(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best packing materials

You can get aluminum channels with frosted covers to mount your LED strips in.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01LL2SLME/ref=psdc_14325671_t2_B01MYF2P2I

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Here is an alternate idea I have been kicking around for a while for creating a cheap and easy LED strip light diffuser, but I have never tried it: The materials are parchment paper and 2" wide clear packing tape. You can probably find both of these at your local grocery store. You will also need a hand saw and a miter box.

Remove the parchment paper roll from its cardboard package and make a pencil mark one inch from the end of the roll. Holding the roll gently but firmly against one side of the miter box, cut off the end of the roll at the mark using a hand saw (avoid power tools for this operation). Unroll the resulting one inch wide roll of parchment paper and secure in place over the LED strip with a length of 2" wide clear packing tape.

Commented this on another glow golf thread a while back but here is what I do and I've tried about everything that has been mentioned so far... hope this helps!

>I don't really care for having to charge a disc every other shot or so, we normally use those little Mini Fishing Glowsticks and a small piece of Clear Packing Tape they glow super bright, don't have to be charged and really don't affect the flight of the disc that I've noticed. Definitely not PDGA legal so won't work if you're playing a tourney but it's much brighter than a glow disc and pretty cheap in bulk. You can put one on top and one on bottom for non see through discs.

You may be right - but there are alternatives. EcoEnclose is where I get most of my shipping supplies. While they do cost a little bit more, I just do the best I can - meaning, the worst offender being plastic, I replace the plastic items with eco alternatives.

• I ship in paper envelopes instead of poly mailers.
  
  
  
• I use a 100% recycled shipping tape (Earth Huggers brand) which you can get on Amazon and its about the same price as virgin plastic.
  
• Right now I am looking for alternatives to the small plastic baggies I cannot avoid using sometimes for beads and small items - EcoEnclose only makes larger sizes but I just found this site from which I will order compostable small baggies! That's amazing!
  
• as for bubble wrap: yes, you can really beat padding things with air for ultra-sensitive items, but there is a greener way to do it. When shipping a breakable and fragile item, I will directly wrap it in a layer or two (depending on size of bubbles) of repurposed bubble wrap. There is also this compostable bubble wrap but I don't use enough to need more than what I already get via packaging. EcoEnclose also makes this corrugated bubble wrap out of recycled paper and it has great reviews but I haven't tried it out yet myself.
  
  I just wish that everyone was more aware of the amount of waste that is produced. We are all so disconnected from the process of production - what it takes to exploit and extract the materials that go into things that we so blithely throw away - and disposal. It is just so easy to consume and discard, and if you live anywhere in the "first world" you don't have to deal with the real consequences like people in developing countries do - we have all seen the pictures. Even if you don't care about those people in developing countries...or all the marine animals whose GI tracts are blocked by broken pieces of plastic that they've mistaken for food...even if it doesn't cross your mind to wince at the overpackaing of pretty much all products that we buy and consume....you should care about your self: our drinking water is contaminated with plastic fibers and compounds...if you eat seafood, your fish are carrying dangerous levels of plastic compounds...and for the big picture, plastic is a petroleum product, the extraction of which is a major contributor to climate change which, as the US Department of Defense has recognized, is a threat multiplier.
  
  Again, apologies for the long form, but this is just one of those issues that has wide-ranging global consequences and yet is just naively ignored. Man that makes me feel "woke". But seriously...please please please just consider your own use and waste production and do what you can to minimize it. Do the work beyond the "convenience" of plastic and you will be a better person living in a better world for it.

I teach mod/severe in CA. I would wait to see the population you're working with. There are some things you will need. Like velcro squares, velcro rolls, titanium scissors to cut velcro, laminator, 5 mil sheets, 3 mil sheets, rotary trimmer, and optional but I would highly suggest it, a color laser printer The printer can take all manner of recycled cartridges and its nice to have to create picture cards at home. I would also suggest getting a subscription to Lessonpix when you start teaching in order to create all the picture cards you need.

Buy smart and write your name on everything. Take things with you as you go from job to job, if you do so. You paid for it, you take it.

Buy cheaply. Try Oriental Trading Post, stuff straight from China on Ebay, Reallygoodstuff.com, Dollar Tree, 99 Cent store, etc. Look at end of holiday sales. Look at ways to make what you can or adapt items. Don't buy everything and anything.

Speaking as someone who has taken professional ESD protection training - Pink Poly Antistatic Foam is your friend. There is nothing safer to put your electronics on, and that $20 roll is enough to build like 20-40 mining rigs. Mine has a couple of sheets of the pink foam wrapped around a piece of cardboard (since the foam is pretty thin), with that entire construction zip tied to a metal shelf - perfectly safe, and works great.

Plastic is bad. Plastic builds up static. The same applies to making PVC rig frames - bad idea without a lot of extra work to ground it. That said, a piece of acrylic with hex standoffs (like you'd use in a case) makes for a wonderful MB tray, just don't let the MB actually touch the plastic. Wood or cardboard should be fine, although not quite the guarantee of a dedicated antistatic material.

I used something similar to these: 50 packs 4"x5.5" SELF-SEAL CLEAR BUBBLE POUCHES BAGS https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUJMIIW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xItKDbBJ8E4Y9

My HGs fit easily in one, the MGs fit into 1 or 2 depending, and the PG went in 3, with the head in a ziploc bag first since it has that super fun led you have to build.

Don't listen to the other person about "markets". There are bathbombs being sold for $17 dollars EACH with free shipping and the seller has 11k sales in less than 2 years.


Etsy isn't about being in a race to the bottom with other sellers. If you want to, make your items more than $10 and add on the shipping into the total OR just do the thing Etsy is promoting where the shipping is free after $35+ and price your items in a way that suits you. I promise you, having free shipping as a option (such as with a set minimum to meet) is tens times more enticing to buyers and benefits you a lot more (especially for lightweight items) than just selling one $6.50 + $4.50 shipping item. I have over 80k sales and make 12k a month out of ONE of my shops. I've never once let my competitors pricing influence how I "value" my work, and when I opened my shop I charged more than most people, and I've surpassed all of them in daily sales (30-60 orders a day) for over 2 years.

Okay, enough of my rant, as for shipping extremely lightweight items (with a focus on bath&beauty), these boxes are fairly popular, and you can find them on uline in larger amounts once you start selling regularly: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5B91Q3/?coliid=I15B0YY5IERKN5&colid=3LI4KLG3587E8&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it with these bubbles https://www.amazon.com/Duck-Original-Cushioning-Perforated-1061835/dp/B0021L9M1Y/ They come in 12 inches, but you can cut it down so that each 'roll' is only 3 inches across (so it turns into 3" x 60', 4 rolls), that gives you a ton of bubbles to use. Use it to 'wrap' around your product - left to right, top to bottom, like an X sandwich. As for liquids use something like 3M No Residue Duct Tape around the caps to keep it from slipping open while it's being shipped (they have it on Amazon, but it's wayyy cheaper at home depot or lowes) squeeze the lid to make sure the tape is stuck good and then put then in plain generic ziploc bags, such as these https://www.amazon.com/Plymor-Heavy-Plastic-Reclosable-Zipper/dp/B0194CUNCO

They should be relatively safe being shipped this way. I used those boxes for (unrelated to beauty) another product I sell and they are extremely difficult to crush.

I was also thinking about this when I first moved here, and I decided that the best idea was just to bring the expensive (but not too heavy) parts with me. i.e. GPU, RAM, CPU, SSD/HDD, maybe MoBo.

PSUs are way too heavy, and depending on where you're moving from there might be some compatibility issues with Japanese power supplies. Just buy it here.

Cases are also heavy compared to their price, best to just buy one here.

I also had a liquid cooling system (Corsair H100i), but decided not to bother since it's also pretty heavy for the price (and didn't want to risk any of the lines breaking and spilling liquid everywhere).

With regards to wrapping, by bubble wrap do you mean the anti-static kind? If not, then you should look into that. It's pretty cheap.

If you don't have any supplies at the moment I'd highly recommend you spend as little as possible ~$20 on supplies such as tape, 30-up labels Amazon Basics works fine, and reuse boxes if possible.

If you end up going through will selling on Amazon (you're making a few thousand a month) I'd recommend spending the ~$200 and get the proper supplies

DYMO Scale https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053HCP8K/ref=psdc_1068986_t1_B00U93G6C4

3" Tape https://www.amazon.com/Uline-Clear-Industrial-Tape-Rolls/dp/B00BNIM7OA/ref=sr_1_17?keywords=uline+3%22+tape&qid=1564200633&s=office-products&sr=1-17

Tape Dispenser https://www.amazon.com/Uline-H-596-Packing-Dispenser-3-Inch/dp/B005XYJGTO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=uline+3%22+tape+dispenser&qid=1564200672&s=office-products&sr=1-3

I personally spend $200 once in a blue moon on Home Depot small/medium/large boxes

You're not getting a prepper or going to think about getting one for a long time. Selling on Amazon is a super manual business even though people on YouTube never show it (because most don't actually sell).

In that case, I'd get a box big enough that will hold it, fill it full of foam, enough to fill said box (ideally in the form of rigid, expanding foam packs like this, and simply ship it to wherever you're going. Make sure to insure it, because if something is going to be damaged by shipping it, a monitor is a good candidate.

You could also ship your PC as well. Hopefully you still have the box for your case, but if not, boxing it up with foam is easier than with the display. You just need static free packing peanuts. If you're using the OEM CPU cooler, you don't need to unmount it prior to shipping, but you should unmount the GPU, put it in an anti-static bag, and either ship it in the same box as your computer, or seperately if there's no room.

Edit: as I think about it, you could probably ship the monitor with the packing peanuts. It's certainly cheaper than the expanding foam.

Sure. Major links to major parts included, below.

I used a Dremel to cut a hole in the back of the head for the fan, and then drilled a few mounting holes and bolted the fan into the inside of the head (I used rubber washers and lock nuts). Note, the fan I selected is too loud and more powerful than needed - this should be improved.

I also drilled a hole for the panel mount momentary button and installed that.

I used the Dremel and a razor blade to cut out the eyes. Yeah, it does creep people out. I'm thinking installing red LEDs will help put them more at ease.

I ran the wires for the fan and the button to the timer, which I wired to send on 12VDC from the power adapter when the button is pushed. You can set the delay by installing a 0-ohm resistor/jumper/solder-blob between some pads on the circuit board - I figured this out experimentally. Happy to go in to more detail on all the wiring, if asked.

I secured the timer inside the head with VHB and then mounted the head on to a heavy base - just a piece of ABS I had laying around (I actually would have preferred a thicker piece, for more weight and better aesthetics).

I played around with a few materials to find something that would reliably absorb IR - the tape I used worked well. I also got some flat black plasti dip, which might produce a cleaner end result (the tape does create wrinkles around the eyes), but the tape came first and worked, so I decided not to test further.

Actually, the main reason I posted this is because I haven't found anyone else talk about how to defeat the proximity sensor in the Rift. So, for anyone who has come to this obscure corner of the internet in search of that information... there you are!

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Mannequin Head:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQVE3QW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WyaDzbQ48XQDV

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For the ventilation:

Momentary Push Button:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017KPM0T6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_YwaDzbYFW1XD3

Timer:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JLY2RWY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yxaDzbGD60YV4

Power adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FEOB4EI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_byaDzb7X5130A

Fan:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9ZQRI7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xyaDzb04M7A2H

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To defeat the Rift's proximity sensor:

IR-absorbing tape:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GR5ZGYQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kAaDzbFWM48EH
(There are other cheaper options, but I can guarantee this one works.)

If they are roughly bottle shaped, there are also wine bubble wrap packs available. It cradles bottles within an inch of their lives.

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Not that you'd need 20, but I can confirm they are super great. There are even "spill proof seal" ones

Check out this stuff, super thick name brand and pretty crazy price by the case. It's about $1/roll, which for the real stuff not dollar store garbage is pretty damn good. We just loaded up and I'm super impressed by the quality. (it's all about the "mil" with tape, the higher the better).
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBICUBM

I think your joking, but that would be pretty fucking cool looking. Of course you could go with the shitter solution and wrap it :)> http://www.amazon.com/Carbon-Fiber-Vinyl-Bubble-Free-Film/dp/B008B9W0IC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415025676&sr=8-1&keywords=carbon+fiber+vinyl+wrap

I used to buy the Dollar Tree stuff which was a nice price and convenient, but it was pretty poor quality. I've been happy with this from amazon, which is still a good per roll price but much heavier and stickier than the Dollar Tree stuff-

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BGFJBH1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

> I covered the rest of the window up with painted plywood.

If you aren't handy with plywood and paint (or just in a rush) you can use foam poster board and packing tape for about $5 in cost and solve the problem in 10 minutes. :-) You can get these supplies in your local Target or Walmart.

It may not be super pretty, but it will allow you to cool your apartment. Once you are cool again and have time, hang an inexpensive drape over it to make it look nice.

Plastic strapping tape. It's the same shit that Stan's and others use, but when you buy it without a bicycle brand name, it costs a fraction of what it would in a shop. Works great for tubeless obviously, but is also perfect for regular old tubed rims.

What's funny is that you can buy packing peanuts through Amazon Prime. Which means someone probably shipped Amazon packing peanuts surrounded in packing peanuts. https://www.amazon.com/EcoBox-Degradeable-Packing-Peanuts-E-3105/dp/B017ICW2JE

If you want to tote around the system too, then make your own.

Any stiff or rigid shaped case + some pick & pull precut foam sheets.

Shop around, there's tons of sizes out there.

If you're just looking for something to carry the controller, then these soft pack Xbox elite controller cases work great.

Pick and pluck foam would be way easier, faster, and cheaper.

Would these be fine? https://www.amazon.com/EcoBox-Degradeable-Packing-Peanuts-Yellow/dp/B017ICW2JE/ref=pd_sbs_229_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=41CQdyFuFsL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=98KCVZ1916KV9RTW9TPA

Like Pick and Pluck foam but harder?

Some pluck foam in the correct size of your foorlocker.

https://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Pick-Pluck-Foam-10-5/dp/B00I80KG0I

https://www.amazon.com/Charcoal-Pick-Pluck-Foam-10-5/dp/B00I80KG0I

[EcoBox Bio Degradeable Packing Peanuts 1.5 Cuft, Yellow] (https://www.amazon.com/EcoBox-Degradeable-Packing-Peanuts-E-3105/dp/B017ICW2JE/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1472914264&sr=1-2&keywords=packing+peanuts&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011)

Wrap everything in anti-static wrap

Just buy five bags of this.

Anti Static Packing Peanuts do exist!

Gun case with pick & pluck foam. Make any size and shape you want.

Here's how it works.