Office supplies and stationery on a shared workplace desk - pens, highlighters, spiral notebooks, memo blocks and tape

Buying GuideStationery & Office

Office Supplies Melbourne: The Complete Buying Guide for Businesses and Schools

A plain-English guide to stocking office supplies and stationery for a Melbourne workplace, school or shop - writing supplies, notebooks, desk essentials, tape, art and craft - and how to buy them by the carton without over-ordering.

By The dpack Trade Desk· Updated October 2026· 9 min read

The short version

Writing supplies: ballpoints, gel pens, highlighters and permanent markers wear out fastest - buy them by usage, not by habit.
Paper and desk essentials: notebooks, memo blocks, scissors, erasers and labels are slow movers. Keep one carton in reserve, not five.
Tape and adhesives: match the tape to the job - 48mm packing tape for cartons, stationery tape for the desk.
School, art and craft: pencils, crayons, colour sets and craft materials peak at term start, so order before the rush.
Resale stock: retail-pack stationery suits gift shops, newsagents and school stalls as well as offices.
Buy by the carton: most stationery is sold in cartons of 12 to 36 packs, and Melbourne metro delivery is free on orders over $150 ex GST.

What does a Melbourne business actually need? An office supplies checklist

Office supplies look simple until you run out of the one thing everyone uses. Pens walk off desks, highlighters dry out, sticky tape disappears into drawers, and the notebook stack is always lower than you thought. The fix is not to buy more of everything - it is to know which items you burn through each month and which ones last a year.

Start by sorting your stationery into three groups:

Fast movers (weekly to monthly): pens, highlighters, markers, sticky notes, tape refills.
Steady movers (each term or quarter): notebooks, notepads, glue, pencils, packing tape.
Slow movers (once or twice a year): scissors, rulers, dispensers, whiteboards, labels.

Fast movers are where buying in quantity pays off, so stock those by the carton. Slow movers only need a small reserve. The mix changes with the workplace: an office lives on pens and notepads, a school on pencils and glue, a shop on tape and markers, and a cafe on order pads and labelling pens. The table further down maps each one.

A one-off pen from the local shop is fine in an emergency, but regular consumables cost noticeably less when you order office supplies in bulk on a set cycle. If you want the numbers behind that, our guide to wholesale vs retail buying for businesses works them through.

Writing supplies

Pens, pencils, markers and highlighters

Writing supplies are the busiest line in any stationery cupboard, and each type has a job. Ballpoint pens are the everyday workhorse - oil-based ink, long-lasting and smudge-resistant, ideal for forms and carbon copies. Gel pens write smoother and brighter, which suits note-taking and students. Highlighters and permanent markers cover study, labelling and stock marking, while HB pencils and colour pencils carry the school and classroom load.

Office desks: retractable ballpoints - no lost caps, fewer dried-out pens
Study and training: gel pens plus a highlighter set
Warehouse, kitchen and trade: black permanent markers for labelling
Classrooms: HB pencils, colour pencils and crayons

Browse the full wholesale writing instruments range, or go straight to pens, markers and highlighters and pencils and crayons. For ink types, tip sizes and how many pens a team really gets through, read our guide on how to buy pens in bulk.

Paper, notebooks and desk essentials

Paper products are steady movers, so the goal is a sensible reserve rather than a mountain of stock. A5 spiral notebooks cover meeting notes, site visits and student work, while memo blocks and sticky notes handle quick messages and to-do lists. Choose spiral binding if pages need to lie flat or be torn out cleanly.

Around the notebooks sit the desk essentials that last for months: scissors, erasers and sharpeners, magnetic whiteboards for rosters and planning, and self-adhesive labels for files, shelves and storage tubs. Buy these once and replace as they wear out.

Stock the desk with office supplies from our office essentials range, or shop notebooks and notepads, scissors and rulers and erasers and sharpeners. For the kitchen side of the office - cups, hand towels and bin liners - see our office pantry supplies guide.

Retail-pack stationery displayed for resale on a gift shop counter - pen packs, highlighter sets, notebooks and pencil packs

Stationery for resale

Retail-pack stationery for gift shops, newsagents and school stalls

Much of the stationery range comes in retail-ready packs - an 8-pack of ballpoints, a 5-colour highlighter set, a 20-pack of colour pencils, an A5 notebook with a printed cover. Each pack is sealed and ready to hang or shelve, and the packs come boxed in cartons of 12 to 36. That makes the same stock work two ways: as office and classroom supplies, or as resale lines.

Gift shops and newsagents: novelty highlighters, printed notebooks and memo blocks sell as add-ons at the counter
School stalls and fundraisers: low-cost pens, pencils and erasers suit stall price points
Party bags and prize boxes: mini colour pencils and fun pens are easy, non-food fillers
Workplaces: the same packs split neatly across desks and teams

Pick resale lines from the writing instruments range and the pencils and crayons collection. If you stock party bags too, our party bag fillers guide covers what sells.

Tape and adhesives for packing and the office

Tape is one of those items every workplace uses but few plan for. Two types cover most needs. 48mm packing tape - clear or brown - seals cartons for dispatch, storage and moving, and belongs wherever parcels leave the building. Stationery tape in 18 to 24mm widths, with a desk dispenser, handles paperwork, wrapping and classroom displays. Masking tape fills the gap for labelling, painting and temporary fixes.

Glue follows the same logic: glue sticks for paper and classrooms, PVA for craft, and hot-melt glue sticks for anyone running a glue gun. Our guide to types of glue and their uses sets out which adhesive suits which job.

Shop the full tape and adhesives range, or go straight to packing tape, stationery tape and dispensers and glue and adhesives.

School and classroom stationery

Schools, kindergartens and childcare centres use the same core list every term: HB pencils, colour pencils, crayons, erasers, sharpeners, glue, scissors and exercise books. The difference is volume and timing. Demand spikes in late January and again at each term start, and that is exactly when stock runs short and freight slows down.

The simple rule is to order three to four weeks before term starts, based on last term's usage per class. Buy pencils and crayons in full cartons, since they are used fastest, and keep a smaller reserve of scissors and sharpeners, which last much longer.

Start with school pencils and crayons and classroom glue. For calm-corner and focus tools, see our sensory and fidget toys for classrooms guide.

Art and craft

Art and craft supplies for schools, studios and workshops

Art and craft supplies fall into three groups: drawing (colour pencils, crayons, markers), colour and painting (watercolour pens and blow pens) and craft materials (glue, craft bags, decorative supplies). Schools and childcare centres are the biggest buyers, followed by holiday programs, community groups, art studios and retailers running workshops.

Classrooms and childcare: crayons and colour pencils in full cartons, washable where possible
Holiday programs and workshops: decorate-your-own craft bags and kits that keep a group busy
Studios and makers: hot-melt glue sticks and finishing materials

For a group, plan art supplies per child or per participant per session, then add a buffer for spoilage. Browse the full art and craft supplies range.

Quick reference

Stationery by business type

A starting checklist for the most common Melbourne buyers. Match it to your site, then adjust to your own usage.

Business type	Core needs	Key products	Buying tip
Office or corporate	Note-taking, filing, desk restock	Retractable ballpoints, highlighters, A5 notebooks, memo blocks, stationery tape	Buy pens and notepads by the carton; keep one reserve of desk tools
School or childcare	Term-start class packs, art time	HB pencils, colour pencils, crayons, erasers, glue, scissors	Order three to four weeks before term starts
Gift shop or newsagent	Counter add-ons and resale lines	Novelty highlighters, printed notebooks, memo blocks, pen packs	Retail-ready packs go straight to the shelf
Cafe or takeaway	Order notes, labelling, the back office	Notepads, black permanent markers, labels, stationery tape	Permanent markers label containers and stock rotation dates
Trades and services	Site notes, marking, dispatch	Permanent markers, packing tape, masking tape, notebooks	Keep packing tape with the parcels, not the office

A starting point only - your own usage sets the final quantities. Talk to the trade desk on 0416 769 492 for a stationery list built around your site.

Buying stationery in quantity: cartons, reorder cycles and free delivery

Three habits keep stationery ordering simple and cheaper. Know the pack structure - most lines come as a retail pack (for example an 8-pack of pens) boxed in a carton of 12 to 36 packs, so one carton covers a team or a classroom for a term. Reorder on a cycle - check the fast movers monthly and the slow movers each quarter, and order before you hit the last box. Consolidate into one order - Melbourne metro delivery is free on orders over $150 ex GST, so combine pens, paper, tape and school stock into one delivery instead of several small top-ups.

When you are ready to build an order, browse the full range of wholesale stationery from DPack - pens, notebooks, tape, art and craft and school supplies in one place, delivered across Melbourne.

Common questions

Office supplies FAQs

What office supplies does a new office need?

Start with the fast movers: ballpoint pens, highlighters, notebooks or notepads, sticky notes or memo blocks, and stationery tape with a dispenser. Add the slow movers once - scissors, a ruler, erasers, labels and a whiteboard for planning. Then restock the fast movers by the carton on a monthly cycle.

How often should a business reorder stationery?

Check fast movers such as pens, highlighters and tape every month, and steady items such as notebooks and packing tape every quarter. Slow movers like scissors and dispensers only need replacing as they wear out. Ordering on a set cycle avoids emergency top-ups at retail prices.

What stationery suits a gift shop, newsagent or school stall?

Retail-ready packs work best: pen packs, novelty and stackable highlighters, printed A5 notebooks, memo blocks and mini colour pencil sets. Each pack is sealed and shelf-ready, and the packs come boxed in cartons of 12 to 36, so you can stock several lines without tying up much cash.

How much stationery should a school or childcare centre order?

Base it on last term's usage per class, then add a small buffer. Pencils, crayons and glue get used fastest and are worth buying in full cartons; scissors and sharpeners last much longer. Order three to four weeks before term starts to avoid the late-January rush.

Do you deliver office supplies across Melbourne?

Yes. Delivery is free across Melbourne metro on orders over $150 ex GST, and we ship Australia-wide. Combining stationery with other regular supplies is the easiest way to reach the free delivery threshold.