780 NW Garden Valley Blvd
STE 64
Roseburg, OR 97471
Phone: (541) 900-1518
Fax: (541) 900-1517

4601 Carnes Rd
STE 8
Green, OR 97471
Phone: (541) 679-5711
Fax: (541) 679-5163

Use This Packing Supplies Checklist for Shipping and Moving

What if one small mistake completely ruined your moving or shipping experience?

Whenever you’re moving or having things shipped, your focus is clear: you need to safely get all your important items from Point A to Point B. But if you don’t have the right packing supplies, you could end up losing both time and money.

How can you avoid such a costly mistake? Keep reading to discover everything you need on our shipping and moving supplies checklist!

Bubble Wrap

When it comes to packing supplies, it’s crucial to have bubble wrap on hand. That’s because bubble wrap is your best line of defense keeping your fragile items breaking during the move.

When it comes to how to pack items for shipping, most people think of cardboard boxes (more on those in a moment). But when packing things like statues, snow globes, and teapots, these things can easily break during a move if you just throw them into a box and hope for the best.

Instead, you need to take a more careful approach. When you use bubble wrap as packing material, you can easily protect these delicate items during transit.

Line the bottom of the box with bubble wrap, and then wrap each fragile item in its own layer of bubble wrap. This will help keep them safe and secure during transport.

Just make sure the bubbles are facing inward, and don’t forget to use larger bubbles for bigger items!

Cardboard Boxes (and Plenty of Them)

Cardboard boxes are the obvious choice for shipping and chances are you already have some cardboard boxes if you’re getting ready for a move. But take it from us: you’re probably going to need more boxes than what you have on hand.

For example, someone moving out of a three-bedroom house often needs as many as 90 boxes. That’s because we tend to forget about all of the little things that end up in various drawers, cabinets, and nooks.

You can downsize ahead of the move, of course. But we still recommend you have a selection of small, medium, and large boxes. The majority of these boxes should be medium-sized for maximum efficiency.

And don’t forget to use heavy duty boxes for larger items!

Packing Tape or Duct Tape?

Packing tape is a “must-have” for every shipping and moving checklist. That’s beause this type of tape is designed to keep cardboard boxes closed, even when they’re full of heavy items.

If you have multiple people helping you pack, it’s best for each person to have their own individual roll of tape.

While duct tape has many uses, it’s not the best choice for packing boxes. That’s because duct tape is sticky and can be difficult to remove. This can make it hard to open boxes later on down the road.

Photo: Woman using packing tape to seal a box

Packing Paper

It’s easy to overlook packing paper when you’re getting ready to move or ship items. However, this versatile paper can help you move several kinds of items cleanly and efficiently.

For example, it serves as a more straightforward and cheaper alternative to bubble wrap for protecting items like dishes.

You can also use packing paper to fill in any empty spaces in the box as a complement to bubble wrap. This will help prevent your items from shifting around during transit.

If you don’t have packing paper on hand, you can use newspapers for the same purpose. Just be aware that newspapers are not as clean as packing paper, so you’ll need to wash those dishes before using them.

Sturdy Scissors and a Box Cutter

Scissors are a “go-to” packing material on both sides of your move. You’ll need scissors to cut the tape as needed when packing things up. And once you’re unpacking, you’ll need scissors to help open up the boxes you sealed with packing tape.

It’s important to have both boxcutters and scissors rather than relying on one or the other exclusively. When it comes to moving supplies, it’s always better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it.

Photo of scissors, one of many important packing supplies

Stretch Wrap

Some of your items, including your furniture, are too big to fit into a box. When it comes to those more oversized items, you need to ensure you have stretch wrap on your packing supplies checklist.

Stretch wrap is convenient because it sticks to itself, meaning you don’t have to use tape and worry about the tape leaving residue. You can also put stretch wrap over things like your drawers, cabinet doors, couches, and other delicate furniture parts.

If you don’t use stretch wrap, things like cabinet doors can easily break off during transit. And just like that, a valuable item may be permanently damaged.

Marking Pens

Some of the best shipping and moving supplies are also the simplest. For example, you need good marking pens to label your various boxes after you pack and tape them up.

Not all pens are created equal. For best results, you should use a large Sharpie pen to make your labels easy to read.

Your labeling should include more than what’s inside the box. You should also write arrows indicating which end of the box is “up.” Also, if the contents of the box are fragile, make sure you write that down clearly on the box.

Woman using a marker to label a box

A Good Toolkit

While it’s impossible to prepare for everything, you should try to plan for unexpected scenarios ahead of your move. And one of the best ways to do this is to bring a good toolkit with you.

Standard toolkits usually include multiple hammers, screwdrivers, a utility knife, measuring tape, a drill, and much more. You may not need all of these things during the move, but you’ll be grateful to have them if you do.

For example, you can use the toolkit to dismantle larger furniture ahead of the move and remove wall hangings as needed. A toolkit can save you plenty of time and energy, not to mention you’ll save money if you’re paying movers to tie up any loose ends.

Beyond Packing Supplies: Shipping and Moving Made Easy

It’s one thing to pack everything up with everything on your packing supplies checklist. But what if someone could help you with both packing and shipping some of your items ahead of the move date?

Here at Goin’ Postal, we specialize in safe and cost effective shipping. From providing you with packing supplies to shipping your most delicate items, all you have to do to get started is contact us today!