# Bubble wrap, 500 mm x 100 m > One roll covers a few hundred small parcels. - Protection, Best value - Typical UK price: £10 to £15 (a typical band, not a live price) - Platforms: Whatnot, eBay, Vinted, TikTok Shop, Depop, Etsy - Orders a week: 0–2000 - Not yet checked by a person A long roll costs several times less per metre than the small packs sold in shops. ## Setups - [Anime figure garage for TikTok Shop and eBay](https://sellersetups.com/setups/anime-figures-tiktok-shop): Box protectors, double-wall cartons, a ring light and a tripod for selling boxed anime figures and blind boxes in short TikTok videos and on eBay. - [Clearance lock-up setup for Whatnot, Etsy and eBay](https://sellersetups.com/setups/clearance-lockup-live-and-etsy): Sort a cleared unit into four zones in a weekend, open mystery crates live, and keep the 20 year old pieces back for Etsy. - [Crystal live-show garage for Whatnot and TikTok Shop](https://sellersetups.com/setups/crystal-live-shows-garage): Bulk tumbled stones in tubs, an overhead phone, LED panels and small boxes for running crystal live sales several nights a week at volume. - [eBay books, games and vinyl setup](https://sellersetups.com/setups/ebay-books-media): Two scales, rigid mailers and shelves sorted by code, so 20 to 80 books, games and records a week go out in the cheapest postage band that fits. - [eBay electronics reselling setup](https://sellersetups.com/setups/ebay-electronics-reseller): A testing bench, bagged cables, double-wall boxes and clear battery rules for reselling 10 to 50 phones, consoles and gadgets a week on eBay. - [eBay packing station setup for 50 to 100 orders a week](https://sellersetups.com/setups/ebay-packing-station-100): A fixed packing station with shelving, a thermal printer and supplies in reach, built for one person shipping up to 100 eBay orders a week. - [Garage setup for 150 to 300 orders a week](https://sellersetups.com/setups/garage-150-orders): The step up from a spare room: a garage or small unit with picking shelves, two packing tables and a printer built for volume. - [Golf club and sportswear setup for eBay and Depop](https://sellersetups.com/setups/golf-clubs-sportswear-garage): Single irons in cut-down boxes, retro football and tennis tops in grey mailers, and a garage split into a clubs side and a clothing side. - [Vintage ceramics and glass from a spare room](https://sellersetups.com/setups/homeware-ceramics-glass-room): A spare room set up for jugs, vases, tea sets and studio pottery sold on eBay and Etsy, with packing built around zero breakages. - [Japanese import reseller with proxy buying](https://sellersetups.com/setups/japan-proxy-import-desk): Prize figures, Japanese-language card boxes and stationery bought through a proxy, then sold on Whatnot shows and eBay listings from a spare room. - [Outdoor gear setup for a shed or garage, eBay and Whatnot](https://sellersetups.com/setups/outdoor-gear-shed-seasonal): Tents pitched on the lawn before listing, tackle sold live in lots, and a 40 kg scale for the family tent that a medium parcel will not take. - [Preloved designer handbag room for Vinted and eBay](https://sellersetups.com/setups/preloved-designer-handbags): Softbox light, dust bags, stuffing tissue and double-wall boxes for selling secondhand designer bags that arrive holding their shape. - [TikTok Shop live setup for beauty sellers](https://sellersetups.com/setups/tiktok-shop-beauty-starter): A ring light, a mic, a plain backdrop and protective packing for filming TikTok videos from one corner of your room. - [Toy and collectibles live selling setup](https://sellersetups.com/setups/toy-collectibles-live): Box protectors, double boxing and coded shelving for selling construction sets, die-cast cars and vinyl figures live on Whatnot and on eBay. - [Trainer reselling setup for a small room](https://sellersetups.com/setups/trainer-reseller-small-room): Shelving for 60 boxed pairs, authentication-ready photos and double-wall packing for a trainer reseller on eBay and Vinted. - [Preloved toy bundle setup for Vinted and eBay](https://sellersetups.com/setups/vinted-preloved-toy-bundles): Bag the small parts, photograph the whole bundle in a light tent and post sorted LEGO, Playmobil and family toys from a spare room. ## Who a 100 m roll suits A long roll of bubble wrap suits you if you post breakable or awkward items such as mugs, boxed figures, electronics, glass candle jars and cameras. At a few items a week, a 100 m roll lasts months; at 50 orders a week, expect to reorder every few weeks. If you sell clothing alone, you will rarely need it. Vinyl, book and card shops usually need less than they expect, because rigid mailers do most of the protecting. ## Width, bubble size and perforations A 500 mm width wraps most small and medium items in one or two turns and fits on a shelf or a dispenser bar. Wider 750 mm and 1,000 mm rolls suit larger homeware and suitcases of stock. Bubble size changes the job. Small bubbles, around 10 mm, wrap surfaces and fill gaps; large bubbles, around 20 to 25 mm, cushion heavier items against drops. Many listings also state whether the roll is perforated, which saves cutting with scissors. If your buyers ask about recycled content, the film description lists it. Some supermarket chains take plastic film at front-of-store collection points, so check their current list before telling buyers it goes in the kerbside bin. ## Wrapping a mug or figure for the post Wrap with the bubbles facing in, towards the item. The flat side faces out and resists punctures, and the bubbles grip the surface so the wrap stays put. Two turns cover most items. Tape the end down with a short strip of brown packing tape, then sit the wrapped item in a box with at least 5 cm of space to each side, filled with scrunched paper or more wrap. Mount the roll on a broom handle across two brackets, or on a dispenser above the table, and pull from it there instead of unrolling it across the floor. ## Paper wrap or rigid mailers instead Honeycomb paper wrap, 100 m roll is the paper alternative. It cushions like light bubble wrap and goes in the paper recycling, so choose it if your buyers care about plastic or you sell handmade or vintage on character. Board-backed card mailers, C6, 100 pack or 12-inch LP record mailers, 10 pack protect flat items with rigid board in place of cushioning. Small light pieces travel in Kraft padded envelopes, D/1, 100 pack, which carry their own bubble lining. ## Pence per metre and storing the roll £10 to £15 for 100 m puts a metre of wrap at roughly 10p to 15p. A mug or a boxed figure takes around half a metre to a metre, so wrap adds pennies per order. Store the roll upright and away from radiators. Heat lets the bubbles lose air and flatten. ## Common mistakes - Bubbles facing out pop against the box wall. Face them in towards the item. - Add a second layer or switch to larger bubbles for a heavy item; one thin layer lets it hit the box floor. - A box packed too tight crushes the wrap flat, so leave a few centimetres of space on every side. - Small shop packs cost several times more per metre. Once you post breakables weekly, buy a long roll. - Store the roll somewhere cool, because a spot by a radiator deflates the bubbles. ## Guides - [How to post bulky items: bikes, golf clubs, prams](https://sellersetups.com/guides/how-to-post-bulky-items): Courier size limits for long and heavy parcels, how to work out length plus girth, and how to pack a bike, a golf bag, gym weights and a pram. - [Small business packaging setup for 100 orders a week](https://sellersetups.com/guides/packaging-setup-100-orders): The kit, stock levels and daily routine that keep packing 100 orders a week from home down to an hour or two a day. - [How to post Funko Pops without crushing the box](https://sellersetups.com/guides/post-funko-pops): Collectors buy the window box as much as the figure. Protector, outer carton and void fill keep corners sharp and the window clear in transit. - [How to post jewellery safely in the UK](https://sellersetups.com/guides/post-jewellery-safely): Pick the Royal Mail service that covers a ring or a gold coin, pack it so nothing rattles, and keep the proof you need if a claim comes. - [How to post trainers without a box](https://sellersetups.com/guides/post-trainers-without-box): Lost the shoebox or bought the pair loose? Stuff, wrap and pack trainers so the toe box keeps its shape and the buyer opens a clean pair. ## Questions ### Which way round does bubble wrap go? Bubbles face in, towards the item. The flat side faces out and protects the bubbles from puncture. ### How many parcels does a 100 m roll cover? Small items use around half a metre each, so a roll covers 100 to 200 small parcels. Larger homeware uses more. ### Small or large bubbles? Small bubbles suit surface protection and light items. Large bubbles cushion heavy or fragile pieces against drops. ### Can buyers recycle bubble wrap? Many councils do not take it at the kerb, though some supermarkets collect plastic film. Point buyers to their local recycling rules instead of promising a route. ### Is bubble wrap better than paper? Per metre, bubble wrap cushions heavy items better. Honeycomb paper suits lighter items and plastic-free shops.