When I mail a box, I tend to use a lot of packing tape. I use some strips, all the way across the spot where the two flaps meet. Then, depending on how that looks, I probably add a couple more strips in the middle of each flap — all the way across the box.
Then, I will quite often print the to/from addresses on a half sheet of white printer paper, lay that down on the proper spot on the box, and use long strips of tape to tape it down. End to end or side to side, depending on the box itself.
I’ll pop a couple of strips of tape on the bottom of the box and call it done.
I used to think that was a lot of tape — until I started getting packages from The Fake Husband and Sassymonkey.
I’m guessing it’s The Fake Husband who is doing the packing of the packages but I don’t really know that for sure. Just a hunch.
Those wacky Canadians (or whichever wacky Canadian is packing those boxes) use a helluva lot of tape on their boxes.
The first time I really noticed it was when they sent me the Kotex machine. I figured the huge amount of tape was related to the weight of the box. More tape on a heavy box to help keep it all together and safe.
But no. It wasn’t the weight of the machine. I’ve received several more boxes from The Fake Husband and Sassymonkey and pretty much all of them have been LOADED with tape. So much tape that I can’t even get a steak knife through the tape on the first pass. I’ve got to SAW through the layers of tape. And I can’t just saw through in one place, I’ve got to saw through the tape in several places or the box WILL NOT OPEN.
It’s a fascinating thing to see and I wish I’d thought to take some photos or pictures when the last heavily taped box arrived. It would have been extra fun to watch Skeeter Bess watch me try to get the damn tape off of the box. She was fascinated and tried to help, without much success.
Which should tell you something.
If Skeeter Bess cannot get a box open… yea, that’s a lot of tape.
How do you tape up a box to ship? How much tape do you use?
I have been known to over tape when shipping but not like that! My sister always overtapes gift boxes though. My dad has had to use his pocket knife at times.
Hahahahahaha. Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.
I also over-tape. I think it’s a must!
On the bottom – two pieces of tape that run the length of the box and up the sides a couple inches (one mostly on the right flap that slightly overlaps to the left, and one mostly on the left flap that overlaps on the right). A third strip in the middle of those two if it’s a heavy box.
On the top – same as the bottom, but a third strip only if the top is poking up a bit, if I’ve really shoved things in there. I used to use more on the top when taping the label on but finally found some self-sealing labels.
My Aunt Nellie and Aunt Mildred, though? Used to do that thing where they’d tape every possible opening you might use to get the package open. With, like, steel tape or something, It was almost NEXT Christmas before you got the dang package open!