|
Last month the Bookologist had the opportunity to test Horizon Trading Co.'s Pac-n-Seal system for packaging books. As many already know, we have long advocated the use of b-flute for this purpose. When used in combination with zip-loc bags, b-flute is cheap, fast, and most importantly, effective in protecting books in transit. However, being ever on the alert for opportunities to improve our packaging, we requested a Pac-n-Seal system from Horizon's Steve Madsen, a new Bookologist advertiser, for evaluation. The following is a report on what we found.
The guts of the Pac-n-Seal system, a device resembling an oversized stapler, is an American International Electric, Inc., impulse sealer. It's available in both 12" and 16" widths, has an adjustable knob for different thicknesses of material, and appears to be quite well made. The sealer is used to seal poly bags by the application of a band of concentrated heat.
The process of packaging is simple. A book is wrapped in foam, bubble wrap, paper, or other material, dropped into a 4-mil poly bag, and then sealed on the open edge as well as one of the adjoining closed edges (if necessary) in order to reduce the size of the package to fit the book. It should be noted that the sealer can also be used to seal both foam and bubble wrap, so if these materials are used for the first layer of protection, a neat, sealed inner package is the result.
We were pleasantly surprised at how quick this process is, no more than a moment to seal the edge and pull off the excess bag material. It was clear that, with practice, a book could be packaged in less than a minute. This is good news for the volume seller and certainly comparable to using b-flute in conjunction with zip-loc bags.
A happy accident of this process is that air gets trapped into the sealed bag and further cushions the book against damage. Also, since an air-tight seal is made, waterproofing is also accomplished. Finally, since the bags are clear, plain-paper labels can simply be inserted into them on top of the book prior to sealing, thereby saving one the cost of adhesive labels or eliminating the need to tape a plain-paper label on a conventional package. The completed package makes for a distinctly professional appearance as well.
How well does the resulting package protect a book? This depends both on the book itself and what's done to protect it prior to sealing it in the outer bag. Madsen was careful to point out that the target market for this system is the low- to mid-range book dealer typically doing business on Amazon Marketplace or half.com, not the dealer of high-dollar items, and for this stated purpose, we feel it does an excellent job. We packaged both a paperback and hardback using the recommended method of pre-wrapping in foam and sealing in the outer bag, shipped them to ourselves, and found no visible damage to either book.
It's probably safe to assume that most Pac-n-sealed packaged books (used in combination with foam or bubble wrap) will arrive safely, but, because we can't assume that our packages will never be subjected to extreme handling, the Bookologist has several suggestions for using this method when shipping more valuable books.
- Additional care should be exercised, we think, with paperbacks. A paperback wrapped in b-flute will be significantly stiffened after stapling the ends of the package; whereas the same book packaged by the Pac-n-Seal method will maintain most of its flexibility - a possible problem if a mailman attempts to fold the package and stuff it inside a small mailbox. This is easily remedied, however, by inserting a piece of stiff cardboard with the book.
- Books wrapped in b-flute are especially well-protected at their most vulnerable points - the corners. Books packaged by the Pac-n-Seal/foam method aren't protected to the same extent, but again, if the value of the book demands it, this can be remedied by using an alternate packaging method or a combination of methods. More about combining methods later.
- Heavy books wrapped in b-flute are "frozen" in place by the pinching action of staples, thereby eliminating the possibility of damage to the hinges. Similar books packaged by the Pac-n-Seal method have no such protection. We suggested a possible modification to Madsen: use two stout (1/2" or wider) rubber bands to freeze the book before sealing. This would be both quick and inexpensive. Madsen later reported experimenting with this successfully and will now include it in the instruction manual.
We were prepared to end our experiments with this system here - that is, until we saw Pac-n-Seal's prices for bagging material. In one word, cheap. So cheap that we began to question our further use of zip-loc bags with b-flute. The open-ended 2-mil bags are significantly less expensive than what the Bookologist had been using - Wal-Mart's 45-count box of 10 9/16 x 11 zip-loc bags - and better yet, were also available in larger sizes. Wal-Mart's are not.
As a result, the Bookologist has integrated the Pac-n-Seal system into its own system, using the sealer to seal books in 2-mil bags before wrapping in b-flute. The resulting trapped air in the inner package adds additional protection without compromising the ability to pinch the ends of the outer package with staples. Now we feel we have the best of both worlds.
Madsen reports that he also uses the 2-mil bags for sealing packaging peanuts. The resulting packages can then be used the fill voids in boxes without subjecting your buyers to the inevitable mess of opening a package with loose peanuts. A great idea.
Prices for the various systems offered by Pac-n-Seal are low enough to allow even moderate-volume dealers to recover their cost in a reasonable period of time. Madsen himself was very responsive to our questions and concerns during the testing period and emphasized that he was looking only for a fair assessment of his product. No red flags here at all. The Bookologist rates the Pac-n-Seal system four stars out of four.
More information on the Pac-n-Seal system can be found at:
http://www.pacnseal.com/?bk
|
