Choosing the best shipping bags for clothing

What are you actually choosing between?

Most online retailers decide on unit price and size. Those are two of the five factors that genuinely matter. Work through the questions below and the choice within the shipping bags range will almost always narrow itself down to one or two options.

How heavy and how bulky is the garment?

Textiles are light but springy: a folded winter jumper pushes back against the film the moment the bag is sealed. That constant tension on the side seams is the most common cause of splits in transit — not the impact of the sorting belt. Rule of thumb: a bag you can only just close is one size too small. For heavier or springy items, choose a thicker film or a larger size, not both at once, or you will be paying for shipping volume you do not need.

How likely is moisture along the way?

Parcels rarely stay dry. They sit in a wet roll cage, get handed over at the door in the rain, or spend an hour in a porch. Plastic film keeps water out; paper only does so up to a point. If you mostly ship pale colours, cotton, or items that stain when damp, film is the safer option.

How often do your customers return?

Return rates in fashion are structurally higher than in most other sectors. A bag with a second adhesive strip lets the customer reseal the parcel themselves, without tape and without a fresh piece of packaging from you. That saves packaging material, handling time in the returns department and a call to your customer service team.

What should the unboxing moment communicate?

The shipping bag is the first physical contact anyone has with your brand. A plain bag does its job; a printed shipping bag or a printed sticker turns unpacking into a brand moment. If you would rather start small, wrap the garment in tissue paper or attach a cardboard label.

Coex shipping bags: the standard for clothing

The vast majority of fashion retailers ship in coex bags. "Coex" is short for co-extrusion: two layers of LDPE are fused into a single film in one production pass, with a white outer layer and a black inner layer. The two layers therefore do not form a laminate that can delaminate — they are one material, which is precisely why a coex bag feels sturdier than a single-layer film of the same thickness.

Why is the inside black?

The black layer is not a design choice but a privacy measure. Without it, a brightly coloured T-shirt or a brand logo shows through the film when held against the light. Black pigment blocks virtually all transmitted light, so nobody in the delivery chain can see what is inside. The white outer layer keeps the parcel presentable and the shipping label easy to read.

50, 70 or 100 micron: which thickness do you need?

Film thickness determines tear resistance, not water resistance — 50 my is waterproof too. As a rule of thumb: 50 my for light, flat textiles, 70 my for the bulk of clothing consignments, and 100 my as soon as something firm or sharp travels along, such as trousers with a buckle, a belt, or packaging with hard corners. If you are torn between two thicknesses, take the thicker one: the extra cost per consignment is negligible against a single damage claim.

What is the second adhesive strip for?

Coex shipping bags have a self-adhesive sealing strip plus a second, slightly lower return strip. You seal the bag on the top strip. If the customer wants to return the item, they cut the bag open just below your seal and close it again with the second strip. The bag stays intact, no tape is needed, and the parcel comes back to you looking professional. For your returns department that means fewer damaged packages and faster processing on intake.

Paper shipping bags: when is paper the better choice?

If you would rather keep plastic out of your shipping process, the paper versions in the sustainable envelopes category are the alternative. They are made from extra-strong kraft paper, have the same double adhesive strip as the coex bag, and go straight into the paper recycling at your customer's home — with no need to separate film from paper first. In practice, that last point is the biggest advantage: paper needs no explanation.

Is paper strong enough for clothing?

For the large majority of clothing consignments, yes. Kraft paper has long fibres and high tensile strength along the grain; tears almost always start at a damaged edge or on an overfilled bag, not in the flat surface. Where paper loses out to film is in stretch: paper does not give. A bag under tension will split sooner in paper than in film, so with paper you should consistently take one size up.

Can a paper shipping bag handle rain?

Only up to a point. It will survive a short shower in the courier's hands, but not a parcel left out in the rain for an hour. If you ship to countries or seasons where that is a realistic risk, pack the garment in a plastic bag or a resealable bag first, or opt for the coex version after all. For larger runs in non-standard sizes there is also tubular film, which you seal to the length you need.

The specifications side by side

Feature	Coex shipping bag (LDPE)	Paper shipping bag
Material	Co-extruded LDPE, two layers	Extra-strong kraft paper
Colour	White outside, black inside	Brown
Film thickness	50, 70 or 100 my	Not applicable
Common sizes	A4 and A3; 250 x 350 mm, 320 x 420 mm and 450 x 550 mm with return strip	16.5 x 22 cm and 23 x 32.5 cm, each with a 4 cm flap
Closure	Self-adhesive sealing strip plus return strip	Double adhesive strip
Waterproof	Yes, including at 50 my	Limited, splash-resistant
Opaque	Yes, thanks to the black inner layer	Yes
Pack quantity per box	150, 250, 500 or 1000 pieces	150, 250, 500 or 1000 pieces
Waste stream at the customer	Plastic (PE), recyclable	Paper recycling
Can be printed	Yes, from a minimum run	Yes, from a minimum run

Which size for which garment?

The table below is a practical rule of thumb, assuming neatly folded textiles and one item per consignment. If you ship two or more items together, drop one row down the table.

Bag size	Suitable for	Point to watch
16.5 x 22 cm + flap	Socks, underwear, jewellery, small accessories	Fits through a letterbox with room to spare
23 x 32.5 cm + flap / A4	T-shirt, blouse, leggings, children's clothing	Fold flat, do not roll
250 x 350 mm	Jumper, shirt, jeans	Go one size up for heavy knitwear
320 x 420 mm / A3	Sweatshirt, tracksuit, two light items	Mind the thickness: choose 70 my or more
450 x 550 mm	Coat, winter jacket, bedding, multiple items	Choose 100 my; consider a box for heavy contents

Will a shipping bag fit through a letterbox?

The smaller sizes will, provided you keep the bag flat. The maximum permitted thickness for letterbox parcels differs by country and by carrier and changes regularly, so always check the current requirements with your carrier. A folded T-shirt or a pair of leggings will generally pass; a thick winter jumper practically never will. If you want certainty that the height stays within the limit, a flat cardboard postal box is the more reliable option, because it holds its shape in the sorting machine.

Why does a shipping bag save on carriage costs?

A shipping bag takes the shape of its contents and contains virtually no air. A box does not: it keeps its volume even when half empty. Since carriers increasingly charge on volumetric weight, with a box you are paying for air. With textiles — light, flat and not fragile — that difference is clearly noticeable per consignment. Only when the contents have to keep their shape does a folding box still win.

When is a shipping bag the wrong choice?

A shipping bag protects against dirt, moisture and prying eyes, but not against pressure and impact. As soon as something hard, fragile or shape-sensitive travels along, you are better served by another product from the shipping materials range.

Shoes, belts and accessories with hard parts

A buckle or a heel presses against the film from the inside and will always find an edge to work its way through. Pack these items in their own box, or choose an air cushion envelope: the bubble layer on the inside absorbs the point load. For a branded look there are also printed bubble envelopes, and for a rigid alternative, cardboard mailing envelopes.

Fragile or pressure-sensitive items

If a piece of jewellery, a perfume bottle or a pair of sunglasses travels with the clothing, wrap that item in bubble wrap or foam film first. If you would rather work plastic-free, use honeycomb paper or recycled bubble wrap film.

Clothing that must not be folded

A suit, an evening dress or a freshly pressed shirt arrives creased out of a shipping bag. For those items, use garment covers on a hanger. Flat items that must not be creased at all, such as a print or a lookbook poster, belong in a shipping tube.

Five mistakes we see at the packing bench

1. The bag is chosen too large

An oversized bag folds itself around the contents and creates creases where the film cracks along the fold line. The contents can also shift, pulling the label out of true. Choose the bag to match the folded dimensions of the garment, not the "just in case" size.

2. The label is stuck over the sealing strip

If the shipping label sits half over the sealing strip, the customer tears up their own return information when opening the parcel. Always apply the label to the flat surface, a few centimetres below the seal, and onto a clean, dry area — a label on dusty or cold film will lift in the sorting line.

3. The bag is overfilled

The moment the sealing strip is under tension, the bag is too full. The adhesive layer is designed for shear, not for pull: on a bulging bag, the strip slowly peels away. If at least a finger's width of flat film remains below the strip, you are fine.

4. The return paperwork is missing

In fashion, a returns form should travel with every order as standard. Put it loose in the bag and it disappears between the folds. A packing list envelope on the outside keeps the document dry and immediately visible; if you do not want the standard print, there are blank packing list envelopes. For bulky consignments or hanging garments, label clips or cardboard manila labels work better.

5. The bag is torn open on intake

On a return, the bag is often pulled open rather than cut open, after which it is unusable. A simple pair of scissors or a safety knife at the packing table keeps the bag intact, so you can still reuse it internally for a second consignment.

Your logo on the bag: when is it worth it?

Printing becomes interesting as soon as you consistently ship the same size. You then order one size as a run and use it as your standard bag, keeping a few plain sizes alongside it for the exceptions. Besides printed shipping bags, the printed packaging range also covers printed cardboard boxes and printed tape, so the whole consignment is recognisable. If you want to spread the investment, start with plain bags and a printed sticker: the same effect, without a minimum order per size.

Sustainability: recycle or reuse?

Can I reuse a coex shipping bag?

Yes, and that is exactly what the return strip is for. If the bag comes back to you undamaged, you can reuse it internally, for instance for inter-branch transport. For a second consignment to a customer we would advise a new bag: one with two used strips and an old label reads as sloppiness at the receiving end, however well intended.

Which is more sustainable, film or paper?

That depends on what you measure. Paper scores better on collection and on how the customer perceives it, film on material use per consignment: a coex bag weighs considerably less than a paper bag of the same size, which shows up in transport weight. Both are recyclable, provided the customer puts them in the right stream. If you want to make your entire shipping process plastic-free, also look at paper tape and durable filling material within the sustainable packaging materials.

How do you avoid unnecessary material?

The biggest gain is not in the material but in the size range. Two or three well-chosen sizes will typically cover the vast majority of your consignments. If you routinely top up an oversized bag or box with void filling paper, that is usually a sign that a size is missing from your range.

In short: which shipping bag suits you?

Standard clothing consignment, all weathers: 70 my coex bag in the size that matches the folded garment.
Light, flat textiles for the letterbox: 50 my coex bag in A4 or 23 x 32.5 cm.
Heavy or springy items, coats, multiple pieces: 100 my in 320 x 420 mm or 450 x 550 mm.
Plastic-free and easiest to recycle: paper shipping bag, one size up from the film equivalent.
Hard, fragile or shape-sensitive items: air cushion envelope, box or garment cover.
High return rate: always a version with a second adhesive strip.

Ordering shipping bags for clothing at Kortpack

You can order your shipping bags easily online, in boxes of 150, 250, 500 or 1000 pieces. Ordered on working days before 3:30 PM? Then your order will be shipped the same day. Enjoy free delivery on orders over €75 excl. VAT.

Do you have questions about which size of shipping bags is best suited to your situation? Please don't hesitate to contact us — by phone on +31 184 – 614256, via info@kortpack.nl or via WhatsApp.