Before you follow any item-specific packing guide, you need the materials in hand — here's what's genuinely reusable, what isn't, and where the tradeoffs actually are.
Every item-specific packing guide on this site assumes you already have boxes, padding and tape in hand — this page is the step before that: deciding what to reuse, what to buy, and where spending a little more genuinely reduces risk. A used box is fine in most cases, but 'fine' has real conditions attached, and some materials are worth buying new even if a used alternative exists.
| Material | Reuse or buy? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cardboard boxes | Reuse if genuinely sound | A used box is acceptable if it's in good condition — no water damage, tears or crushed corners. A box that's been reused multiple times or shows real wear should be replaced, and old labels or barcodes must be fully removed or covered to avoid the parcel being misrouted. |
| Bubble wrap and foam padding | Reuse what you have, buy more if short | Padding degrades less than boxes structurally — reusing clean bubble wrap or foam is generally fine, but don't stretch too little material across an item that needs real cushioning. |
| Tape | Buy proper packing tape | Household sticky tape or masking tape isn't built for the job — it fails under handling stress in a way that box tape doesn't. This is one of the cheapest, most worthwhile purchases in the whole process. |
| Specialist materials (anti-static wrap, wine shipper boxes with cell dividers, foam-in-place) | Buy new, don't improvise | For the specific categories that need them — see the fragile items and electronics packing guides — improvised substitutes don't provide the same protection, and the cost is small relative to the risk of an uninsured or poorly-packed item. |
Reusing a box that's been used multiple times or shows visible wear — structural fatigue isn't always obvious from the outside.
Leaving an old barcode or shipping label visible, which risks the parcel being misrouted at a sorting facility.
Substituting improvised material for specialist packaging on items that specifically need it — this is exactly the kind of packing inadequacy that can cause a damage claim to fail, independent of insurance status.
Yes, if it's in good condition — no water damage, tears or crushed corners, and not showing signs of having been reused many times already. Remove or cover any old labels and barcodes first.
For most ordinary items, no. For specific categories — fragile items, electronics, wine and other liquids where shipping is possible, anything requiring anti-static protection — the relevant packing guide's specialist materials are worth buying rather than improvising.
Not really — proper packing tape is built to withstand handling stress in a way household or masking tape isn't. It's one of the cheapest upgrades available.