Yesterday, on February 28, 2025, we picked up 1,000+ custom-made record mailers manufactured in Kapolei.
Since 2021, as a direct effort to avoid buying record mailers from Amazon (or U-LINE), we’ve ordered own custom-made ones from Rengo. Each order is at least a pallet’s worth, so it’s a sizable investment as a small business. But it’s worth it: we get to support another local business, help keep manufacturing on-island, reduce our per-unit costs, and cut out* the middleman.
In 2020, I noticed something on the underside of a custom-made cardboard box that was on its way to the recycling bin: Rengo Packaging, Kapolei. I made a mental note, that perhaps one day AGS would manufacture mailers on-island.
Around that same time, I received a care package from Ryan at City Baby Records, a record label based in Tokyo. The package immediately caught my attention with its simplicity: two rectangular pieces of cardboard, folded to create a supremely sturdy package with rigid corners. (Corners, as collectors know, are the most vulnerable part of most record mailers.) What truly impressed me was that, in large quantities, these mailers require much less space than the typical ‘+’ cross-shaped mailers available on the US market, including Amazon and U-LINE. This was 2020 — before our shop opened — and I was fulling all AGS orders from a small storage unit, so every inch space mattered (it still does! don’t be fooled by our YouTube videos; our shop is much smaller than it appears online, and we’ve maximized every square foot).
In November 2020, I contacted Rengo and a representative soon got back to me. Within a short time, they had a sample ready for inspection. It looked and felt fantastic — sturdier than the Japanese one from which I had drawn inspiration. All I would need now is a bit more storage space to house so many mailers...
Then in January 2021, the opportunity arrived to rent a storefront. By April, I had signed the lease, and we opened our record store in June 2021. That same month, I told that "I'm finally ready to order those mailers". The following month, we picked them up in Kapolei — a total of 1,376 pieces (you need two pieces to create one package).
Here's why we love these mailers:
- Made in Hawaii
- Not from Amazon or U-LINE (see note below)
- Super sturdy! Rigid corners
- Holds up to 10 LPs
- Easily ship 7-inch records, 1-2 T-shirts, books, and other flat items
- Minimal storage footprint, especially compared to '+' mailers
- Fun and simple to pack!
So, the next time you receive a shipment from us, we hope you enjoy the packaging as much as its contents!
*Further notes on cutting out the middleman, Amazon:
Since before we opened our shop in 2021, I’ve been acutely aware of how much we depend on Amazon to support certain aspects of our small business. Hawaii’s geographical location means that importing goods is expensive (have you heard of the Jones Act?). More specifically, on-island manufacturing is limited. This of course means we don’t press our records in Hawaii, as there’s no vinyl pressing plant in Hawaii (we primarily work with Gotta Groove Records in Ohio for our releases). Whatever isn’t available on-island, we try our best to get directly from the supplier. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out because the freight costs are too prohibitive.
Last week, we decided to NOT order our plastic sleeves from Amazon. We went directly to the supplier instead. The next day, however, the supplier’s owner emailed us saying that freight to Hawaii would cost $150+, and while they were willing to ship it if we agreed to pay for the freight costs, they suggested we instead order their products via Amazon Prime, where shipping is no cost. In full transparency, we dediced to purchase our sleeves from Amazon. We’ll continue searching for an alternative that doesn’t break the bank, and feel a bit better about our purchase if the supplier recommended it as a viable option.
Also last week, we decided to explore alternative for our paper shopping bags. We usually purchase 100 at a time from Amazon. Instead, I contacted GBC Boxes & Packaging Hawaii, which continues to operate despite closing its physical storefront in 2023:
"Since closing our GBC store and warehouse in July 2023, we have had many requests for the unique packaging we have provided to our customers over the years. Since we no longer bring in shipments by containers, we have had to pivot and make adjustments to our shipping options. In addition, the after effects of Covid-19, have created industry changes and adjustments in what our many packaging factories can, and cannot offer. In the past months we have been discovering packaging options that offer true value for our many customers. It is a work in progress, and subject to change.”
GBC was quick to provide a quote for 2,500 paper bags, manufactured in the continental US and delivered to our door. While my preference would be to manufacture on-island, the reality isn’t so, at least so far from what I know. The pricing for this many bags worked out to be 1 cent more per unit than what Amazon sells on its website. For an additional cost of $25, we could avoid the middleman and get the supplies we need delivered.
So… it’s a balance. And it requires effort. Especially when Amazon has made buying anything so incredibly easy — we’ve come to *expect* same- or next-day delivery — it’s difficult to avoid them.
But, I believe it’s important to reintroduce inconvenience into our lives. Why? For the sake of taking things mroe slowly, appreciating the process, not expecting to have everything always, and supporting small business. These massive corporations rely on ever-progressive levels of “convenience” to ensnare our consumer behaviors into habits we’re not unwilling to break, but unable to escape.
Here are some useful links for further discovery:
- Our 2021 post on Instagram regarding our custom-made mailers
- Our 2022 post on the same topic
- The inspiration: Japanese LP mailers
- City Baby Records
- How U-LINE misused and mistreated its warehouse staff
- The 24-hour economic blackout (2025)
And for any high-volume sellers or record labels interested in manufacturing their own mailers, here's the specs for ours:
- Carton: B 35-36-35
- Colors: 0
- DieCut
- Dimensions: 12.13" x 12.13" x 8.07"
- make sure the corrugation is vertical
- be sure to include two creases so that folding is easy
