Zip lock pouches for online sellers: sizes, uses and mistakes

A zip lock pouch is the cheapest thing on a packing table, and one of the most useful. It keeps small things together, clean and visible inside a bigger parcel.

It is also the thing sellers buy in the wrong size most often.

Here is the short answer.

A clear zip lock pouch is an inner pack, not a shipping pack. Use the smallest size that fits the product flat with a little room, press out the air, close the full zip, and then put it inside a courier bag, a mailer or a carton. Our zip lock pouches are listed in ten sizes, from 2x3 to 10x14, in packs of 50 and 100. The listing gives the sizes without a unit. In the Indian trade these pouch sizes are given in inches, and the table below reads them that way. If you need exact measurements before a bulk order, message us.

Which zip lock size fits which product?

We list each size as two numbers, and the table below reads them as inches, width x length. Remember that the zip and the side seals take a little room, so the usable space is slightly smaller than the listed size.

Listed size	What usually fits
2x3	One pair of studs, a nose pin, a ring, spare buttons
3x4	Earrings on a small card, a pendant, a few screws or washers
4x5	A thin chain or bracelet, one rakhi, a small hardware kit
5x6	A set of bangles, a coiled charging cable, a craft bead set
5x7	A necklace set, an invoice folded to A6 size
6x8	A rakhi kit with a small roli-chawal packet, a spare parts kit with an Allen key
7x9	A thin A5 manual, or an A4 invoice folded once
8x10	A pack of socks, a small kids' garment, a manual with a warranty card and spare parts
9x12	A folded T-shirt, a set of documents
10x14	A folded kurti or shirt, A4 papers kept flat

If you are between two sizes, I would order a pack of 50 in each and lay the product on both before buying more.

A pouch that is too tight bursts at the zip. A pouch that is too big lets the product slide around and looks careless. We would rather you buy two small packs than one big pack of the wrong size.

Clear press-seal zip lock pouches stacked flat

Can a zip lock pouch stop artificial jewellery from tarnishing?

It helps. It does not stop it, and I would not want any seller to promise that to a customer.

Tarnish on silver is caused by sulphur compounds in the air, as the Canadian Conservation Institute explains in its care note on silver. Its advice is to store each piece in a sealed polyethylene bag, and for extra protection to add small packs of dry silica gel and activated charcoal inside. Oxidised and plated artificial jewellery dulls for the same broad reasons, air and moisture, so the same habits help.

So here is how I would pack a jewellery order:

Make sure the piece and your hands are dry. Sweat and damp do more harm than anything else on the table.
One piece, or one matching set, per pouch. Pieces rubbing together scratch each other.
Press out the air before you close the zip.
Add an anti-tarnish strip or a small silica sachet if the piece will sit in stock for months. We do not sell these, so buy them from a jewellery supplier.
Close the zip along its full length.

Now the honest limit.

A press-seal zip is not airtight-proof. Air still gets in slowly through the zip and the film. For a customer's order that ships in a few days, that is fine. For stock you keep in a damp godown through the monsoon, check it every few weeks.

How do you use zip pouches for spare parts and hardware kits?

This is where a pouch saves the most customer calls, and where I see the most value for the money. A buyer of a shoe rack or a wall shelf opens the box, and the screws are already counted and together.

Count the parts into one pouch per kit. Write the kit name or the product code on a small sticker, not directly on the film with a marker that smudges. Then keep the kit pouch together with the manual, so the customer finds both at once.

Screws with sharp tips can push through thin film. So wrap the tips in a twist of paper, or use a slightly bigger pouch so the parts lie flat instead of pressing on one corner.

Are these pouches safe for spice and dry fruit samples?

Our listing does not claim food-grade film.

So I will not tell you to put loose spices or dry fruits straight into these pouches.

If you send food samples, pack the food in a pouch that its supplier certifies for food contact, and seal it. You can then use our zip pouches outside that, to keep a set of samples together with a note or a price list. This is the same rule we follow everywhere in packaging. Only material that is certified for food contact touches food.

How do sellers use them for rakhi and craft kits?

Kits are where clear pouches look best, because the customer sees every piece. For a rakhi kit, I would put the rakhi, the roli and chawal packet and a small card in a 6x8 pouch. For bead and craft kits, put each colour or part in a small pouch, and all the small pouches in one bigger pouch.

Keep any food item, even rice for a tilak, in its own small sealed packet first.

Can a zip pouch keep clothes dry in the monsoon?

It adds one more layer. Fold the garment, slide it into a 9x12 or 10x14 pouch, press out the air and close it. Then put that inside a courier bag.

Our courier bags use waterproof film, so water mostly gets in through a badly pressed seal or a torn corner. The inner pouch protects the garment if that happens, and it keeps the product clean when the customer opens the parcel in the rain at the door.

Be realistic about size. A 10x14 pouch takes a folded T-shirt, a shirt or a kurti. It will not take a pair of jeans or a hoodie. For those, the courier bag alone is the right pack. Our courier bag size chart helps you pick the outer bag.

Should invoices and manuals go in a zip pouch?

Yes, when they travel inside the box. A manual in a pouch stays clean if a bottle inside leaks, and the customer can keep the warranty card in the same pouch for years.

An A4 invoice folded once is A5 size, and fits a 7x9 pouch, just. Folded twice, it is A6 size, and fits a 5x7. For paperwork on the outside of a carton, use a self-adhesive packing list envelope instead, because a zip pouch has no adhesive back.

What mistakes should you avoid with zip lock pouches?

We hear about these three again and again.

Oversized pouches. A pair of earrings in a 5x7 pouch slides around, tangles and looks cheap. Use the smallest size that fits flat.
Over-stuffing. Forcing a thick kit into a small pouch strains the zip, and it splits open in the courier sack. If the zip does not close without pushing, go one size up.
A weak zip on sharp items. Earring posts, screw tips and hooks can pierce the film or open the zip from inside. Fix the earrings on a card first, and wrap sharp tips.

There is a fourth one too. Never ship a zip pouch alone. It has no padding and no tamper seal. It always goes inside an outer pack, like a courier bag, a padded paper mailer or a carton.

How many should you buy, 50 or 100?

We sell every size in packs of 50 and 100. Take 50 of a size you are testing, and 100 of the size you use every day. Check the per-piece price on both packs before you decide. We do not price every pack on the same curve, so the bigger pack is not always cheaper per piece.

One last thing. These pouches are plastic. If your brand promises plastic-free packaging, a zip pouch does not fit that promise, so be honest with your customers about it.

We make and sell packing material from Jaipur for sellers of every size, and I have learnt one thing about small items. The right pouch saves more time than any fancy box. Delivery is free across India. If you are packing festive kits this season, our Diwali hamper packing guide covers the rest of the box.