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Packing and shipping is not exactly rocket science. And yet Paper Doll hears a lot about shipping-avoidance and packing-box frustration. In a perfect world, whenever we wanted to ship something, we’d have the ideal sized box (so as not to waste space, and also not to have one of those almost-sealed, bulging boxes where the flaps quite don’t meet). We’d also have just the right amount of padding material to prevent jostling, and it would all be easily recyclable. 

My clients tell me they procrastinate on returning purchases and shipping care packages, birthday gifts, and other things because – although they have lots of boxes and bubble mailers thanks to their online shopping habits – nothing is ever the right size. This isn’t just a frustration; it’s also a financial issue.

In 2015, the major players in the ground shipping world, like UPS and FedEx, stopped pricing solely by the pound. They realized that a lot of relatively light packages were being shipped, and that cost them money. So, they started using dimensional weight, which had already been the practice for air-shipped packages.

What is dimensional weight?

The shipper calculates the cubic size of a package by multiplying its length, width, and height. Once the dimensional weight is calculated, they compare it to the actual weight of the package and the larger of the two is used to determine the package’s actual “billable” weight.

Need some help with the math? Google dimensional weight shipping calculators, like this one from ShippingEasy.com.

What does this all mean for you? A small thing in a bigger box will cost you more than that same thing in a smaller box, which means you have to keep even more shipping supplies on hand to find the just-right solution, and that causes clutter.

If only someone had a better idea. Oh, wait. Someone did!

SCOTCH™ FLEX & SEAL SHIPPING ROLL

3M is a marvel of innovation. The same parent company that brought us Post-It® Notes and Command hooks has done it again. They’ve invented a shipping solution that requires keeping less packing material and fewer supplies, takes less time, and creates a smaller dimensional weight for the things you ship.

And, honestly, I’m not persuaded that it isn’t some kind of magic.

Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping Roll

First, let’s get an overview of the product, with some fun, bouncy music.

Cool, eh? So, let’s dig deeper. How does this product save space, time, and money? 

Eliminate clutter 

What do you keep on hand for shipping packages? Boxes, right? Probably lots and lots of Amazon (and other) boxes. Maybe USPS “priority” boxes (which always seem to be way too large or just a little too shallow)? A family member bought a gorgeous Kitchenaid stand mixer and had it shipped. It came in a glossy, specially-carved Kitchenaid box (with a photo of the mixer on the package) inside a matching, plain, cardboard Kitchenaid-branded box (each with specially-placed handles for ergonomic carriage) and the whole thing was inside a box that would have made a nice toddler playhouse.

I bet you don’t just hoard boxes. I bet you have bubble wrap. (And not nice rolls of bubble wrap, but pre-used bubble wrap that someone in your house has popped and flattened along the edges, right?) Or maybe you have styrofoam peanuts. Or those clear, little balloons that look like nothing so much as an inflated zip-lock sandwich bag without the zipper?

And where are you storing these cardboard boxes, bubble mailers, poly bags, bubble wrap, and package stuffing? Probably wherever you can find to put it, and likely not in a very sound system. (No, I’m not peeking in your windows while you’re sleeping. Promise!)

Because the Flex & Seal allows you to customize your package to fit precisely around the edges of your item, there’s no wasted space in the box and no unnecessary padding to keep on-hand. Scotch’s marketing claims to save up to 50% on supplies, time, and space vs. using boxes. I don’t know how they arrived at that statistic, but it does mean that you can take up less space, and the roll can be stored horizontally or vertically, like a rolled-up yoga mat.

Save time

My clients are invariably piling up to-be-shipped items on the dining room table or on kitchen counters because they anticipate (often correctly) that it will be time-consuming to find a suitably-sized box, pad and pack the item(s) safely, and seal everything confidently. Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping Roll promises make packing as simple as:

• Cut a piece of the roll long enough to sandwich the item you’re shipping.
• Fold the Flex & Seal over whatever you’re shipping.  
• Press to seal it by continuing to press around the three (non-folded) edges. (Imagine you’re wrapping your Thanksgiving leftovers in aluminum foil before putting them in the freezer. Or, as the product’s web site says, “Make sure you’re pressing gray surface to gray surface. A helpful way to remember it: Do not wrap like a present, fold and press like a calzone!”)

That’s it. Print out your label and affix it to the package. Wheeeee!

Secure and immobilize your package. 

Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping Roll may look like a prettier version of bubble wrap, but it harbors a secret superpower. Flex & Seal is constructed with three layers.

The blue outer layer is tough and durable, making the package water-resistant and tear-resistant. The clear middle layer is bubble wrap, but seems slightly less inflated (and is difficult to pop), creating firm cushioning for the package. 

And the grey inner layer is MAGIC. (OK, I’m sure it’s science, but Paper Doll can’t figure out how it works!) This inner layer’s “adhesive technology” makes it stick securely to itself but not whatever you’re shipping!

Once you fold the Flex & Seal over your item (sandwiching it), just press firmly for a guaranteed seal. Folded and smushed (for another scientific term), the Flex & Seal conforms to the shape of whatever you’re shipping, immobilizing it to protect against wiggling during shipping.

Save money. 

The marketing for the Flex & Seal Shipping Roll notes that by eliminating extra packing and shipping supplies, and securely sealing around the shape of whatever you’re shipping, it can reduce the package’s dimensional weight, as we discussed above. That should reduce your costs. Yay!

WHO CAN USE THIS?

Anyone who can comfortably maneuver scissors should be able to use the Flex & Seal. (If you’re doing a LOT of packing, consider a paper cutter in lieu of scissors.) If you – like Paper Doll – sometimes have trouble wrapping presents and fear this might be too similar of an experience, fear not. I’ve been known to unroll too little or too much wrapping paper and then the paper crumples and creases as I try to get just the right amount. Flex & Seal is thicker and sturdier, so that’s not an issue. Also, unlike rolls of wrapping paper, Flex & Seal is only 15″ wide, only a few inches longer than a paper towel roll, so it’s not unwieldy.

So, who can use this?

• People who rarely need to send packages. If you never have boxes or bubble mailers on hand and put off shipping things because you lack room to store them, this makes things pretty easy.
• People who send packages all the time – Grandparents? Check. Crafters who share their creations for fun or profit? Check. Small business owners who ship small, fiddly things? Check. Authors who autograph and ship copies of their books? Check!

When shouldn’t you use Scotch™ Flex & Seal? If you’re shipping something delicate or fragile, stick to a traditional packaging set-up, like a cardboard box with firm but flexible padding and a tight seal. Also, because the inner grey layers must be matched up, it’s not suitable for large packages.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Flex & Seal is recyclable. Scotch™ advises just removing the label before dropping the packaging off at a plastic bag recycling location. While not all communities have plastic bag (or plastic film) recycling centers, you can enter your zip code into the search bar at PlasticFilmRecycling.org to find a center near you.

However, I am concerned that not all labels are so easy to peel off. My 10-foot roll of Flex & Seal came to me wrapped in actual Flex & Seal! (How’s that for good advertising? It was very meta.) But both the marketing label (promoting other 3M products) and the UPS label would not peel off cleanly, so I’m not sure if that renders the package un-recycle-able.

HOW TO OPEN FLEX & SEAL PACKAGING

I’ll admit, I was puzzled when my Flex & Seal Shipping Roll (again, wrapped in Flex & Seal) arrived. I saw that I could just cut it open with scissors, but I didn’t want to accidentally cut what was inside. But I also couldn’t just pull on opposite sides of the packaging as if I were opening a bag of potato chips.

In the end, I guessed (correctly), and carefully used the scissors on the corner of the packaging, but I’m betting I wasn’t the only uncertain person, as Scotch™ produced this video to set people straight about three different methods for opening Flex & Seal packaging!

VARIETIES OF FLEX & SEAL SHIPPING ROLL

Scotch™ Flex and Seal Shipping Roll comes in four sizes:

• 10′ long x 15″ wide
• 20′ long x 15″ wide
• 50′ long x 15″ wide
• 200′ long x 15″ wide (suitable for small business shippers or people with LOTS of grandchildren)

As for styling, well, there’s not a lot of variety. The standard is the blue exterior with the grey interior.

Looking for something a bit more festive for the holidays? That regular sky blue is cheery enough (and sorta suitable for Hanukkah) but if you’re looking for something a little more Christmassy, Scotch™ has created a Limited Edition Holiday Color (which you and I may recognize as “red”).

LOCATIONS AND PRICING

Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping Roll is available online at Amazon and Shoplet, and at Target, Walmart, Office Depot, and Staples. Prices range from about $8.50 for the 10′ roll to $99 for the 200′ roll.

Disclaimer: As part of a voluntary program, I help 3M evaluate some of their products. 3M sends me free samples and I analyze them, and give my honest opinion on their site. I had just received my 10′ roll when I saw that my colleague Seana Turner had included Flex & Seal in her post, Seana’s Top Gifts for 2019, which gave me the idea to write this post. Be assured that all opinions are my own. (Who else would claim them?)