USPS Postal Store
store.usps.com under Shipping Supplies → Free Shipping Supplies. The 12.5×9.5 padded flat rate envelope (EP14PE) and the small, medium and large Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes are the ones most sellers reorder every month.
Small business
Shipping supplies for a small business, from day one
Eight items cover most of what a new seller ships in the first year. Half of them are free from USPS if you know where to click. The list below, the two free-supply sources dated 2026-08-11, and a way to price a parcel while the scale is still on order.
Named brands, not links to buyFree carrier suppliesQuote before you own a scale
Two mailer sizes, two box sizes
The rest follows. A tape gun matters more than a fancy printer at 10 orders a week.
The eight-item starter list
| Item | Why it earns its place | Where to source |
|---|---|---|
| Poly mailers in 6×9 and 10×13 | Two sizes cover soft goods, small toys, cables and folded clothing. Above that, use a box. | Office supply retail; cheaper by the case from a packaging wholesaler |
| Two box sizes matching your smallest and largest item | Buying only the sizes you use means less overpack and lower dimensional weight. | Uline, ULINE competitors or a local packaging supplier |
| 3-inch clear packing tape and a tape gun | A hand-held dispenser cuts about six seconds off every seal and lasts years. | Office supply retail |
| Small kitchen or postage scale | Weight decides the class. A 10 lb kitchen scale works for anything you can lift with one hand. | Kitchen or postage aisle |
| Measuring tape | Two of the three dimensions on a label are length and width; a soft tape is easier to use around a box than a rigid ruler. | Any hardware or sewing aisle |
| Sharpie in permanent black | Backup markings when a printer runs out, and for barcode redaction on reused boxes. | Stationery aisle |
| USPS Priority Mail padded flat rate envelopes | The Priority padded flat rate holds a lot of soft-goods orders under two pounds coast to coast. | Free from USPS (store.usps.com) |
| Thermal 4×6 labels or plain letter paper | Both work with online labels. A cheap thermal printer pays for itself around 30 labels a week. | Office supply retail; thermal printers on Amazon |
Everything else on the shipping-supplies aisle at the office store is optional at this stage. Bubble wrap, kraft paper, void fill and stretch tape become worth their price only once you know which of your orders keep coming back damaged.
Where the free carrier supplies come from
USPS ships more than 65 branded envelopes and boxes at no charge under the “Free Shipping Supplies” heading on the Postal Store, delivered by Ground Advantage in one to five days. UPS and FedEx supply their account holders directly with branded envelopes and small boxes; the shipper number decides eligibility.
USPS by phone
The Package Supply Center answers on 1-800-610-8734 and takes the same catalog by voice. Useful when the online order form times out during peak season.
UPS and FedEx account supplies
Free small boxes and envelopes are tied to the label service that lives on the account, so they can only be used with a UPS or FedEx label. They are not a substitute for a general-purpose plain box.
One warning worth stating up front: a Priority Mail envelope cannot legally carry a Ground Advantage or First-Class label, and vice versa. The branded packaging is tied to the class. Free plain corrugated boxes for use with any carrier come from a supplier or a friendly local retailer with a Monday morning cardboard bale.
Quoting before the scale arrives
A new seller often has the customer on the line before the first scale is on the desk. The calculator on this site takes a plain-language item description (“a ceramic mug”, “a small hoodie”) and two ZIP codes, estimates weight and dimensions, and returns a live shipping price from USPS, UPS or FedEx. It is the same calculator sellers keep using once the scale is in and every measurement is exact; the estimator step just gets you off the ground.
Once the kit is complete, the workflow is: weigh the packed parcel, type the two ZIPs into the calculator, buy the cheapest label that meets the delivery promise, and print. A ten-order morning takes an hour, and every rate is the negotiated one rather than the retail one.
Where these sources come from
- USPS, Free Shipping Supplies — the current catalog. Read 2026-08-11.
- USPS, Ordering Free Shipping Supplies — phone number, delivery window, eligibility. Read 2026-08-11.
- USPS, Notice 123 — the padded flat rate envelope price. Effective July 12, 2026, read 2026-08-11.
Common questions
What is the minimum shipping kit for a new seller?
Poly mailers in two sizes, a couple of box sizes covering the smallest and largest thing you sell, a 3-inch tape gun, a Sharpie, a small kitchen scale, a tape measure, thermal labels or plain paper with a laser printer, and a stack of USPS Priority padded flat rate envelopes ordered free. Eight items.
Where does a seller get free shipping supplies?
USPS at store.usps.com/shop under Free Shipping Supplies, or by calling the Package Supply Center at 1-800-610-8734. Orders ship in one business day and arrive by Ground Advantage. UPS ships approved account holders their branded envelopes and small boxes free. FedEx does the same for account customers.
Do I need a scale before I can start shipping?
You need one before you print a label. You do not need one to price a parcel and decide whether an order pays for itself. The SMKlog calculator asks for the item description and estimates weight and dimensions so you can quote a customer while the scale is still on the way.
Thermal printer or laser paper?
Thermal for anyone shipping more than a few packages a week. A 4x6 thermal printer costs less than a hundred dollars, needs no ink, and prints a label in about a second. Laser paper works fine at low volume but wastes ink and creates cutting steps.
How much does a starter kit cost?
Under one hundred and fifty dollars for the eight items above at retail. Free USPS mailers cover a large share of orders under a pound; the rest of the outlay goes to two box sizes, a tape gun, a scale and either thermal or paper labels.