What can you ship in a padded paper mailer? A packing guide
You have decided on padded paper mailers. Good. If you are still choosing between a mailer and a plastic courier bag, I have compared the two in padded paper mailer or plastic courier bag. This guide starts where that one stops: the product is on the table, the mailers have arrived, and you want every parcel to reach the customer looking the way it left.
Here is the short answer. A padded paper mailer suits small, light products that need some cushioning: jewellery, books, diaries, phone accessories, cables and cosmetics in plastic packs. Choose the size by measuring the product as it ships, leave room above it for the seal, and put the label flat on the front face. Anything in glass goes in a carton instead.
What is inside a padded paper mailer, and why does it matter for packing?
Our honeycomb padded paper mailers have kraft paper outside and honeycomb paper padding inside, with a self-seal strip to close them. The padding is paper, not plastic bubbles, and the listing says the mailer is recyclable with paper waste after use.
That padding is the reason a mailer protects a book corner better than a plain bag. It is also the reason the mailer holds less than its size suggests. The padding takes up room on both faces, so the usable space inside is smaller than the outside size.
Which mailer size, M1 to M6, suits which product?
We sell 6 sizes, each in packs of 10, 50 and 100. Treat the third column as a starting point to test with your own product, not as a lab result.
| Size | Inches | A good starting point for | Worked example |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | 6x9 | Earrings or ring boxes, watches, phone covers, cables | A 3 x 3 inch ring box, 1.5 inch deep, needs about 5.5 x 5.5 inches. Plenty of room |
| M2 | 9x11 | A5 diaries and planners, slim paperbacks | An A5 diary (5.8 x 8.3 inches) that is 1 inch thick needs 7.8 x 10.3. It fits |
| M3 | 10x13 | Thick paperbacks, boxed cosmetic sets | A 5.5 x 8.5 inch paperback, 1.5 inches thick, needs 8 x 11. That is the limit of M2, so go to M3 |
| M4 | 11x15 | A4 notebooks, hardcover books | An A4 notebook (8.3 x 11.7 inches), 1 inch thick, needs 10.3 x 13.7. M4 fits |
| M5 | 12x16 | Two A4 notebooks, larger boxed items | Two A4 notebooks stacked, 2 inches thick, need 11.3 x 14.7. M5 fits |
| M6 | 15x19 | Large art books, A3 prints on a stiff board | An A3 print (11.7 x 16.5 inches) on a thin board needs about 12.9 x 17.7. M6 fits |
One honest note. The size chart photo on our listing shows slightly bigger numbers (6.9x9.1 inches for M1, up to 15.2x19.1 for M6) than the size names. Treat the size name as the space you can use, and if your product is close to the limit, message us before ordering and we will check it for you.
The maths in the last column is the same rule we use for courier bags. Measure the product as it will ship, with its box. Add its thickness plus about 1 inch to both the width and the length. Then pick the first mailer that covers both numbers.
For mailers I add one more rule of my own. If your product lands within half an inch of a size limit, go one size up, because the honeycomb padding has already eaten some of that space.
If you are unsure between two sizes, order a pack of 10 in each and pack one real order in both. That costs you a few minutes and saves you from a carton of the wrong size.
How much room should I leave for the seal?
More than most people leave.
The top of the mailer, where the flap and the adhesive strip sit, is not packing space.
Slide the product all the way down to the bottom. You should see a clear gap, about a finger's width, between the top of the product and the line where the flap folds. The strip then closes on flat paper.
If you have to push the product down to make the flap meet, the mailer is too small. We would honestly rather sell you one size up than see a strip split open in transit. A strip that closes over a bulge is under strain the whole way, and a strained strip can lift at a corner in the courier sack.
How do I pack jewellery in a padded mailer?
Wrap it twice.
The mailer is the outer layer. The inner layer is a small pouch or box of its own.
The inner layer does three jobs:
- It stops chains from tangling and stones from scratching each other.
- It keeps a small piece from sliding into a corner of the mailer, where the paper gets pressed hardest when parcels are stacked.
- It protects the piece if the customer opens the mailer with scissors.
If the pouch moves about inside an M1, fold a piece of plain paper around it so it sits in the middle. Then shake the mailer before you seal it. If you can feel the pouch slide from end to end, add a little more paper.
For costly pieces, I would think twice. The tamper-evident seal we stand behind is the one on our courier bags, so for a gold or silver piece I would rather use a small box inside a tamper-proof bag. I have written about what that seal proves, and what it does not, in tamper-proof courier bags and return fraud.
Can I ship small glass cosmetics in a padded mailer?
My answer is no.
If it is glass, it goes in a carton.
I know the bottle is small, and I know a 10 ml roller looks safe in an M1. But a padded mailer travels in a sack with heavier parcels on top of it. The honeycomb lining softens a knock. It does not stop a crushing load, and glass that cracks inside paper can also cut through it.
Cosmetics in plastic are a different story. We list small boxed cosmetics as one of the products our mailers suit best. Lipsticks, compacts, tubes and plastic jars travel well in a mailer, ideally inside their own retail box.
Move up to a carton when any of these is true:
- Any part of the product is glass.
- It is a liquid with a pump or dropper that could leak. Paper and liquid do not get along.
- You are sending several items that will knock against each other.
- The filled mailer sags when you hold it up by one corner.
For anything liquid that stays in a mailer, seal it in a small plastic pouch first, so one loose cap cannot soak the paper and the label. For the carton route, our guide on packing fragile orders without plastic walks through wrap and void fill.
How do I protect the corners of a book?
Corners are where books get hurt. In a plain bag they take every knock in the sack, which is why I suggest a padded mailer for books in the first place.
Three habits help:
- Choose a snug size. A book that slides from end to end hits the end of the mailer with its corner on every bump.
- If you send two or more books, stack them square, with the edges lined up, and wrap a strip of paper around the stack so they move as one block.
- For art prints and posters, add a piece of stiff card the same size as the print, so it cannot bend.
Wrapping the book in a sheet of plain paper first also keeps the cover from rubbing against the kraft. That matters for a glossy cover or a gift order.
How do I seal the mailer properly?
You do not need tape.
The strip does the job, if you give it a fair chance.
- Keep the liner on until the product is inside and checked.
- Peel the liner off in one pull, and do not touch the glue with dusty fingers.
- Fold the flap straight along its line.
- Press from the centre outwards with your thumb, along the full length of the strip.
- Run your thumb along it once more before the parcel leaves the table.
Once it is sealed, opening it usually tears the paper. So fit and check first. Keep a few spare mailers on the table for the day someone packs the wrong item.
Where should the label and the invoice go?
Put the shipping label flat on the front face, in the middle, away from the flap and away from the edges. UPS's packaging guidelines (2024) say plainly that a label should not sit on a seam, an edge or a closure, and the same logic holds for any courier in India. A label folded over an edge or sitting on the flap gets scuffed, and a scuffed barcode is a delayed parcel.
If the product inside has a curved or bulky face, place the label over the flattest part. A barcode on a bump is harder to scan.
The invoice needs a plan too. Unlike our courier bags, which carry a POD jacket, our mailers have no invoice pocket. You have two choices. Put the invoice inside, on top of the product, or put it in a small packing list envelope stuck flat on the front, next to the label. Our packing list envelopes guide explains which size fits a folded invoice.
I would also drop a copy of the delivery address inside. If the outer label is ever torn off, the parcel can still find its way.
Questions sellers ask
Will a paper mailer survive the monsoon? Paper and water do not get along. In heavy rain, a sealed plastic courier bag keeps water out better than a paper mailer, and I would not pretend otherwise. If your customers are in a heavy-rain area in July, think about that before you switch every order.
How many items can I put in one mailer? As many as fit with the finger's-width gap above them and without a bulge. If you need to press to close it, go one size up or use two mailers.
Can I try a mailer before I buy a pack? Yes. Our free sample listing has a honeycomb mailer variant, listed at Rs 0. After that, start with a pack of 10, because once a size works, the bigger packs cost less per mailer.
We make paper packaging at JPPL for buyers in India and in 20+ countries, and mailers are the simplest way I know for a small brand to drop plastic from one product line first. Pack your best-selling product in one tonight, shake it, and see how it feels in your hand.
Products in this guide
Prices are before GST. Free delivery across India on every order.
