Whether you are shipping to customers directly through merchant fulfillment on Amazon, eBay, Bonanza, Etsy, or your own website you want to save as much time as possible in packing. You also want to save money on packing materials.
I have seen people who tape up their boxes in such a way that the box looks mummified. While this does work, it is inefficient and wasteful. If you do online arbitrage or even just order from big online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, or Target, you will see how the professionals pack things. They do not put tape all over the box. Most often they use one piece across the bottom seams and one across the top seams. This is why you need to get at least 3 inch wide tape and dispenser. This enables you to tape just like the pros do, save a lot of tape, and, most importantly, save time. There is larger tape available at 4.7 inches wide, but in my experience this is too large and provides no additional benefit for normal shipping.
The best 3 inch wide tape dispenser and tape I use is below:
Please keep in mind that the tape needs to be around 2.6 mil in thickness. I have tried cheaper tapes of 2.1 and 1.9 mil and they are just too thin and end up wrinkling and sticking to itself to easily.
I have seen the rolls, and they are too large for most shipments. 4.7 inch wide tape is an ideal size for pallets or larger boxes, but not for normal shipments to FBA or customers. It would work, but would be excessive and wasteful.