How do you "reuse" bubble envelopes?

I have heard/read alot about reusing the bubble envelopes. Can anyone tell me how you do this? I mean, the post office stamps them so how can you reuse that?

Hi dixie. I just peel off the postage label or if it's stamped I paste a blank label over top of the postage. Hope this helps.

Thank you Dahlianut. What kind of label do you put over the stamp?

I use Avery 10" x 5" as they cover the stamps and postmark. I got them as a pack of 600 labels at Office Depot on sale. Any label will work as long as it covers so I would go for the best deal. I bet you can find them at Wallmart too.

I sometimes just black marker out the info and use the other side for address and such.
I also cut them down to a smaller size, if sending less seeds.

or just a plain sheet of 8.5 X 11 fold in half and tape over the original printing.

Sometime, I cut a piece of my bubble envelope and put seeds in there and then put them in regular envelope. That will work fine too. So you can get about 3 use out of one bubble envie, depending on how many seeds you are sending.

LiliMerci, I was wondering if that would would work. (cutting the bubble envelope & useing in reg. envelopes) Because alot of times I only need to mail one pack of seeds & hate to use the bubble envelopes for just 1 pack.
I was talking to the lady that works in my local post office today & she said they always hand stamp theres, never use the machines. But I wasn't sure if every post office that it went through stamped it or just the one it starts out at. LOL, I've never really paid attention to how many places stamped the envelopes i get.
Thank you all for the info.

I do it all the time, especially when I'm just sending one or two small packets of seeds. Postage is less that way too. You can also use bubbles that stuff are wrapped in too, just plain small bubbles. I cut big enough to fold over the seeds packet(s) and tape the edge so seeds don't slide out into the regular envelope.

I am the recipient of many SABE requests and here is the slickest way to reuse bubble envelopes I've seen yet. When responding to an offer, address the bubble envelope in the usual way - whether it is new or being repurposed. Inside, enclose the appropriate amount of return postage along with a label (or even just a piece of paper) with your name and address plainly printed upon it. The member providing the seed then just needs to take the enclosed label and affix it over the "to" address on the outside of the envelope, affix the return postage stamps, and put your seeds into the envy then tape it shut before posting it back to you . . . optionally, the seed source might put his or her own mailing label over the "from" address.

Such an arrangement is very welcome when a particularly popular seed offering results in many requests.

Big thanks to all of you who do use this method.

ATBTY !     ~     £az

yes, i've seen this done and it's a fantastic way to recycle.

here's another way to save the bubbies - -

when you are sending just one or two packets of small seeds, just use one-third or one-half of a previously used bubble envelope. tape closed the cut side and presto! you have an envelope.

big USPS secret:   they cannot charge you that 17-cent surcharge more than once, so piggy-back your transgressions as I do - - the surcharge covers for an envelope smaller than the regs allow for first class mail, AND it also covers for the added thickness over a first class letter - - the USPS regulation about first class surcharge fees doesn't allow for them to apply multiple surcharges . . . As Connor MacLeod said, "There can only be one."

I would advise you NOT to use a regular envelope. For all seeds, it's best to use bubble mailers. If everyone used bubble mailers, then none of us would have to buy them. We could just keep recycling. If I send you one, but you send me a regular envelope, I don't have one to recycle. If done properly, a bubble mailer can be reused over and over until it's just worn out.

Also, bubble mailers do NOT go thru the postal machines. Regular envelopes do, even if they're plump. Supposedly if they're a certain thickness, they don't, but that's not true. Some lazy postal clerk will stuff it in the sorter anyway, rather than manually sorting, and it will get stuck, get ripped open and the seeds get scattered. I received a few like this with absolutely nothing in them. Also, when going thru the machines, the seeds can get crushed to dust so your recipient will end up with nothing viable.

If you're not going to use a bubble mailer, please make it known to your trader. Many of us have received seed dust or empty envelopes and bubble mailers help reduce the frequency. In fact I've never received an empty bubble mailer or crushed seeds in a bubble mailer.

Hope this helps.

I do use bubble wrap by cutting it to the shape of the envelop when and inserting inside if mailing a small quanity of seeds internationally. This saves alot on postage.

yes, me too. Also, someone told me that if you use the bubble envie but put it in a regular yellow envelope, postage is less. Don't know if that is true.

The problem is, if you're cutting a bubble mailer down to fit a regular envelope, it WILL go thru the sorters which can complete obliterate the bubbles and crush the seeds or get hung up in the sorters. Remember, it will be sorted at every post office it encounters. You may get lucky and not have a problem. But if you've ever received an empty envelope or crushed seeds, you learn.

To save on postage, trade for multiple packs of seeds at once instead of just one pack. I never trade for one pack. I trade for 5 or 10 packs and use a bubble mailer and postage runs around $1.56--not a bad price for 5 or 10 packs of seeds. You probably spend that much doing 5 smaller trades in a regular envelope.

I mostly gift not trade BC. Postage for a small bubble envelope is $6.00+ from CA to US. Thank you Canada Post.

bubble envie in envelope worked fine for me.