How I Pack Booby Mousepad Orders
Background
Creating the Withers Big Naturals mod for the game Baldur’s Gate 3 has been the highlight of my art career thus far. The overwhelmingly positive reception from the community, as well as the features from Larian Studios themselves, has all been unreal. I thought it only fitting to put my design skills to use making these “3D” mousepads.
Since launch, my Withers Big Naturals mousepad is by far my best seller, and its packaging has gone through several iterations to reach a point I’m happy with. I think the current packaging reflects my branding, and has the personal touch I love so much.
Whether you’re a fellow business owner looking for packaging ideas, or simply a curious buyer, I thought I would take you through my process and what you can expect in each and every order.
Protecting the Goods
Thankfully, these mousepads come from my manufacturer in a handy plastic sleeve, which both protects the mousepad itself and keeps me from having to buy my own sleeves. The sleeves are good quality and clear in the front so you can see the design without opening.
I actually used to put my Thank You cards and stickers inside the mousepad sleeve, but ended up switching that up. I was just too worried they would be too easily overlooked and accidentally thrown away.
One of my favorite additions to my process has been these little Oopsie! stickers. I drew this little rat similar to the ones I draw on my Thank You cards. They’re arranged and printed on my thermal shipping label printer, and then hand cut by me. I use them for any of my Oopsie products, from misprinted mousepads to stickers that didn’t turn out right. Anything that is sold at a discount because of some mistake or defect.
Stickers and Freebies
Each order officially comes with one free 2-inch Withers Big Naturals sticker with a holo heart effect. However, I have been known to frequently add in extra goodies, especially if the buyer is a community member or I don’t have many orders going out that day.
Either way, the WBN stickers get special treatment. What I do is score an unlined index card down the middle, and use that to form a sort of pouch to protect them. I use orange masking tape to seal up the sides, folding the ends so there are little easy-pull tabs. I then clearly label the pouch with an orange Sharpie, and it’s ready to go!
This particular setup works for the current stage of my business, and I haven’t had any cases of the stickers being damaged in transit, so that’s what I’m using right now. I’m keeping my eyes open for ways to upgrade this solution without upgrading the cost, so this will probably be the next thing to change!
Thank You Cards
Every order from my shop (excluding Print-on-Demand products) comes with a hand-written Thank You card. We see the return of the orange Sharpie, as well as this precious little rat drawing. One of my favorite additions to the Thank You cards has been the logo stickers. Who wouldn’t love a cute Clove smiling at the corner of their card? Plus, the Clove stickers were dirt cheap — $20 for 500 or something crazy like that.
On the back of each card is a holographic Thank You sticker on the left side, and a hand-cut Thank You sticker on the right side. Double the stickers, double the appreciation.
I actually just implemented this Welcome Back discount code, and it went out for the first time with the most recent batch of orders. Combining it with the discount code from the email newsletter, customers can get 10% off their first two orders.
The second sticker itself is actually made the same way as the Oopsie sticker: printed on my thermal label printer and hand-cut.
Branding, Branding, Branding
The Clove stickers are back!
I lay down a sheet of this gorgeous orange tissue paper and tuck in the mousepad, Thank You card, WBN sticker, and any other goodies I’ve decided to include. Finally, wrapping it up and sealing it with a second Clove sticker.
I adore this orange tissue paper. My entire brand is so boldly orange, and I think it fits in perfectly, tying everything together in one big rat-shaped bow. Not to mention, it complements the Clove sticker wonderfully.
And There You Have It!
All that’s left at this point is to close the box, tape it up, and slap a shipping label and another Thank You sticker on it.
I have shipped out quite a few of these mousepads, and have iteratively upgraded and updated my packaging the whole way. Finally, I’m at a point I’m happy with.
I hope it gives people as much joy and excitement opening their order as I had packing it!
Edited by Connor
