Mailing tubes, whether they be kraft tubes, bulk mailing tubes or plastic mailing tubes, are essential when you need to protect your shipment. Whether you need to ship artwork or blueprints, there is a wide spectrum of mailing tubes types and styles to fit your unique business needs and budget constraints.

While suppliers of mailing cylinders offer numerous styles of mailing tubes, you need to compare the different types of shipping tubes to find the right cylinders to both meet your needs while being cost-effective. As you research mailing tubes types and styles, you should:

1. Partner with a supplier of shipping tubes that offers mailing cylinders in a variety of sizes and styles to meet your changing needs.

2. Use customized mailing tube products that showcase your business logo or slogan for advertising purposes.

3. Buy plain mailing tubes wholesale as a cost-effective way to send mass shipments.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Buy a variety of mailing tubes to meet your changing needs

Partner with a supplier of mailing tube products who offers a wide selection of clear plastic mailing tubes, cardboard mailing tubes and kraft mailing tubes. Finding a supplier with such a wide range of products will help ensure you have all the shipping cylinders you need for your purposes.

I recommend: Order shipping tubes from ULINE, the shipping supply specialists. From kraft tubes and clear plastic tubes to square shipping tubes, ULINE offers the variety you need at the prices you can afford. Paper Mart stocks a nice selection of mailing tubes in a spectrum of sizes to meet your changing needs.

Create custom mailing tubes for your business

Customize white mailing tubes or plastic mailing cylinders to highlight your business and attract new customers. Remember that an aesthetically-pleasing mailing tube is the first thing your clients and potential customers see when they receive your package.

I recommend: Partner with Chicago Mailing Tube to fulfill your custom mailing tube needs. Choose the color and size of the mailing tubes you need and add an imprint of your logo or slogan to showcase your business. All custom mailing tubes offered by Chicago Mailing Tube meet or exceed national shipping standards. Create unique shipping cylinders with Ace Paper Tube, a family-owned, Ohio-based business.

Buy plain mailing tubes at wholesale prices

For large shipments of similar stock, choose plain shipping tubes at lower prices as a cost-effective way to save on shipping and handling. Buy plain mailing tubes in bulk to further your savings.

I recommend: PackagingPrice.com offers various types and styles of basic shipping tubes at bulk price discounts. Staples, a leader in office supplies, offers general-use mailing tubes and volume price discounts.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Buy mailing tubes made of recycled products to promote environmental awareness among your staff, clients and perspective customers.

The mailing tube is not just another office supply; or at least you shouldn't label it as one. Using good quality mailing cylinders can mean the difference between getting that next client and falling short of your goal. When you're sending documents or a product that you've spent weeks preparing, it's important to find a good quality mailing tube to deliver that product intact and in perfect condition.

Sometimes mailing tubes become your line of advertising. In those cases, it is equally important to find a well-designed, eye-catching tube that can convey your business message.

1. Select shipping tubes based on their quality and look.
2. Look for sturdy, well-made tubes to use for heavy or very important products.
3. Find colored, clear or other mailing cylinders to use as advertising tools.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for mailing tube options

When choosing mailing tubes, the two most obvious decisions to make are what color tubes you want and what types of end closures the tubes will have.

I recommend: Tubes come in many colors from the basic white to gold. Colored tubes make great marketing tools. Put your custom logo on the tube, and you've opened up a new advertising market for yourself. Once you've chosen the look of your tube, you need to pick a closure. Kraft tubes come with plastic push ends, snap seal ends or twist and pull ends.

Find tubes that will get your product there safely

If your company needs mailing tubes to send heavy items or protect important documents, extra-strength mailers or water-resistant tubes are the right choice.

I recommend: Order heavy-duty mailing kraft tubes that hold up to 300 pounds from Erdie. These 3 or 4-inch diameter tubes come in 24 to 36-inch lengths. If you're sending very important papers that can't get wet, use Moisture-Guard shipping tubes made of polycoated fiberboard or blueprint tubes made of PVC plastic.

Search for sound or music mailing tubes

Want to send a message with your mailing tube? Consider making it a very personal message, so personal, you record it yourself.

I recommend: Here's a very unique mailing tube that can bring home your message -- literally. The Sound Mailing Tubes let you record your own personal 10 second message or choose a pre-recorded sound bite. When the cap is removed, the message plays for the recipient.

Get odd shaped mailing tubes

Mailing tubes aren't always cylinder shaped. Sometimes what you really need is a triangle-shaped tube or a square container to send your product.

I recommend: Uline sells many shaped tubes besides the normal cylinder-shaped ones. They offer 3 and 5-inch square mailers in different lengths, and either a 3-inch or 6-inch giant triangle shaped tube.

Find clear plastic mailing tubes

When you're sending a product or information flyer you want everyone to see, a clear plastic mailing tube is the way to go.

I recommend: Clear mailing tubes work great for product awareness. Businesses also utilize clear tubes when putting messages on flyers inside the tube that customers can view from the outside. There are many other uses for clear plastic tubes. Use plastic mailing tubes for messages like invitations or sale notices you don't want your customers to miss.

Look for adjustable cardboard mailing tubes

Businesses that need to mail many sized items should order adjustable mailing tubes wholesale.

I recommend: Order Telescoping tubes in bulk and use them for different mailings of all sizes as the tubes adjust in length. For businesses, these tubes can be a cost-efficient way to order mailing tubes wholesale as you don't wind up with sizes you can't use.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Mailing tubes have other good office uses. Display products or important documents in clear tubes for easy employee access.