Custom Bubble Mailers & Padded Envelopes for Ecommerce Brands
Padded self-seal envelopes with your artwork printed across the outside. Same protection as the plain grey ones from the post office, except customers can tell who it's from before they open it.
Why Ecommerce Brands Choose Bubble Mailers
They weigh a fraction of a box, cost less in postage, and give you a surface big enough to actually print on. That's most of the reason they dominate ecommerce.
Branded Unboxing on Every Order
Custom printed bubble mailers turn shipping into marketing. Your logo and colors land in the customer's hands at the moment of delight.
Padded Protection
Internal bubble lining cushions fragile items. A genuine alternative to padded envelopes from USPS, UPS, or generic mailing supply stores.
Free US Shipping
Every custom bubble mailer order ships free across the United States. Factory-direct pricing, no middlemen markup.
Lighter Than Boxes
Bubble mailers weigh a fraction of a corrugated box, lowering DIM-weight charges on USPS, UPS, and FedEx ground.
Custom Printed Bubble Mailers
Pick a standard MOQ for established brands, or a low-MOQ option if you're testing branded packaging for the first time.
Custom Bubble Mailers (Standard MOQ)
Self-seal padded envelopes printed with your brand. The most popular custom bubble mailer for ecommerce — full bleed print, MOQ 5,000.
View productLow-MOQ Bubble Mailers
Custom printed bubble mailers from a lower minimum quantity. Built for new brands testing branded padded envelopes before scaling up.
View productBubble Mailer Sizes
Standard padded envelope sizing, matched to the most common ecommerce use cases.
Jewelry, accessories, small parts
Cosmetics, slim apparel, paperbacks
T-shirts, soft goods, small electronics
Folded apparel, hardcover books
Multi-item ecommerce orders
Larger apparel, bulky soft goods
Cheaper Than USPS Flat Rate for Most Orders
USPS flat rate envelopes, priority mail flat rate envelopes, and generic USPS mailers all carry a fixed cost — and zero branding. For most lightweight ecommerce shipments, custom bubble mailers shipped at calculated rates come in cheaper while putting your brand on every package.
We break down the math in the full guide below.
Read the Shipping Cost BreakdownWhy bubble mailers win for ecommerce
- Branded full-color print on every shipment
- Lower DIM-weight charges vs corrugated boxes
- Self-seal strip — faster packing per order
- Water-resistant outer layer
- Padded protection without the bulk
Custom Bubble Mailer Specs at a Glance
Material, padding, print, and turnaround for every custom padded envelope we produce.
- Outer material
- 2 mil coextruded LDPE polyethylene
- Inner padding
- 3/16 in air-filled bubble cushioning
- Print method
- Full-color flexographic, up to 4 spot colors
- Print coverage
- Full-bleed both sides, edge to edge
- Closure
- Permanent peel-and-seal adhesive strip
- MOQ
- 500 units per size (low-MOQ option available)
- Turnaround
- 8–12 weeks after proof approval
- Shipping
- Free US shipping, factory-direct
Explore Every Bubble Mailer Variant
Size-specific and volume-specific landing pages for the padded envelope you actually need.
Small Bubble Mailers
#000 and #0 padded envelopes for jewelry, cosmetics, and small electronics.
Large Bubble Mailers
#5 and #7 bubble mailers for folded apparel and bulkier ecommerce orders.
Clear Bubble Mailers
See-through padded envelopes for wholesale picking and returns workflows.
Bulk Custom Bubble Mailers
Tiered pricing on high-volume runs of custom printed padded envelopes.
Bubble Mailers vs Poly Mailers: Custom Padded Envelope Comparison
Padded custom bubble mailers and flat custom poly mailer bags are the two workhorses of ecommerce shipping. Compare padding, weight, cost, MOQ, print, and recyclability side by side — then jump straight to the matching custom mailer variant.
| Attribute | Custom Bubble Mailers | Custom Poly Mailers |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Books, electronics, jewelry, gifts, fragile small items | Apparel, soft goods, accessories, non-fragile ecommerce |
| Padding | Internal bubble cushioning | None — flat coextruded film |
| Weight per unit | Heavier — padding adds ounces | Ultralight — lowest DIM-weight charges |
| Waterproof | Yes — poly outer layer | Yes — sealed poly film |
| Print & branding | Full-bleed CMYK on kraft or poly face | Full-bleed CMYK, matte or gloss finish |
| Typical MOQ | 500 (or lower via low-MOQ tier) | 500 units |
| Unit cost | Higher — padded construction | Lower — less material |
| Recyclability | Store drop-off (poly) or curbside (paper-padded) | Store drop-off (#4 LDPE film) |
Pick a custom bubble mailer when…
- You ship books, electronics, jewelry, or breakables
- Product needs padded protection in transit
- A corrugated box would over-package the order
- You want unboxing perceived value without box cost
Pick a custom poly mailer when…
- You ship apparel, hats, socks, or other soft goods
- DIM weight and postage cost are your top concern
- You want the cheapest per-unit branded shipping bag
- Contents don't need cushioning to arrive safely
Jump to the right custom mailer variant
Everything You Need to Know About Bubble Mailers
In-depth guides on sizing, sustainability, sourcing, and shipping cost.
The Complete Guide to Custom Bubble Mailers
Sizes, materials, print options, MOQs, and how to spec custom bubble mailers for your ecommerce brand.
Padded Envelopes vs Bubble Mailers: What's the Difference?
Padded mailers, padded envelopes, and bubble mailers explained — and which one is right for your shipment.
USPS Flat Rate Envelopes vs Bubble Mailers: A Shipping Cost Breakdown
When USPS flat rate beats bubble mailers, and when your own branded mailers ship cheaper.
Where to Buy Bubble Mailers in Bulk (and What to Look For)
Wholesale options, what determines the cheapest bubble mailers, and red flags to avoid.
Are Bubble Mailers Recyclable? Sustainability Guide
Poly bubble mailers, paper-padded mailers, and recyclable alternatives compared.
Where to Get Custom Bubble Mailers
Three places people usually look — and what you actually get from each.
Marketplaces and office suppliers
Amazon, ULINE, and big-box stores sell plain padded envelopes off the shelf. Fine for testing a size, but nothing is printed and there's no brand on the box — or the mailbox.
Print brokers and resellers
They take your artwork and hand it to a factory you never talk to. That adds cost and slows down proofs, and if a reprint goes wrong you're chasing a middleman.
Direct from the manufacturer
This is what we do. You send your design, we send back a digital proof, and once you approve it we print and ship free anywhere in the US. Fewer hands, fewer delays, one point of contact.
If you already know your size, open the designer and put your brand on a bubble mailer, or request a quote and we'll price your exact spec within 24 hours. Ordering larger volumes? See bulk bubble mailers for volume pricing.
Bubble Mailer FAQs
What are bubble mailers?
Bubble mailers are padded envelopes with an internal layer of bubble cushioning. They're used to ship small to medium ecommerce items that need protection without the bulk and weight of a corrugated box. Custom bubble mailers add full-color printing on the outside, turning every shipment into a branded touchpoint.
Are padded envelopes the same as bubble mailers?
Padded envelopes is the broader term covering any mailer with internal cushioning — including paper-padded, foam-padded, and bubble-padded mailers. Bubble mailers are the most common type of padded envelope used in ecommerce because they're lightweight, water-resistant, and cheap to ship.
Are bubble mailers cheaper than USPS flat rate envelopes?
Often, yes. USPS flat rate envelopes have a fixed shipping cost regardless of weight, but they're not branded and you still pay for the envelope plus postage. Custom bubble mailers ship via your own carrier rates — for lightweight orders under a pound, calculated rates plus a branded mailer usually beat flat rate by a meaningful margin.
Where can I buy bubble mailers in bulk?
You can buy plain bubble mailers from office supply stores, Amazon, ULINE, and big-box retailers. For custom printed bubble mailers in bulk, you want a packaging manufacturer — MAILERS HQ produces custom bubble mailers from MOQ 5,000 with free US shipping. See our full guide on where to buy bubble mailers.
Where can I get custom bubble mailers printed?
From a packaging manufacturer that prints in-house. Resellers and marketplaces add a markup and hand your artwork to someone else, which slows proofs and reprints. At MAILERS HQ you upload your design, we send a digital proof, and once you approve it the mailers ship free anywhere in the US. You can start a design online or send us your logo and we'll mock it up.
What sizes do bubble mailers come in?
Standard bubble mailer sizes run from #000 (4 x 8 in) up to #7 (14.25 x 20 in). Sizes #0, #2, and #4 cover most ecommerce use cases. We can also produce custom dimensions if your product needs a non-standard fit.
Are bubble mailers recyclable?
Standard poly bubble mailers are not curbside recyclable but can be dropped off at store-front plastic film recycling bins (the same place plastic grocery bags go). Paper-padded mailers are curbside recyclable. We cover sustainability tradeoffs in detail in our recyclability guide.
What's the minimum order for custom bubble mailers?
Standard MOQ on custom printed bubble mailers is 500 units per size. New brands can test the format on our low-MOQ bubble mailers page before committing to a full run. Per-unit cost drops again at 1,000, 5,000, and 25,000 units.
Are bubble mailers waterproof?
The outer poly film on standard bubble mailers is water-resistant — it sheds rain and light moisture during transit. Paper-padded mailers absorb water and aren't a good fit for outdoor porches or rainy climates. For maximum water resistance on non-fragile items, a flat poly mailer is even better than a bubble mailer.
How fast can I get custom bubble mailers?
Standard turnaround on custom printed bubble mailers is 8–12 weeks after digital proof approval, including free US shipping. Orders are printed at our own factory and shipped direct to you. Rush production is available on request for launches and holiday runs.
Ready to Design Your Custom Bubble Mailers?
Jump into the designer and see your brand on a padded envelope, or get a custom quote in 24 hours.