Materials guide for LEGO selling & shipping

Many members have asked for a centralized place where they can go for shipping box information. I'm going to pin this post and update it as new information is provided. I just want to take a few minutes and thank those who wrote the following articles. They are still very good reference materials for the LEGO storage and shipping process. I may develop this into a blog article eventually.

Fcbarcelona101's : Selling LEGO : Basic Materials Guide
Mos Eisley 's : LEGO Storage Wars

Incompetech's Catalog of Amazon.com Box Sizes - (thanks No More Monkeys)

Amazon Boxes Sorted list by length - courtesy of pstebbing

I've scoured the forums and here is a list of box sizes with basic set information:

Boxes:
24x20x8 : Super Star Destroyer; Death Star, Roller Coaster, UCS Sandcrawler, Assembly Square
24x20x6 : Thicker sets like Town Hall, Tower Bridge
24x16x6 - 60052 Cargo Train, R2-D2, Maersk Line Triple-E, 7939 Cargo Train
24x16x4 - Helm's Deep, Vampyre Castle, Black Pearl, Friends Riding Camp, Parisian Restaurant, High Speed Passenger Train, Jabba's Palace, Downtown Diner
24x20x4 : Grand Emporium, Pet Shop, Imperial Shuttle, Haunted House, Palace Cinema, Fire Brigade
24x14x4 : Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol
24x4x12 - Dolphin Cruiser, Coast Guard Patrol
20x16x4 - Volkswagen Camper Van, Olivia's House, Sonic Raider, Sopwith, Creator Bike Shop, Batcave, Quinjet, Moria & Ambush
20x16x6 : Thicker sets like the Republic Gunship; City Cargo Plane
20x14x4 : Attack on Weathertop, Hulk 's Helicarrier Breakout, X-Wing 9493, Black Gate
16x16x4 : Gungan Sub, Pre Viszla, Tie Fighter
16x10x4 : Council of Elrond, Desert Skiff, City Grand Prix Truck
16x10x6 : Thicker sets like Creator Family House, Hillside House
15x12x4 : Funhouse, Orc Forge, Tumbler Chase, Daily Bugle Showdown, Hulk Lab Smash
12x12x4 : Uruk Hai Army, City Cargo Truck, Creator Treehouse, City Fire Emergency
11-3/4x8-3/4x4-3/4 : Wolverine Chopper, Arctic Batman, Power Armor Lex, Droid Escape, Cloud Cuckoo Palace
12x8x3 - Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets
10x8x4 : Battle Packs, CA Avenging Cycle, Catwoman, Gandalf Arrives, Holiday sets

Envelopes:
4x8 : Minifigs & small polybags
6x9 : Polybags small & larger
10.5 x 16 : Larger shipments of 3 x polybags or more

Packing Tape : buy in bulk or on sale : you can throw some in during a Staples coupon promotion to get up to free shipping
Walmart.com Duck Brand Packaging Tape
http://www.staples.com/Staples-Standard-Grade-Packaging-Tape-Clear-189-x-110-yds-6-Rolls/product_380107

Retailers:
Uline.com : holiday sale starts first part of November (usually 30% off)
Staples.com : use coupon promotions - $10 off $30, $20 off $75, free shipping over $60
Walmart.com
USPS Priority Mail (free boxes at USPS.com)

 

Michigan Box Company:

Flat Boxes 18"-23" L  (thanks pstebbing)

GBE Packaging (thanks pstebbing)
 

PackingSupplies.com

http://www.packaging...ated_boxes.html     (thanks pstebbing)

 

Bubble Wrap:
3/16" thick x 350' ft x 12" wide - eBay

 

Sams Club

3/16" - 12"x240' $12.98 (In store) ($.05/LF) (thanks pstebbing)

I like to use large and small retailer plastic bags to wrap items in, even after I bubble wrap it.

For battle packs and even small sets, I sometimes use Wal-Mart, Target, or plastic bags from any store. Additional packing isn 't really needed. Usually like 2 bags on bottom, one to wrap the item, and two bags on top. Make sure to cover the corners of the item real nice to provide extra padding.

Rule of thumb : ship & pack all of your items the same way you 'd like to receive items you've purchased.

Shipping Paper:
Collect it when you receive shipments.
http://www.amazon.com/Pratt-Multipurpose-Packaging-KPR30241200R-Length/dp/B00AI652CM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408061459&sr=8-1&keywords=pratt+kraft+paper+1200?

Shipping Labels & Printers:
Dymo 450 & Dymo 400
Brother QL-700

DoNotInsertIntoMouth's : How to setup your label printer for shipping on eBay


Feel free to post a follow-up or point out anything I missed. I 'll update it with what everyone wants added. I hope this is helpful.

20 hours ago, legogregors said:

Staples has a 40% off packaging coupon for orders over $50

41201 good until 1/16/16

Does anyone know the best Staples box size for set 10697 Large Creative Box 1500 piece?

The last time I shipped out towers (10664) I didn't have that many (less than 10) so I bought the 12×12×10.5 boxes ($.67/ea) from Walmart and telescoped them.

stumbled upon this today.  pretty interesting.

 

http://www.packsize.com/know-your-different-types-of-corrugated-cardboard/

 

Corrugated Cardboard Shipping Boxes & Materials

November 6, 2013 Posted by Jacob in Cardboard

How well do you know the different types of corrugated cardboard? If your answer was “I didn’t even know there was more than one type,” you probably don’t work in the packaging industry. For those of us who aren’t sure how to tell the difference between C-flute and Double wall, here’s a handy guide on what different types of corrugated cardboard packaging is commonly used.

What is corrugated cardboard in the first place?

Well, if we want to get really technical here, the correct term is corrugated fiberboard. Cardboard is a generic term that includes all types of heavy-duty paper that can include card stock, paperboard, and corrugated fiberboard. However, when the average person thinks about cardboard, the first image that pops into their head is likely corrugated fiberboard. Corrugated cardboard is made by gluing a flat sheet of paper to a corrugated (wavy) sheet of paper. In other words, all corrugated cardboard will have this texture when viewed from the side:

 

What types of corrugated are there?

There are several sizes and styles that corrugated cardboard comes in. Here’s a quick look at a few of them:

 

1. Single Face Board—Doesn’t have the durability that other types of corrugated packaging materials have, but is very cheap to produce and can provide an extra layer of protection to already packaged products.

2. Single Wall Board—The most common style corrugated cardboard is manufactured in. Some of the more common flutes of single wall boards are listed below.

• C-Flute is by far the most common corrugated flute because of its versatility. It’s an acceptable surface to print on and is strong enough for most shipping situations. It’s not great at folding in the direction of the fluting, but is still adequate for most users. C-Flute is 3-16ths of an inch thick.
• B-Flute is a little bit smaller at 1/8th of an inch in thickness, and it is used for smaller products and boxes. It’s better for folding into intricate shapes and for printing, so this is the flute usually seen for Point-Of-Purchase (P.O.P.) displays or for cardboard cutouts.
• E-Flute is very thin at 3/32nds of an inch. It’s very easy to fold and is excellent for printing. It’s used as the primary packaging for many smaller boxes, such as a pizza box.
• F-Flute is micro thin at only 1/16th of an inch. It was designed to send less waste to landfills and is used for specialty packaging and shoeboxes.
• R-Flute is a newer type of fluting designed as an alternative to B-flute. Compared to B-Flute, R-Flute has smaller and closer fluting, which leads to an improved printing surface and less manufacturing waste.

3. Double Wall Board—Much more resistant to breaking when stacked. This type of corrugated is commonly used for larger industrial containers.

4. Triple Wall Board—Strong enough to be a substitute for wooden crates. It has traditionally been used for shipping chemical containers.

This has been an introductory lesson on the makeup of corrugated fiberboard and a few of the different kinds of corrugated cardboard shipping boxes. We consider ourselves something of an expert on packaging and packaging materials.

 

 

1 hour ago, jaisonline said:

stumbled upon this today.  pretty interesting.

 

http://www.packsize.com/know-your-different-types-of-corrugated-cardboard/

 

Ahem...  So now that you know all about the flutes, how should you use them to your advantage when storing and shipping LEGO? 

Too bad the pictures were lost in the forum upgrade. I normally keep all my pictures, but I can't find them.

 

14 minutes ago, belljohn said:

Staples has 40% off shipping supplies.  Ends today.  Code 41201.  The 20x16x16 and 24x16x16 are great for storing, stacking, and FBA shipping to Amazon.

 http://www.staples.com/coupons/?icid=HP:HP:DEALSDROP:COUPON:TEXT:WEEKLY:20140101:0

What size is best for Grand Emporiums?

37 minutes ago, jgschmieg3 said:

What size is best for Grand Emporiums?

You want to stand them upright when you ship them, so I use 24x20x20.  Make sure to reinforce the bottom, top and sides with extra cardboard and not air pillows.  I cut up the jumbo boxes I get from Target, Amazon, and TRU and use them for lining inside my shippers.

http://www.staples.com/24-L-x-20-W-x-20-H-Staples-Corrugated-Shipping-Boxes/product_426406?cmArea=FAVORITES

You use a 24x20x20 to ship one modular or is that for multiples?  I use a 26x20x6 for most of my larger sets and that seems to work just fine for seller fulfilled and eBay.

Edited January 16, 201610 yr by zskid00

What shipping supplies are you guys getting with staples 40% off? Any great deals on tape? 

50 minutes ago, zskid00 said:

You use a 24x20x20 to ship one modular or is that for multiples?  I use a 26x20x6 for most of my larger sets and that seems to work just fine for seller fulfilled and eBay.

He said Grand Emporiums (plural), so I assumed he was shipping multiples. The 24x20x20 holds 5 GE or other similar sized exclusives.  If you are shipping just 1, then yes, use a much smaller box.

 

49 minutes ago, Lego_Monsters said:

What shipping supplies are you guys getting with staples 40% off? Any great deals on tape? 

I buy this tape:

http://www.staples.com/Duck-HP260-High-Performance-Packaging-Tape-188-x-60-yds-6-Rolls/product_702512

This packing paper:

http://www.staples.com/Staples-Newsprint-Sheets-20-inch-x-30-inch-600-Sheets/product_948228

And these boxes for shipping a variety of sets:

http://www.staples.com/20-L-x-16-W-x-4-H-Staples-Corrugated-Shipping-Boxes/product_557424

Edited January 16, 201610 yr by zskid00

20 minutes ago, zskid00 said:

 

I buy this tape:

http://www.staples.com/Duck-HP260-High-Performance-Packaging-Tape-188-x-60-yds-6-Rolls/product_702512

This packing paper:

http://www.staples.com/Staples-Newsprint-Sheets-20-inch-x-30-inch-600-Sheets/product_948228

And these boxes for shipping a variety of sets:

http://www.staples.com/20-L-x-16-W-x-4-H-Staples-Corrugated-Shipping-Boxes/product_557424

Thanks!

Looking for boxes in the UK, grateful for any info or the right thread, if there is one.

Thanks.

Bookmarked for awesomeness, this is helpful not just shipping but requesting sellers to offer more affordable options.

My sister lives in California and two years ago I bought a 10217 Diagon Alley from amazon.com with delivery at my sister house

now I want she send me it....which is the cheapest and safest way to ship it to italy?

thanks

On 19/1/2016 at 10:25 PM, HB5 said:

Looking for boxes in the UK, grateful for any info or the right thread, if there is one.

Thanks.

and in Italy :-)

@glucapg maybe the safest way is to visir her in California, enjoy the sun and bring back the set with you

No customs issues, no extra taxes and a good chance to live the American dream!

7 minutes ago, Anakin_Skywalker said:

@glucapg maybe the safest way is to visir her in California, enjoy the sun and bring back the set with you

No customs issues, no extra taxes and a good chance to live the American dream!

Exact! I just needed a confirmaiton....thanks!

@glucapg maybe the safest way is to visir her in California, enjoy the sun and bring back the set with you [emoji3]

No customs issues, no extra taxes and a good chance to live the American dream! [emoji4]

Exact! I just needed a confirmaiton....thanks!

Apart from jokes...I let someone else answer you in a more detailed way.

I am from Italy too and when I can I tend to avoid purchasing from US due to customs, long shipping time and too many other variables that in some cases are swallowing the advantage of a much lower price on some items. Maybe it is just me being too risk averse on this, but it's not made for me.

I am curious if someone else has some more experience on this 'cause I would be interested too

Can anyone help confirm that this is correct - USPS Priority from 64030 to 23518, about 5 lb 10oz, 24x19x8

USPS Pricing - $48 Priority, Paypal - $41 Prioirty.

This seems crazy high to me. I was shipping similar sized sets a month ago for $17-20 through Paypal. Is something wacko or did rates really double?

19 minutes ago, dustyshelf said:

Can anyone help confirm that this is correct - USPS Priority from 64030 to 23518, about 5 lb 10oz, 24x19x8

USPS Pricing - $48 Priority, Paypal - $41 Prioirty.

This seems crazy high to me. I was shipping similar sized sets a month ago for $17-20 through Paypal. Is something wacko or did rates really double?

I get like $48.85.  FedEx Ground is $26.08 before discount.

18 minutes ago, dustyshelf said:

Can anyone help confirm that this is correct - USPS Priority from 64030 to 23518, about 5 lb 10oz, 24x19x8

USPS Pricing - $48 Priority, Paypal - $41 Prioirty.

This seems crazy high to me. I was shipping similar sized sets a month ago for $17-20 through Paypal. Is something wacko or did rates really double?

Rates got insanely high, but I'm betting the 8" height put you into the freight charge area.  There's some sort of calculation that you do with the girth and if it exceeds a certain number it changes to freight.  It takes about $20 off if it's only 4" height with the same weight.  International shipping OVER doubled for small bubble mailers.  Went from 6.39 to 13.50!

Ditto to what others said. What are you shipping?

11 hours ago, exciter1 said:

I get like $48.85.  FedEx Ground is $26.08 before discount.

I just shipped a non-LEGO return to amazon for a 3rd party seller, standard ULine 32x18x12 box, was $58 via Paypal. I did a doubletake. Still, had to ship it so purchased at that price - luckily the vendor already refunded me the entire cost as soon as I sent proof of shipment.

Don't know if it's been discussed or not. As we refurnish the house. I stumbled upon a question of some sort. Is it logical to think that one can gut the old mattress in the house and or the pillows and use the stuffing for packing material. I can think of two issues with this one is if it stinks don't know why that would happen but I guess it does and the other would be adding weight to your package.  My wife says we would be doing the earth a wonderful favor if we find a way to recycle these things. Anybody have any thoughts on this. 

Don't know if it's been discussed or not. As we refurnish the house. I stumbled upon a question of some sort. Is it logical to think that one can gut the old mattress in the house and or the pillows and use the stuffing for packing material. I can think of two issues with this one is if it stinks don't know why that would happen but I guess it does and the other would be adding weight to your package.  My wife says we would be doing the earth a wonderful favor if we find a way to recycle these things. Anybody have any thoughts on this. 

Sounds messy for the recipient...

1 hour ago, dcdfan said:

Sounds messy for the recipient...

Ok I just gutted the mattress and its a big piece of foam folded over numerous times. Seems like I can cut it to size and it can be padding  beneath the Lego boxes. I'll give it a go and see what happens. 

Ok I just gutted the mattress and its a big piece of foam folded over numerous times. Seems like I can cut it to size and it can be padding  beneath the Lego boxes. I'll give it a go and see what happens. 

This is either the best idea ever or the worst. There is no middle ground. I can't wait to find out.