Tissue Paper & Packing Materials Sellers Actually Use

Quick Picks

Packing materials are where new sellers either waste money on fancy stuff nobody cares about or skimp so hard their products arrive looking like they survived a war zone.

The sweet spot costs about $0.15-0.40 per order and makes your packaging look intentional. Not luxury, not cheap. Just professional.

Here's what works after shipping thousands of orders across Etsy, Amazon, and eBay.

Why Packing Materials Actually Matter

Protection is obvious. Wrap fragile things so they don't break. Everyone gets that part.

The unboxing experience is where sellers get weird. You don't need ribbon and thank-you cards and a handwritten poem. But you also can't just throw a product loose in a box and hope for the best.

Good packing materials do three things:

Stop movement. Products that bounce around in transit get damaged. Damaged products get returned. Void fill costs pennies and saves returns.

Set expectations. Tissue paper wrapped around a candle signals "this is a gift-quality item." The same candle rattling loose in a box signals "this seller doesn't care." Same product, different perceived value.

Keep costs reasonable. Spending $2 on packaging for a $15 product is silly. Spending nothing and eating return costs is sillier.

The goal isn't Instagram-worthy unboxing videos. It's products arriving in the same condition they left, packaged well enough that customers don't think twice about it.

Types of Packing Materials That Work

Tissue Paper

The cheapest way to make packaging look intentional. Wrap products before putting them in a mailer or box. Takes five seconds, costs about $0.03 per sheet.

Plain white works for everything. Looks clean, doesn't clash with brands.

Colored tissue makes sense for gift-heavy products. Pink for baby items, burgundy for candles, whatever. Costs the same as white.

Printed tissue with your logo is overkill unless you're shipping 500+ orders per month. Skip it until volume justifies the cost.

You'll use 1-3 sheets per order depending on product size. A 100-sheet pack runs $16-20 and lasts months for small volume sellers.

Crinkle Cut Paper Shred

This is what Etsy sellers use when they want packaging to feel gift-like without spending actual gift-wrapping money.

It's literally just shredded paper, but something about the crinkle makes it look more premium than regular shredded paper. Works great as a nest for products in boxes.

Cost per order runs about $0.20-0.30 if you're filling a 6x6x4 box. More expensive than tissue paper but creates that "someone put thought into this" vibe.

The downside is messiness. Crinkle paper gets everywhere. Customers either love it or hate it. If you're selling to businesses or no-nonsense buyers, skip it. If you're selling gifts, jewelry, or boutique items, it fits.

Kraft Paper for Void Fill

Brown kraft paper on a roll is the move for filling empty space in boxes. Crumple it up, stuff it around products, done.

Costs about $20 for a 15-inch x 1,200-foot roll. That's roughly 800-1,000 fills for small boxes. Works out to $0.02-0.03 per use.

It's recyclable, looks better than bubble wrap for brand-conscious sellers, and you can use it to wrap items too. More versatile than single-use options.

The only issue is storage. A big roll takes up space. If you're working out of a closet, this might not be practical until you have a dedicated packing area.

Bubble Wrap

Standard bubble wrap works when products actually need cushioning. Electronics, glass, ceramics, anything breakable.

Small bubble wrap (3/16 inch bubbles) handles most items. Large bubble wrap is overkill unless you're shipping something genuinely fragile like large mirrors or pottery.

A 12-inch x 30-foot roll costs about $8-12 and wraps 20-40 products depending on size. That's $0.20-0.60 per item.

Bubble wrap isn't pretty, but it works. If you're shipping on Amazon where nobody cares about unboxing, it's fine by itself. For Etsy, wrap the bubble-wrapped item in tissue paper so it doesn't look like you packaged it in a garage.

Air Pillows

The cheapest void fill option if you're shipping volume. Those inflated plastic pillows that fill empty box space.

You need an air pillow machine, which runs $40-80 for a basic handheld unit. Then pillow rolls cost about $15-20 per roll of 400 pillows.

Math works out to $0.04-0.05 per pillow. Most boxes need 4-8 pillows, so $0.20-0.40 per order. Cheaper than crinkle paper, takes up way less storage space than rolls of paper.

The catch is setup. You need to inflate them, which takes time. Not worth it until you're shipping 20+ orders per day. Below that volume, just use kraft paper.

Packing Peanuts

Don't use packing peanuts unless you want customers to hate you.

They get everywhere. They stick to products with static. They're a pain to dispose of. Every seller who's used them has gotten at least one annoyed message about the mess.

Even the biodegradable ones are annoying. They still scatter everywhere, they just dissolve when wet.

Kraft paper or air pillows do the same job without irritating your customers. Not worth the savings.

Which Materials for Which Products

Apparel: Tissue paper, maybe a crinkle paper nest if it's gift-quality. Nothing else needed unless it's delicate fabric.

Jewelry: Crinkle paper in a small box, or tissue wrap in a padded mailer. Makes it feel special without overcomplicating things.

Candles: Tissue paper wrap, kraft paper void fill in the box. Bubble wrap if the container is actually fragile (glass jars can take more abuse than you think).

Electronics: Bubble wrap first, then kraft paper void fill. Skip the pretty stuff, focus on protection.

Pottery/Ceramics: Bubble wrap everything twice. Kraft paper or air pillows to prevent shifting. This is where you spend $0.60-1.00 on materials because returns are expensive.

Books: Usually fine in a bubble mailer with no additional materials. Maybe tissue paper if it's a gift edition or special order.

Prints/Art: Tissue paper wrap, rigid mailer or cardboard backing. Don't use bubble wrap directly on prints, it can stick.

The pattern: fragile items get real protection, everything else gets something that looks intentional.

Product Reviews

MR FIVE Tissue Paper (100 Sheets) — Best Value

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100 sheets of 20x26 inch tissue paper in your choice of colors. This is the standard for small-volume sellers who want packaging to look clean without spending real money.

Sheet size handles most products. Fold once for small items, use full sheets for larger stuff. You'll get 50-100 orders out of a pack depending on how many sheets you use per item.

The paper quality is fine. It's tissue paper. Not luxury gift wrap, but not the garbage that tears when you look at it. Does the job.

Color selection is good: white, black, navy, burgundy, pink, lavender. Stick with white unless your brand really benefits from color.

Cost per order: $0.16 per sheet if using one, $0.32 for two sheets.

Best for: Etsy sellers, eBay sellers packaging gift-quality items, anyone wanting clean presentation without overhead.

Crinkle Cut Paper Shred (2 LBS) — Premium Look

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Two pounds of crinkle cut paper shred. Sounds weird to buy paper by weight, but that's how it works.

Two pounds fills about 60-80 small boxes (6x6x4 size) with a decent nest of paper. More if you're just adding a layer, less if you're really filling space.

The crinkle actually does make it look nicer than regular shredded paper. Something about the texture. Comes in a bunch of colors, but white or kraft brown are the most versatile.

Biggest downside is the mess. This stuff clings to everything. You'll find pieces stuck to products, stuck to your packing table, stuck to your clothes. It's annoying but customers like the look.

Cost per order: $0.24-0.32 depending on how much you use.

Best for: Jewelry, candles, bath products, anything gift-like where presentation matters.

Duck Brand Bubble Wrap (12 in x 30 ft) — Best Protection

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Standard small-bubble wrap that actually protects stuff. Duck Brand makes it perforated every 12 inches, which is convenient for quick wrapping.

30 feet gives you 30 square feet of coverage. Enough to wrap 20-40 items depending on size. Larger or more fragile items need more wrap, small stuff needs less.

The bubbles are 3/16 inch, which handles most protection needs. If you're shipping something genuinely fragile, wrap it twice. Still cheaper than dealing with damage claims.

Works for everything from mugs to electronics. Not pretty, but effective. Wrap in tissue paper after if you care about presentation.

Cost per order: $0.58-1.15 depending on how much you use.

Best for: Anything breakable. Glass, ceramics, electronics, framed items.

Kraft Paper Roll (15 in x 1200 ft) — Eco-Friendly Void Fill

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1,200 feet of brown kraft paper on a roll. This is the most versatile packing material you can buy.

Use it for void fill by crumpling it up. Use it to wrap products. Use it as cushioning between stacked items. Use it to line boxes. Does everything.

15-inch width is the sweet spot. Wide enough for most uses, not so wide it's unwieldy. The roll comes with a dispenser edge, but you'll probably just set it on your packing table and tear off what you need.

1,200 feet lasts forever. You'll get 800-1,000 uses out of it for void fill, more if you're just using small pieces.

100% recyclable, looks clean and minimal, costs basically nothing per use. This is the default void fill option.

Cost per order: $0.02-0.03 for void fill, $0.08-0.12 if wrapping products.

Best for: Anyone shipping in boxes who needs eco-friendly void fill or product wrapping.

Cost Per Order Breakdown

Here's what you'll actually spend on packing materials per order, assuming you're not going crazy with the fancy stuff:

Minimal protection (apparel, books): $0.05-0.15

• Tissue paper: $0.03-0.06
• Maybe kraft paper if using a box: $0.02-0.09

Standard protection (most products): $0.20-0.40

• Tissue paper: $0.03-0.06
• Crinkle paper or kraft void fill: $0.15-0.30
• Or bubble wrap: $0.20-0.35

Heavy protection (fragile items): $0.50-1.00

• Bubble wrap: $0.35-0.70
• Kraft paper or air pillows for void fill: $0.15-0.30

Most orders land in the $0.20-0.40 range. That's about the cost of a stamp. Not nothing, but not breaking the bank either.

Where sellers mess up is either spending nothing (products arrive looking careless) or spending $1.50+ per order on materials that don't add value. Tissue paper and kraft paper get you 90% of the way there for a quarter.

Sustainable Options That Work

If your customers care about eco-friendly packaging, you have options that don't cost significantly more:

Kraft paper is already recyclable and biodegradable. Looks the part too. Brown paper signals "eco-conscious" even if that's not why you bought it.

Recycled tissue paper exists but costs about 20% more than standard tissue. Only worth it if you're marketing heavily on sustainability.

Corrugated cardboard shred works like crinkle paper but it's just shredded cardboard. Costs about the same, fully recyclable, less messy than crinkle paper.

Mushroom packaging and other compostable options sound great but they're expensive and impractical for small sellers. Skip it unless you're shipping very high-value products to customers who specifically want that.

The easiest sustainable move is switching from bubble wrap to paper-based materials. Kraft paper void fill instead of air pillows, corrugated shred instead of plastic-based crinkle paper.

You'll spend maybe $0.05-0.10 more per order. If your brand positioning supports it, that's a worthwhile trade. If not, standard materials are fine. Most customers don't care as much as you think.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much tissue paper do I need per order?

One sheet for small items like jewelry or cosmetics, two sheets for medium items like candles or mugs, three sheets for larger items like apparel or multiple products. A 100-sheet pack handles 33-100 orders depending on your average product size.

Is crinkle paper worth it or just overpriced shred?

It's worth it if you're selling gift-quality items on Etsy or to customers who care about unboxing. It's overpriced shred if you're selling commodity products on Amazon. At $0.25 per order, it's cheap enough to test and see if customers respond to it.

What's the cheapest void fill option?

Kraft paper at about $0.02-0.03 per use if you're crumpling it up to fill space. Air pillows run $0.04-0.05 each but require a machine. For low volume, kraft paper wins. For high volume (50+ orders daily), air pillows are cheaper once you factor in time.

Do I need bubble wrap for candles in glass jars?

Usually no. Most candle jars are thick enough to handle shipping with just tissue paper wrap and kraft paper void fill. Bubble wrap adds cost without much benefit. Save it for thin glass or ceramic containers.

Should I buy custom printed tissue paper?

Not until you're shipping 500+ orders per month. Custom printing costs $200-400 minimum and requires bulk ordering. Plain tissue paper does the same job for 95% of customers.

How do I keep crinkle paper from getting everywhere?

You don't. It's inherently messy. Store it in a bin with a lid, work over your packing table, and accept that you'll find pieces stuck to stuff. If the mess bothers you, switch to kraft paper void fill.

What's better for the environment, paper or air pillows?

Paper is recyclable and biodegradable, air pillows are plastic. Paper wins on environmental impact. But air pillows use less material overall and weigh less. It's a trade-off. If your brand is eco-focused, use paper.

Next Steps

Packing materials are one piece. Here's the rest:

• Shipping boxes for products that need structure
• Poly mailers for lightweight, non-fragile items
• Bubble mailers when you need light cushioning
• All shipping gear in one place

Tissue paper costs three cents and makes your packaging look like you care. That's the whole point.