The couriers’ bags used for packing and shipping purposes by many business owners are known as mailers or mailer bags. There are various types of mailers depending upon the design and the type of material. By classifying mailers on the kind of material from which they are manufactured, mailers that are made up of polyethylene or plastic are known as poly mailers. On the other hand, mailers that are made up of kraft paper are known as kraft mailers. Due to their superior quality and various protective features, mailers are becoming more and more popular. In this article, we have compared poly mailers, bubble mailers, and kraft mailers. But before digging into the comparison, let’s talk about the distinctive qualities of each.
Poly Mailers
The most commonly used mailers for shipping purposes are poly mailers. They can ship various products, including shirts, magazines, books, catalogues, dresses, pillows, hoodies, and cushions. You just have to put these articles inside the poly mailer and ship them. Poly mailers are strong enough to protect your goods from all the impacts of travelling. Poly mailers are tear-resistant, versatile, and flexible. It is easy to pack and seal goods in poly mailers. Moreover, you can stack more than one item in the same poly mailer. Because of their flexibility, they have the capacity to accommodate bundles of items. Although every poly mailer is tear-resistant to some extent if you want to add extra strength to your bags, increase their thickness.
Kraft Paper Mailers
The slightly expensive option for shipping small, light, and delicate items is through kraft paper mailers. They are designed to pack and ship items like jewellery pieces, fashion accessories, USB flash drives, documents, chargers, cables, hardcover books, and other products already packed in sturdy packaging but need extra packages for shipping. If you need to ship an item that does not need protection, then you can ship it in kraft mailers. People mainly use kraft mailers because they are eco friendly and have an easy path of closure and opening. Otherwise, kraft mailers are not resistant to water, and your precious products can get damaged. There are kraft mailers filled with voids. If you need to ship items that can break, like small glass jars or nail polishes, then void filled kraft mailers are the best choice. Void filled kraft mailers provide more protection than poly mailers.
Bubble Mailers
Bubble mailers or padded mailers provide the greatest level of protection. Bubble comes as both poly bubble mailers and kraft bubble mailers, depending upon their outer lining of them. Or you can say that mailers manufacturers added padding in poly mailers or kraft mailers and named them accordingly. When you talk about the extent of protection resistance among all three of them, the bubble mailers are the best. They offer a great amount of protection during shipping. They are also moisture and water-resistant. Poly bubble mailers are cheaper than kraft bubble mailers.
Comparison between Poly Mailers, Bubble Mailers, and Kraft Mailers
All types of mailer bags, including poly mailers, bubble mailers, and kraft mailers, have their merits and demerits. One feature in one bag may outweigh the other feature of the other bag. So choosing which is best is always a debate. You can never pick one mailer bag over another. You have to make a choice after thoroughly thinking about which bag would be able to protect your items and safely ship them to the customer’s doorstep. Here we have provided the features of each bag so you can find and pick the best one easily.
Cost
The cost of every type of mailer bag varies depending on the type of material and level of protection they provide. Poly mailers are the cheapest in this regard, and ordering large quantities will be further beneficial. On the other hand, kraft paper mailers are slightly expensive, but they are environment friendly, unlike poly mailers. Kraft mailers give the impression that your brand cares for the environment. Moreover, these mailers are also a great alternative to corrugate boxes. The bubble mailer price varies depending upon the outer lining. But they are always costlier. Shipping costs of bubble mailers are also high.
Appearance
Your mailer should have an appealing appearance to attract customers. Kraft paper mailers and kraft bubble mailers have a unique and natural appearance. On the other hand, poly mailers are more towards the bright side.
Colour and Printing
Kraft paper mailers are golden or light brown in colour. These mailers are not a good choice for imprinting any other colours in order to customize your brand. Because of the golden colour underneath, even if you paint an artificial colour on the bag, the hue will not show its true colours. Poly mailers are generally transparent, so they are the ideal candidate for customization by adding various colours. You can add up to 6 colours on both sides of the poly mailers, and the colours will also come out vibrant and cheerful. You can also customize your logo on poly mailers. Colour and printing on bubble mailers vary depending on the outer material.
Recyclability
Recyclability is an essential factor to consider before picking a specific mailer bag. But the good news is that they both are recyclable. Poly mailers are easy to recycle, while recycling kraft mailers is an extensive process. In the case of bubble mailers, if the outer lining is polyethylene then they are easily recyclable. But if the outer lining is made up of kraft paper, you need to separate paper (lining) and plastic (bubbles or paddings are made up of plastic) before starting the recycling process.
Ease of Closure
Poly mailers, bubble mailers, and kraft mailers all can be appropriately sealed and easily without any difficulty. All of these bags are tamper-proof, and you don’t have to worry about mailers opening during shipping. Poly mailers and poly bubble mailers have anti-stat release liners, which makes them easy to peel off and less clingy. The liners will fall to the floor when you peel them off rather than stick to the package.
Moisture Resistance
Moisture resistance is a great feature that should be present in the mailer bags. Because during shipping, the items can get damaged from the moisture. Poly mailers are moisture resistant due to the presence of polyethylene, but kraft mailers are not resistant to moisture due to the nature of paper.
Extent of Protection
Bubble mailers offer the highest level of protection due to the presence of paddings. Poly mailers can provide enough protection to products that cannot be crushed. In the case of kraft mailers, items should have hefty packaging before shipping them in kraft mailers.
Final Verdict
Poly mailers, bubble mailers, and kraft mailers all have their own distinct features that it’s hard to choose one. But everyone should pick mailers according to their requirements and budget. If you are a dealer who sells delicate items, then pick the bubble mailers as your shipping bag. If you need to ship products like books, catalogues, phone covers, you can pack and ship them in a simple poly mailer. When dealing with items that already have sturdy packaging, you can send them easily in kraft mailers. Above, we have provided every essential detail about each type of mailer. Read our article to get the idea and choose the best one for you.
