Hey all, I'm sure nearly all of you have had to deal with taping up your shipping boxes when mailing sets off to customers. I've reached a stage where I'm tired of wrestling with those disposable red dispensers from Staples and would like to purchase something more professional. I'm looking for recommendations, advice, pros, cons, loves, hates. Thank you!

I use a scissors and packing tape.  Nothing very fancy.

I use Duck brand packaging tape and a plain ol green dispenser.  I bust them up every so often but that's ok.  Also, I use the FREE priority mail boxes from the USPS.  You can order them online.

I use Duck brand packaging tape and a plain ol green dispenser.  I bust them up every so often but that's ok.  Also, I use the FREE priority mail boxes from the USPS.  You can order them online.

 

Duck brand is by far the best. This is what i use as well.

http://www.seton.com/shipping-tape-dispensers-z59.html

We ship 100+ packages/week on our slow weeks and have never gone beyond the packing tape and scissors method. The packing tape dispensers have always been more trouble than they're worth.

I just use regular packing tape and scissors as well. I agree that anything beyond that is more trouble than it's worth.

We ship 100+ packages/week on our slow weeks and have never gone beyond the packing tape and scissors method. The packing tape dispensers have always been more trouble than they're worth.

 

For those who use the just scissors method, what brand tape do you use? I find that the tape I use always starts tearing as I'm trying to unroll it and I end up having to keep unroll until I get the full width of the tape.

I use a regular roll of tape, and a sharp pair of scissors. I don't think I will be moving beyond this anytime soon. Dispensers require too much work and they don't always work.

I use duck tape. The cute little duck cheers me on.

For those who use the just scissors method, what brand tape do you use? I find that the tape I use always starts tearing as I'm trying to unroll it and I end up having to keep unroll until I get the full width of the tape.

 

Costco carries Scotch brand packaging tape, and I stock up during the $7/off sales. It's great quality, never tears.

Costco carries Scotch brand packaging tape, and I stock up during the $7/off sales. It's great quality, never tears.

Same here...Bought a pack of 8 rolls. Not only is it a great value, it's great quality, as you said! 

Amateurs!

 

http://www.uline.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?modelnumber=S-423

 

That's the tape we use for everything we ship. Buy a case and you get a free side load dispenser, which we also use. Using scissors and a roll of tape would make things way too cumbersome and slow.

 

Here's numerous others dispensers that Uline offers:

 

http://www.uline.com/Grp_16/Tape-Dispensers-Hand-Held-Guns?pricode=WG254&gclid=COrwlJ2a4rgCFSdo7AodQkMAig&gclsrc=aw.ds

Agree with emes, it becomes a case of efficiency. I have cartons of packing tape for use with the side load dispensers. It is just so much easier, and that is before looking at the volume others do on this site.

Funny story to go with this.

 

So we have a shipping room on my floor at work. Couple weeks ago I sold a Lego set and borrowed that to tape up the box down in my car. Now, my wife and I work together so we ride together usually in her car. I took the set over to the USPS and everything was good.

 

About a week ago, I went to the shipping room and the tape dispenser was gone. I kinda though - you know maybe I left it in my Wife's car. So I went out and looked everywhere for it. Wasn't there. I borrow it all the time so I figured I brought it back in and didn't think about it.

 

Get an email (to everyone in the department) asking whoever borrowed the tape dispenser to bring it back. I thought again - but I was like "I only had it in the car so it's not me".

 

Fast forward a day later, and my wife and some of our co-workers are talking about it at lunch. My wife says "I just took one out of our car like two weeks ago and put it in the garage but that one is Evan's."... 

 

...

 

...

 

So needless to say, I know how to bring it back and admit to being the one who "lost" it though if my wife wasn't so anal about me leaving one little thing in her car, this wouldn't have happened.

http://www.seton.com/shipping-tape-dispensers-z59.html

That's exactly what I use with good ol' Duck brand tape.

(There's a part of me as a guy that makes me want to say Duct tape. Hey, it's a favorite of the Mythbusters!)

Amateurs!

http://www.uline.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?modelnumber=S-423

 

That's the tape we use for everything we ship. Buy a case and you get a free side load dispenser, which we also use. Using scissors and a roll of tape would make things way too cumbersome and slow.

 

Here's numerous others dispensers that Uline offers:

 

http://www.uline.com/Grp_16/Tape-Dispensers-Hand-Held-Guns?pricode=WG254&gclid=COrwlJ2a4rgCFSdo7AodQkMAig&gclsrc=aw.ds

....Dang. That is a lot of dispensers. I agree though; if you want to ship anything, be professional about it. Your customers (and product) will thank you for going the extra mile.

Wow you guys are really into tape... I just use wadded up gobs of ABC gum. I find that Bubble Yum sticks the longest, but Bubblicious dries faster. Stay away from stick gums, they're worthless, they'll flake and come undone before your package arrives.

Either way it's a cheap supply. Plus, my customer gets to chew it while he unwraps and builds. Bonus!