When you need to regularly ship any type of product, you want to ensure you choose the right packaging supplies. It does no good to manufacture anything if it doesn't arrive to consumers or storefronts in good working order and in one piece. You also need to consider how packaging supplies add to your costs for shipping. Note a few tips for choosing the best packaging supplies for your product no matter what you're shipping.

1. Start with compliance regulations

You may need to comply with certain regulations for what you're shipping, and you may be surprised to find out that these regulations apply to your product. For instance, you may not think that pet food is actually considered a food product since it's only for pets, but shippers may need to keep it separated from petroleum products and other hazardous materials that could contaminate its ingredients. The end receiver may also have certain regulations you must follow to ship to them, such as not wanting items packaged individually so they can cut down on packaging waste, or not wanting items packaged together so they can store items individually in their warehouse. When you're preparing packaging materials, always note any compliance regulations from your shipper or end receiver first.

2. Leave room for labeling

When choosing exterior packaging, leave room for labeling. Your package will probably change hands several times while in transit, so you need to ensure there is plenty of room for bar codes, identification tags, handwritten notes, and the like. If your shipping address takes up much of the exterior space of a package, you may find that it gets covered by these markings while it's being shipped, so choose packaging that is big enough for you to leave space for labels and other such items during shipment.

3. Choose reusable materials

Thicker cardboard for exterior packaging can be a bigger investment upfront, but it can also mean being able to reuse your packaging again and again. You might have an arrangement with a customer that they send back empty packages on a regular basis, with you paying the shipping or postal costs, so you can then reuse those materials. Cardboard with a plastic film allows you to more readily remove labels that were used for shipping, and you might find that you can then use the same packaging repeatedly for your product, saving you money on shipping materials in the long run.