# Best packing tape for shipping boxes

> Packing tape and a tape gun ranked for sellers sealing shipping boxes and mailers at home, with typical prices and when a dispenser pays off.

Packing tape in 2 inch rolls seals most boxes a home seller ships, and a multi-roll pack costs about $10 to $18. Add a tape gun once you seal more than a handful of boxes a day.

Poly mailers seal themselves, so a seller shipping only mailers can skip tape until the first box sale.

1. **[Brown packing tape, 1.88 in x 72 yd, 6 rolls](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/brown-packing-tape)** ($10 to $18): 2 inch rolls that seal a box seam in one strip, in a multi-pack that lasts most home sellers months.
   - Good for: Every box seller
   - Not for: Mailer-only sellers
2. **[Tape gun dispenser](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/tape-gun)** ($10 to $20): Seals a box with one hand in a few seconds once you ship several boxes a day.
   - Good for: Ten boxes a day or more
   - Not for: A box or two a week

## How we chose

- Holds a box closed through carrier sorting
- Price per roll
- A width that covers a box seam in one strip
- Speed when you seal many boxes in a row

## Sealing a box

Run one strip along the center seam and down each end, an H shape, on the top and the bottom. A single strip lets the corners split open in a sorting machine.

Tape over a reused box's old labels and barcodes so the carrier scans only yours.

## When a tape gun helps

A tape gun cuts the strip in one motion, so you seal a box in seconds with one hand on the flaps. At ten boxes a day it saves real time, and fewer strips stick to themselves.

At one or two boxes a week, tearing by hand is fine.

## Mailers and reused boxes

Poly mailers have a peel-and-seal strip, so tape them only if the strip has lost its grip. A strip of tape over the seal also shows a buyer the package arrived unopened.

Reused boxes need their old tape cut away or covered, plus fresh tape on every seam you open. Old tape dries out and lets go.

## Questions

### What width of packing tape should I buy?

2 inch tape covers the seam of most shipping boxes in one strip. Narrower tape needs two strips on a wide seam.

### Is brown or clear tape better?

Both hold the same. Brown blends into a brown box; clear lets you tape over a label without hiding it.

### Can I use Scotch tape on packages?

Household tape is too narrow and weak for boxes. It can lift in the cold or damp of a delivery truck.

### How many boxes does a roll seal?

It depends on box size and how many strips each one takes. Count the boxes on your first roll and reorder before the pack runs low.

### Is a tape gun worth it for a small seller?

At a box or two a week, no. Once you seal several boxes a day, it saves time and wasted strips.