Compostable poly mailers are also the best choice if you want to attract environmentally-conscious customers. According to a report over 82% of shoppers want businesses and brands to consider and value sustainability. Moreover, in a survey, Gen Z  shoppers emphasized that they would choose a sustainable brand over any well-reputed brand.

That means consumers value sustainability more than luxury. Choosing sustainable poly mailers for your businesses especially if your target audience is Gen Z and millennials is a must in 2024 and beyond.

Biodegradable Poly Mailers

Biodegradable poly mailers are another great choice for eco-friendly businesses. If you are an eco-conscious business wanting a better solution to plastic poly mailers go with this. They are taken out from cornstarch, sugar cane, etc converted into ethanol which packaging manufacturers use for making biodegradable mailers.

Biodegradable poly mailers are your ultimate choice to go with if your brand is all about eco-friendliness.

Recycled Poly Mailers

Now here is your third option for an eco-friendly choice. Recycled poly mailers as the name suggests are made from recycled “used” material. Although they are made from used/recycled material that does not mean they are not strong or compactable to use. 

You can get recycled poly mailers with complete or half reused material it all depends on your preference. So you can confidently ship your products, knowing your product will arrive safely and undamaged. This will significantly decrease order returns and make your customers happy. 

Tyvek Poly Mailers

Tyvek is a strong, compactable, wear-and-tear-resistant poly mailer option. You can use it to ship important documents, photographs, subscriptions, etc. They are made from woven polyethylene that’s why they are more durable than other poly mailers.

Is a Poly Mailer Right for Your Business? Types of Businesses That Can Use Poly Mailers for Shipping

So are poly mailers suited to ship any product? Well, no. Poly mailers are best for businesses delivering non-fragile small to medium-sized products. Here is a list of businesses that can use poly mailer shipping:

Fabrics & Clothing 

Poly mailers are best suited for e-commerce businesses that sell fabrics. From T-shirts to hoodies, jeans to bedding products you can use poly bags for shipping. This is a moisture-resistant and cost-effective shipment packaging option. 

Moreover, they are customizable. So you can add your brand aesthetics to engage customers and create an exciting unboxing experience. You can get them printed with your brand slogans, any message you want your customers to receive, or even drawings. These branding techniques will change your customers into a loyal fan base. 

Health and Wellness Products

Health and wellness industries can use poly mailers for safe and budget-friendly packaging. Poly mailers are temperature resistant ensuring that your sensitive products (supplements, or skin care) are safe and secure during transit; providing 100% satisfaction to customers. 

You can ship supplements, vitamins, protein powders, etc with poly mailers. If you are a specific supplements, health, or fitness business you should use color poly mailers with your logos and branding elements. This is one of the best ways to create brand recognition and amaze your customers.

Beauty Products

Beauty products are all about their aesthetics, and pretty appearance. The better your packaging more the customers are pulled to your brand. Your beauty brand can use poly mailers for shipping mascaras, powders, lipsticks, lip balms, creams, makeup pallets and much more.

To stand out from thousands of beauty brands online you can customize your poly mailer with your branding colors, funky images, or messages that make your customers feel inspired and empowered. This is one of the reasons why brands like Glossier and ColourPop are so popular today. They create a similar aesthetic and striking experience for their customers.

Jewelry

If you sell jewelry packaging them with poly mailers is the best cost-effective option. Businesses ship jewelres, and accessories in small beautiful jewelry boxes and then pack them in big cardboard boxes for shipment. This adds up to more shipping costs as cardboard boxes are heavy and take up more space. 

Poly mailers take less space in shipping trucks which means more discounts on your product shipment. 

Phone Cases

Businesses that sell phone cases can also use poly mailers for shipment packaging. They keep your product safe from dust and dirt and are also water resistant. 

Books

Poly mailers are an ideal option for shipping your books. Whether you sell journals, manuals, textbooks, or planners poly mailers keep them safe and tear-free during their journey.

Remember to order wholesale poly mailers a bit larger than your product size so that your books are extra safe from any tearing. If you sell only comics, custom-made dairies, or planners you can customize your poly mailers with famous comic characters, quotes, or aesthetic and calm colors respectively to create brand recognition.  

Small Electronic Gadgets

Now you might be thinking shipping electronics with poly mailers is not a good idea. We are with you. If you ship big home appliances or any other electronic equipment then cardboard boxes are a must. 

But all you sell are parts of electronics, or small gadgets like external hard drives, smart watches, heart rate monitors, etc Then go with poly mailers. You can also choose poly mailers with bubble wrap for added protection to avoid any risk of the product getting damaged. 

This way you will be paying less shipping fees as they take up less space in trucks. Moreover buying wholesale cardboard boxes costs more than poly mailers. So you save and will save a huge amount on buying cardboard boxes too.

Toys 

Poly mailers are an excellent choice for retailers and online stores selling toys. Poly mailers keep the product safe and in place. So your toys are shipped in the same condition that you ship them. 

Stuffed, plush, and plastic toys are a few examples to pack with poly mailers. If you are concerned about toy breaking you can add packing peanuts or use bubble wrap for extra protection. 

Why a Business Needs Poly Mailer For Packaging

There are many reasons why you should choose poly mailers for packaging. Here are a few of those reasons:

Best Way to Create Brand Recognition

It’s 2024, and we know branding matters more than ever if you want to stand out and make a loyal customer base. Poly mailers can help you achieve that. 

They are an excellent element of branding strategy every e-commerce business should consider. A report says over 40% of customers share product packaging images or make an unboxing video if the product comes in aesthetic packaging. That means you get free promotions for your business online. 

You can buy custom wholesale poly mailers with your branding elements to align packaging with your brand. This will stand out your products from similar online retailers. This will create a lasting impression on your customers and will also make your brand easily recognizable. 

Budget-friendly Option and Reduces Shipping Costs

E-commerce businesses ship hundreds of orders every month. As shipping companies charge fees based on shipment weight if you ship this large volume of products in traditional cardboard boxes the shipment fees will add up to be a lot more. 

However, when the same products are packed with poly mailers the overall fee will be highly reduced. Poly mailers weigh less than a typical cardboard box. 

You will also have extra space in your transport vehicle when sending those shipments to the courier services office which means you get to clear more products with fewer rounds to courier offices 

Safe Products from Shipping Hazards

Every e-commerce business wants its customers to be happy and satisfied with the products they receive. And poly mailers help you achieve that. They keep your product safe during transit. 

They are also water-resistant and their snug fit quality reduces product movement which usually happens when products are in spacious cardboard boxes. That means your customers get to experience the product as it was shipped without it getting dirty, or damaged during the shipping process. 

Sustainable Shipping Option

Whether your target audience is Gen Z, boomers, or millennials customers are becoming highly environment-conscious day by day. Poly mailers help you showcase you as a business that cares about its carbon footprint as they are recyclable. 

Also, many forms of poly mailers are made from used material which means less use of new raw materials. Besides that, biodegradable and compostable poly mailer options are also available for businesses with core fundamentals being eco-friendly.  

Pros and Cons Of Using Poly Mailer

Let’s review the pros and cons of poly mailers:

Pros 

• Poly mailers are highly cost-effective when it comes to shipment costs.
• Poly mailers are durable and protect products from any damage.
• They are highly customizable. That means you can create a whole branding experience with them 
• Many poly mailers are created from used plastic and they are also recyclable making them an excellent eco-friendly packaging choice. 

Cons 

• Not a suitable option when shipping large-size or fragile items.
• Some of the poly mailer types are not recyclable.

Does USPS accept poly mailers For Shipments?

Yes, USPS accepts poly mailer shipments. They also offer various mailing options to suit your package weight and size. They offer priority mail, first class as well as media class delivery service. 

• You can choose a first-class mail service for shipping less-weight items. It is the cheapest way to ship your products.  

• You can ship your products weighing up to 70Ibs using USPS priority mail. They charge a standard fee for this option and the order will be delivered within 1-4 business days. Also, USPS gets to check your package and verify the goods before shipping. 

• UPSP media mail option is here to ship educational content. You can ship books, CDs, and other print material using this method.

How to Measure a Poly Mailer For Shipping?

Different e-commerce businesses sell different size products. Poly mailers come in various sizes to fit any product. Check out the table for different sizes.:

Everything You Need to Know About Poly Mailer Wrap-Up

Without a doubt, poly mailers are a perfect shipment packaging partner for any e-commerce business that wants to create a wow first impression without paying extra shipping costs. With the help of this guide you know everything about poly mailers and how to incorporate them in your business. 

Looking for a wholesale packaging partner for all your packaging supply needs? We are here to help you with all your personalized packaging supply requirements. Whether you are looking to buy poly mailers, plastic bags, boxes, or other packaging supplies ReanPackaging is your one-stop solution.