If you need to buy a large quantity of shipping tubes to mail products that your business sells or to distribute promotional products to clients, you'll notice that there are many different tube designs that are available. Regardless of diameter and length, shipping tubes either have ends that you fold together or ends that you cover with end caps. While shipping tubes are made of cardboard, end caps are plastic. Buying shipping tubes that come with end caps is a smart decision, both for you and for the people who will be receiving your products in the mail. Here are three reasons to choose tubes with end caps.

They Lower The Risk Of Damage

Placing an end cap on each end of the shipping tube provides it with some degree of structural integrity. Packages are subjected to all sorts of environments and handlers in the mail, and this can often lead to damage. If someone were to accidentally set a heavy box on the end of a shipping tube without an end cap, the box would crush the tube — and perhaps damage whatever is inside of it. The durable nature of an end cap means that this type of crushing is less likely, which can lower the risk of damage to your items.

They Look More Professional

There's a high degree of professionalism that is evident when a shipping tube has a pair of end caps fitted onto it. Their presence helps to make the tube look tidy. Without end caps, you generally have to press the ends of the tube together and cover them thoroughly with tape — a method that does the job but doesn't look very visually appealing. While you can wrap tape over end caps, doing so isn't always necessary as the caps should fit snugly into the ends of the tubes.

They're Easier For Everyone

Using end caps makes a shipping tube quick and easy to deal with. Your employee simply loads the item into the tube, addresses it, and then pushes the caps in place. Closing the ends of a tube with tape takes longer, given that the employee may need to use several pieces of tape to finish the job. The person who receives the tube in the mail may take a while to open it, too. He or she will need to use a knife to carefully cut through the tape — making sure not to puncture the tube and damage whatever is inside of it. When you use end caps, the tube recipient can simply pop one cap off to retrieve the item. 

For more information on shipping tubes, contact a supplier.