If you are anything like me and you seem to buy just about as much as you sell then this is a great tip for you!!

Don't throw away those postbags that arrive on your door step.  Instead, open them carefully and keep them for when you need to pack something up that you sold.  Over time, I found I accumulated quite a big pile of all different shapes and sizes (and a lot of bubble wrap too!).  Buyers really appreciate it when you don't over charge on postage and handling and by recycling the postpaks they will save a lot of money on handling.  That way you just charge them for the postage and you aren't out of pocket yourself.  Buyers will be more attracted to your items if you have a lower priced 'handling' fee.

You will be suprised just how many bags you can recycle! 
Another way to save on packaging is to use garbage bags.  They are great for items that won't get damaged in transit and particularly big, boxed items.  But remember the more obscure the shape of the package the cheaper it is!  Aust Post 'cube' boxes and parcel that are shaped anything like a box.  But they can't 'cube' an obscure shape - so this is where using garbage bags comes in handy!  Wrap your item in plenty of bubble wrap first and you have a very safe way to send items.  This way, the parcel goes on weight alone and not the weight plus the cubing.  Where possible I try to avoid using boxes - especially for things like shoes etc that don't fit in a 3kg satchel. 

So... in a nutshell....

• re-use those postpaks that you receive in your mailbox
• save all your bubble wrap that you come across
• recycle packaging containers / bags
• try to avoid using boxes for heavier, bulky item
• package the items in obscure shapes to avoid being charged extra fees for 'cubing'.

I do hope this helps !