eBay packaging comes down to three choices: a cardboard box for anything rigid, heavy or breakable, a mailing bag for clothes and soft goods, and a padded envelope for small parts, cards and media. Use a single wall box for light items and a double wall box once the item is heavy, fragile or worth enough that a damage claim would hurt.
This guide matches what eBay sellers post (electronics and phone parts, car parts, collectables, books, homeware and clothes) to the right pack, gives box sizes for common items, shows how to protect fragile goods, compares 4 x 6 inch thermal labels with A4 sheet labels, and ends with how much stock a part-time or business seller should keep.
In This Guide
- Quick picks for eBay sellers
- Which eBay packaging suits each kind of item?
- What size boxes do eBay sellers need for common items?
- When should you use a double wall box instead of single wall?
- How do you pack fragile and higher-value eBay items?
- When is an eBay postage bag or padded envelope enough?
- Should you print eBay labels on 4 x 6 thermal labels or A4 sheet labels?
- How much packaging stock should an eBay seller keep, and what does it cost?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick picks for eBay sellers
If your listings are a mix of boxed goods and the odd soft item, these three cover most orders.
Best for light everyday items
Single Wall Cardboard Boxes
Lightweight corrugated boxes for books, small electronics, mugs and general orders.
- 15 sizes, 5 x 5 x 5" to 24 x 18 x 18"
- Sold per box, minimum 5 per size
- Supplied flat
From £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for heavy, fragile or higher-value items
Double Wall Cardboard Boxes
Corrugated boxes with two layers of fluting, stronger than single wall and better for stacking.
- 11 sizes, 9 x 6 x 6" to 24 x 24 x 24"
- Sold per box, minimum 5 for most sizes
- Supplied flat
From £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView product
Best for clothes and soft goods
Grey Mailing Bags
Opaque, self-seal polythene bags that add very little weight to a parcel.
- 16 sizes, 4 x 6" to 34 x 42"
- Packs of 100 up to 17 x 24"
- No tape needed
From £2.90 ex VAT (£3.48 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productWhich eBay packaging suits each kind of item?
Anything that can crack, dent or bend goes in a box, anything soft goes in a bag, and small flat items go in a padded envelope. eBay sellers post far more hard goods than sellers on clothing apps, so boxes do most of the work. The table gives a starting point for each category.
| What you sell | What to use | Size to start with |
|---|---|---|
| Phones, tablets, boxed gadgets | Single wall box with bubble wrap | 8 x 6 x 4" (203 x 152 x 102mm) or 10 x 8 x 6" (254 x 203 x 152mm) |
| Phone parts, cables, memory cards | Padded envelope | EP1 A/000 (100 x 165mm) to EP4 D/1 (180 x 265mm) |
| Small, heavy car parts | Double wall box | 9 x 6 x 6" (229 x 152 x 152mm) |
| Larger car parts | Double wall box | 12 x 12 x 12" (305 x 305 x 305mm) or 18 x 12 x 11" (457 x 305 x 279mm) |
| Trading cards and small collectables | Padded envelope, with the card between two pieces of stiff card | EP1 A/000 or EP2 B/00 (120 x 215mm) |
| Figures, ornaments, boxed collectables | Double wall box with bubble wrap | 9 x 6 x 6" or 12 x 9 x 9" (305 x 229 x 229mm) |
| Paperbacks, DVDs, games | Padded envelope | EP4 D/1 or EP5 E/2 (220 x 265mm) |
| Several books or a box set | Single wall box | 10 x 8 x 6" or 12 x 9 x 4" (305 x 229 x 102mm) |
| Mugs, candles, glassware | Single wall box with bubble wrap | 5 x 5 x 5" (127 x 127 x 127mm) to 7 x 5 x 5" (178 x 127 x 127mm) |
| Kitchenware and larger homeware | Single or double wall box | 12 x 12 x 12" |
| Clothes and soft goods | Grey mailing bag | 10 x 14" (250 x 350mm) or 12 x 16" (305 x 405mm) |
If you sell clothes on eBay as well as on Vinted, our Vinted packaging guide covers bag sizes for each garment. For laptops and other screens, read the laptop and electronics packaging guide before you pick a box.
What size boxes do eBay sellers need for common items?
Pick the smallest box that holds the item plus its wrapping on every side. A box that is too big needs more filling and often costs more to post, and one that is too tight leaves no room for cushioning. Our single wall cardboard boxes are measured internally, length x width x height, and cost from £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT) per box.
- 5 x 5 x 5" to 7 x 5 x 5": small cubes for mugs, candles and single collectables.
- 8 x 6 x 4" to 10 x 8 x 6": books, small electronics and accessories.
- 12 x 9 x 4" to 12 x 9 x 9": an A4 item (210 x 297mm) lies flat on the 305 x 229mm base, so these suit boxed goods, manuals and stacks of magazines.
- 12 x 12 x 12": a cube for homeware and bundles.
- 17.7 x 13.7 x 6" (450 x 350 x 160mm): the box we list as the Royal Mail Small Parcel maximum size. Check Royal Mail for the current limits before you rely on it.
- 24 x 18 x 18" (610 x 457 x 457mm): the largest single wall size, for bulky, light items.
Most part-time sellers get by with two or three sizes. Look at your last twenty sales, group them by size, and buy the box that fits each group. Our guide to measuring your item and choosing a postal box explains how to measure.
Reusing boxes is fine. If you sell a few items a month, a clean delivery box with the old labels and barcodes removed does the job and costs nothing. Buy new boxes when you need the same size every time or when a tired box would let down a higher-value item.
When should you use a double wall box instead of single wall?
Use a double wall box when the item is heavy, breakable or expensive to replace. Double wall board has two layers of fluting where single wall has one, so the box is stiffer and stacks better. Our double wall cardboard boxes start at 9 x 6 x 6" (229 x 152 x 152mm) and cost from £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT) per box.
Car parts are the usual case. A brake caliper or alternator is dense and has hard corners, so it goes in the smallest double wall box that fits it with padding. Put heavy items in small boxes so the parcel stays easy to lift. Bag any part that is oily or greasy before you wrap it, and check your carrier's current weight and size limits before you list a heavy part.
- 9 x 6 x 6": small, heavy parts.
- 12 x 9 x 6" and 12 x 9 x 9": boxed electronics and collectables in their retail packaging.
- 12 x 12 x 12" to 18 x 18 x 18": kitchenware, larger parts and bundles of books.
- 24 x 18 x 12" and up: bulky, light goods.
The minimum order is 5 boxes for most double wall sizes and 90 for the 24 x 24 x 24" size. A roll of Caution Heavy labels (148 x 50mm, 500 per roll) tells the driver what to expect before the lift.
How do you pack fragile and higher-value eBay items?
Wrap the item so every surface is covered, then fix it in the middle of a box where it cannot move. Most transit damage comes from an item sliding inside the box or sitting against a side wall. These steps work for glass, ceramics, electronics and collectables.
- Photograph the item. Take clear photos before you wrap it, and one of the packed box before you seal it. They help if a buyer reports damage.
- Wrap it in bubble wrap. Cover every surface and tape the wrap closed. Give heavier or more fragile pieces extra layers.
- Choose the box. Leave room for padding on all six sides. Use double wall for anything heavy or costly.
- Pad the base, then the gaps. Put a layer of scrunched paper or bubble wrap in the bottom, set the item in the centre and fill the sides and top.
- Shake it. Close the flaps and give the box a gentle shake. If you can feel anything shift, open it and add more filling.
- Tape the seams. Run tape along the centre seam and across both edge seams, top and bottom. Fragile tape seals the box and marks it at the same time.
Best for wrapping breakables and electronics
Small Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap with 10mm bubbles that sit close against small and awkward shapes.
- 300mm or 500mm wide
- 100m per roll
- Sold per roll
From £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productThe 300mm roll of small bubble wrap suits phone accessories and small electronics. The 500mm roll is the everyday width for glassware, ceramics and ornaments. For gap filling, kraft paper scrunches up well, and the rest of the range is in our protective packaging collection.
A fragile label will not protect the item. Parcels are sorted at speed and stacked in vans, so pack as if nobody will read the label and let the wrapping and the box do the protecting.
When is an eBay postage bag or padded envelope enough?
A mailing bag is enough when the item is soft and cannot be damaged by pressure, and a padded envelope is enough for small, light items that only need protecting from scratches and knocks. Both weigh less than a box, which helps keep postage down.
Grey mailing bags are what most people mean by eBay postage bags, parcel bags or mailing bags. They are opaque polythene with a self-seal strip and a water resistant outer, from £2.90 ex VAT (£3.48 inc VAT) a pack. Clothing, bedding, soft toys and fabric go straight in. A 9 x 12" (230 x 300mm) bag takes an A4 document flat, and sizes from 20 x 26" (508 x 660mm) up work as large parcel bags for duvets and cushions. A bag is also a cheap outer for an item already in a sturdy retail box that you want to keep clean.
White bubble padded envelopes come in ten sizes, EP1 A/000 (100 x 165mm) to EP10 K/7 (350 x 470mm), in boxes of 100 from £8.00 ex VAT (£9.60 inc VAT). They suit phone parts, cables, memory cards, DVDs and games. For a single paperback an EP4 D/1 works, but corners can still get bumped, and our guide on how to post books shows how to stop that.
Trading cards need stiffening as well as padding. Sleeve the card, put it between two pieces of stiff card and then into an EP1 or EP2. For flat sets, PIP large letter boxes are 20mm deep, which sits inside the Royal Mail Large Letter thickness limit of 25mm, and board back envelopes keep prints and photos flat. Do not post a graded or high-value card in an envelope: bubble wrap it and use a small box.
Should you print eBay labels on 4 x 6 thermal labels or A4 sheet labels?
Use 4 x 6 inch thermal labels if you own a direct thermal printer and post most days, and A4 sheet labels if you print on an ordinary inkjet or laser. Both are printable labels that peel and stick, so you skip the scissors and tape that plain paper needs. eBay shows the label options for each sale when it sells, so follow those for the service and label format.
| 4 x 6" thermal labels | A4 sheet labels | |
|---|---|---|
| Printer | Direct thermal label printer taking standard rolls | Office inkjet or laser |
| Ink or toner | Not needed | Needed |
| Pack size | 500 labels per 4 x 6" roll | Box of 500 sheets |
| Price | Rolls from £3.50 ex VAT (£4.20 inc VAT) | £30.00 ex VAT (£36.00 inc VAT) per box |
| Suits | Sellers posting most days | Sellers who already own a desktop printer |
Our thermal labels on rolls fit Zebra-style direct thermal printers that take standard rolls. The 4 x 6" (100 x 150mm) size is the usual courier label, and a 4 x 8" (100 x 210mm) roll of 200 leaves a packing-slip area under the address. We do not sell label printers, so check that yours takes standard rolls of that width. If you print all day, fanfold 4 x 6" labels come in stacks of 1000.
Best for daily label printing
Thermal Labels on Rolls
Direct thermal labels that print with heat, so there is no ink, toner or ribbon to buy.
- 4 x 6" roll holds 500 labels
- Also 4 x 8", 4 x 4", 3 x 2" and 2 x 1"
- Fits Zebra-style printers taking standard rolls
From £3.50 ex VAT (£4.20 inc VAT)
Choose sizeView productA4 sheet labels come in ten layouts. For shipping labels the useful ones are 2 per sheet (199.6 x 143.5mm), which gives 1,000 labels a box, and 4 per sheet (99.1 x 139.0mm), which gives 2,000. The 4 per sheet label is slightly shorter than a 4 x 6" label, so print one test page on plain paper and hold it against the sheet before you load the labels. The 8 per sheet layout (99.1 x 67.7mm) is handy for return address labels. Our guide to printing labels at home walks through printer settings, and every size is in the labels collection.
How much packaging stock should an eBay seller keep, and what does it cost?
A part-time seller should hold enough for about a month of sales, and a business seller enough for two to four weeks plus a buffer for a busy spell. Boxes arrive flat, so even a few dozen fit behind a door. If you run out, you end up paying shop prices for a single box.
A starter kit for a part-time seller with mixed listings:
- Boxes: 5 to 10 single wall boxes in each of your two most used sizes, and 5 double wall boxes if you sell anything heavy or fragile.
- Bags: one pack of 100 grey mailing bags in your main size.
- Padded envelopes: one box of 100 in EP4 D/1 or the size your small items need.
- Bubble wrap: one 500mm x 100m roll, from £9.00 ex VAT (£10.80 inc VAT).
- Tape: one pack of 6 rolls of brown packing tape.
- Labels: one roll of 500 4 x 6" thermal labels, or one box of A4 sheet labels.
A business seller should count last month's orders by pack type, order that many plus a margin, and reorder on opening the last pack or bundle. Many of our products have volume pricing: the price per box, pack or roll falls as the quantity rises, and the tiers are shown on each product page. Ordering a month of your top box size in one go usually lands in a lower tier than weekly top-ups. To work out packaging cost per order, divide the pack price by the quantity and add it to your postage when you price a listing.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free on every order with no minimum, and orders placed by 2pm Monday to Friday leave our Manchester unit the same working day. Click and collect in Manchester is free and usually ready within 2 hours, and same-day van delivery covers 10 miles around Cheetham Hill. Regular buyers can apply for a trade account, and a VAT invoice comes with every order. All sizes are in the boxes collection and the mailing bags collection. If you are unsure which size fits a product, call 0161 706 1246 or use the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best packaging for eBay items?
The best eBay packaging depends on the item. Use a single wall cardboard box for light rigid items, a double wall box for heavy, fragile or higher-value items, a grey mailing bag for clothes and soft goods, and a padded envelope for small parts, cards and media. Wrap anything breakable in bubble wrap before it goes in the box.
Where can I buy boxes for eBay parcels?
Pack Solution sells single wall boxes in 15 sizes from £0.35 ex VAT (£0.42 inc VAT) and double wall boxes in 11 sizes from £0.59 ex VAT (£0.71 inc VAT). Boxes are sold individually with a minimum of 5 per size for most sizes. Royal Mail Tracked 48 delivery is free on every order, or you can collect free in Manchester.
Which eBay postage bags should I use for clothes?
Grey mailing bags are the usual eBay postage bags for clothes. Grey mailing bags are opaque, self-seal and water resistant on the outside, and sizes from 4 x 6" to 17 x 24" come in packs of 100. A 10 x 14" (250 x 350mm) or 12 x 16" (305 x 405mm) bag fits most folded garments.
What size label do I need for eBay postage labels?
A 4 x 6 inch (100 x 150mm) label is the usual courier label size, and eBay sellers commonly print postage labels on that size with a thermal printer. On a desktop printer, A4 sheet labels in the 2 per sheet or 4 per sheet layout work instead. eBay shows the label options on each sale, so follow the format shown there.
Do I need a thermal printer to print eBay labels?
No, a thermal printer is not required to print eBay labels. An ordinary inkjet or laser printer with A4 sheet labels or plain paper works for occasional sales. A direct thermal printer with 4 x 6" rolls saves time once you post most days, because the labels need no ink and peel straight onto the parcel. Pack Solution sells the labels but does not sell label printers.
Should I use a single wall or double wall box for eBay sales?
Use a single wall box for light items such as books, small electronics and mugs. Use a double wall box for heavy items such as car parts, for breakables, and for anything costly to replace. Double wall boxes have two layers of fluting, which makes the box stiffer and better for stacking.
