Packing peanuts are used to insulate or protect product during shipping. Saving money on packing peanuts is a great way for a company to cut down on spending. Packing and shipping cost can take a big cut out of a budget from a company that ships products daily. Learning how to find what you need a lower prices will give you the skills to increase the profit of your business.

To start saving money on packing peanuts each business needs to start thinking more frugally. Reading money saving tips and advice will give you ideas on how you should start shopping for packing peanuts to save money. Locating free and discount peanuts helps you to acquire the peanuts at low prices with ease. If you cannot find discount peanuts in your price range or free peanuts in your area, there are free alternatives to bags of packer peanuts that your company can use to save money.

1. Read general money saving information about packing peanuts.

2. Find free or discount bags of packaging peanuts.

3. Discover free alternatives to bags of packer peanuts.

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Find general information about packing peanuts

Finding ways to lower costs of industrial packing peanuts will give you more money for other business items. There are many ways to find and receive the lowest prices on packing peanuts. This advice can save your company hundreds of dollars depending on the amount of shipping the business does.

I recommend: Visit ThriftyFun.com to find money saving information on Styrofoam packing peanuts. eHow has how to guides for saving money on packaging peanuts. Plastic Loose Fill Council has tips and information on recycling and reusing bags of packaging peanuts.

Locate free or discount bags of packaging peanuts

Find companies that supply free or discount peanuts. These options include using recycling companies and finding sales of packing peanuts. Many of these suggestions can also be used for other packing products as well. Taking advantage of these discounts and sales can reduce your packing supply cost by 30 to 50%.

I recommend: eBay has tips on finding free and discount bags of packer peanuts. Bargain Chaser has tips and advice for finding free bags of packing peanuts.

Learn about free alternatives to bags of packer peanuts

If your company does not have access to companies that provide free packing peanuts, there are alternatives to these packing supplies. These alternatives are product and items most businesses have at hand.

I recommend: Find suggestions for free alternatives to Styrofoam packaging peanuts at Blip Networks. Clary Business Machines has information on how to use shredded paper instead of packing peanuts.

Save money on shipping packing peanuts

Order boxes of peanuts that come in under the maximum size limits for UPS shipping and you'll save over the alternative, truck shipping for bigger containers.

I recommend: See PackagingPrice.com for a deal based on UPS box dimensions.

It's hard to remember what packaging and shipping were like before the invention of packing peanuts. Also known as loose fill, Styrofoam packing peanuts cushion and insulate everything from fragile consumer goods to electronics to heavy duty-industrial parts. New developments in this simple, indispensable product include self-interlocking packer peanuts to reduce loose fill shift, anti-static packing peanuts for use in shipping computers and green alternatives like recycled and non-Styrofoam packaging peanuts.

Ironically, one of the problems with keeping this shipping necessity on hand is having them shipped to you. Large bags of bulk packing peanuts take up lots of space and exceed the size limitations for most overnight shippers. Keep these other considerations in mind when ordering loose fill:

1. Choose products based on your uses for packing peanuts; buy the type of packaging peanuts best suited to the goods you ship.

2. Work with distributors of industrial packing peanuts who offer reliable customer service and flexible shipping options.

3. Order loose fill dispensers to make working with bulk Styrofoam peanuts more convenient.

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Get great deals on bulk Styrofoam peanuts

Buying in bulk means your business won't run short of packing peanuts. You can find low prices on basic Styrofoam packing peanuts or anti-static packaging peanuts for shipping sensitive electronics, and distributors are often willing to make shipping arrangements for bulk packing peanuts orders that will save you even more money.

I recommend: Sendsupplies.com offers free 1- to 3-day shipping on its largest bulk packaging peanuts order, 370 gallons shipped as ten 37-gallon bags of packing peanuts. For heavy duty industrial packing peanuts, take advantage of the low pricing on Flo-Pak solid center packing peanuts at PackingPrice.com. Paper Mart offers bags of Storo-Pak anti-static packaging peanuts in several sizes, and will arrange drop shipments for customers in the San Diego, CA area.

Select green alternatives to standard Styrofoam packing peanuts

Your customers will appreciate your commitment to the environment when you choose recycled packaging peanuts or non-Styrofoam packaging peanut alternatives. Going green doesn't need to cost you more if you seek out deals on biodegradable or recycled packing peanuts.

I recommend: Join companies such as Williams-Sonoma that are generating customer goodwill by using Flo-Pak's Super 8 100% recycled packing peanuts. Get bulk discounts on multiple bags of Super 8 packing peanuts and an additional online ordering discount from Ameripac Industries. ULINE's biodegradable cornstarch packer peanuts dissolve in water and are FDA approved. Cushion Cubes from UTP Technologies, Inc., offer a reusable, recyclable alternative to Styrofoam packaging peanuts.

Easily store and use bags of packer peanuts with a loose fill dispenser

For round-the-clock shipping efficiency, install loose fill dispensers that allow your employees to control the flow of packaging peanuts into shipping containers with a flip of the hand. Dispensers consist of large fabric reservoirs suspended over your packaging line. Fill the dispenser with bags of packaging peanuts, and let gravity feed the valve-controlled filler tube at the bottom.

I recommend: BrassPack Packing Supply offers packing peanut dispensers in three sizes, along with replacement valves. Go to Fast-Pack.com for loose fill dispensers in a range of capacities from 15 to 140 cu. ft. All ropes and pulleys are included.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Generally, bags of packaging peanuts larger than 12 cu. ft. require shipping by motor freight. The convenience of bulk ordering may make up for the added delivery time and costs. If your needs are limited, save shipping time and storage space by ordering packing peanuts in 3-cu.-ft. boxes.

Loose-fill packaging materials a.k.a. packing peanuts have been used to ship materials for decades. Introduced in the 1960s by Dow Chemical, these polystyrene shells were shaped to interlock when compressed. Packing peanuts are traditionally white, but green and pink peanuts have also been used, and the color differences show different levels of resin and anti-stat added. Common shapes are the "S" for the STOROpack PelaSpan brand and the "W" for the RAPAC WingPac brand packing peanuts.

Biodegradable packing peanuts have also become popular. They are a starch based product, and because they are so, they are edible. Benefits include no electrostatic charge and the fact that they are nontoxic. Downsides, though, include that they are lower resilience, higher weight, dustier and more expensive. Because they are edible, they can also attract rodents and bugs.

To find out more about packing peanuts types and styles:

1. Buy polystyrene bags of styrofoam packing peanuts. The manufacturer of the polystyrene peanut will be identifiable by the color and shape of the particular peanut.

2. Go with "Figure 8" bags of packer peanuts for delicate shipping.

3. Consider biodegradable packaging peanuts as an eco-friendly alternative. Be prepared to pay a higher price, though.

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Purchase polystyrene bags of packing peanuts

Polystyrene industrial packing peanuts are the most commonly known packing peanuts that are not biodegradable. If these are chosen for your packaging needs, consider implementing a reuse or recycling program to go along with their use.

I recommend: Buy polystyrene packing peanuts from PackagingSuppliesNow.com. Place your 370 gallon large bulk bags of polystyrene packer peanuts order with Sendsupplies.com and receive free shipping and insurance.

Think about 'Figure 8' bags of packer peanuts for more delicate jobs

Go with the 'Figure 8' design to give you more shock absorption for delicate products and packing. 'Figure 8' packing peanuts can develop a static charge, though. Larger items tend to settle towards the bottom of the box in these shipments.

I recommend: Consider the "Figure 8" design of the Flo-Pak 14 bulk packing peanuts offered through GBE Packaging for no breaking or no crumbling. APAC Paper also offers Figure 8 loose fill packaging peanut products.

Go with recyclable bags of packaging peanuts

Consider recyclable packing peanuts types and styles to be more socially responsible with your business shipping decisions.

I recommend: Purchase cornstarch biodegradable packing peanuts from Uline. They are decompose in water, so they leave no toxic waste. They are approved by the FDA. They are static free, and they are able to be dispensed and vacuumed like traditional packing peanuts. U-Haul International also sells 100% biodegradable packing peanuts for shipping fragile items. Their peanuts are nontoxic, reusable and safe for the environment.

When a recipient opens up a shipped box, they often find a collection of packing peanuts inside. Though some shippers have moved to roll-type packing, packing peanuts are still very popular with many shippers including UPS. But there are a lot of packing peanut designs to choose from when a business is buying them to ship items. Knowing about some of the common key terms for packing peanuts on the market will lead to better informed buyers.

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Loose fill

The term 'loose fill' is a word for all kinds of packing peanuts and other items that provide protection for shipping.

I recommend: Learn more about loose fill from the Plastic Loose Fill Council, an organization set up to address the problem of using non-biodegradable items for loose fill. Read more to find alternatives and modern standards.

Interlocking packaging pieces

Some packing peanut providers have created interlocking pieces to help deal with shifting and to give more cushioning to a container.

I recommend: See an example of interlocking I pieces that are also part of a biodegradable catalog at Star Tech.

Packing peanuts re-use

The idea of re-using packing peanuts is something a lot of businesses think about. After all, with environmental issues coming to the fore-front in lots of markets, a re-use program can be a real coup for a company that goes through a lot of packaging.

I recommend: See more on possible re-use programs, as well as possible drawbacks, at SuperEco.

Figure 8 packing peanuts

Another type of packing peanut design that garners a lot of use is Figure 8 styles. Figure 8 peanuts provide some particular support for shipping items.

I recommend: See examples of specs on figure 8 peanut designs at ULINE. Learn more about the creation of figure 8 packing peanuts, developed by FP International.

Biodegradable packing peanuts

Some makers have found that corn starch base or other types of biodegradable packing peanuts can provide good packaging cushions and give customers a better environmental alternative. However, some buyers still prefer the original styrofoam.

I recommend: See more on biodegradable packing peanuts on offer by big vendor Staples, as well as customer reviews about the pros and cons of these progressive choices.

Anti-static

Producers of packing peanuts and other types of packaging have also developed a specific kind of anti-static material. Anti-static packaging is packaging that, through its construction and properties, prevents charges from building up in the container. This protects items like highly fragile electronics.

I recommend: Learn all about antistatic polyethylene at ATMI Life Sciences and consider it for a type of packing peanuts that don't lead to shocked products.