Lost the shoebox or bought the pair loose? Stuff, wrap and pack trainers so the toe box keeps its shape and the buyer opens a clean pair.
Updated 6 October 2026
Before you start
Lost the shoebox or bought the pair loose? Stuff, wrap and pack trainers so the toe box keeps its shape and the buyer opens a clean pair.
Plenty of the pairs you pick up at car boots and charity shops come with no box at all, and some buyers ask you to drop the box to save on postage. A loose pair in a thin bag arrives with a crushed toe, scuffed suede and laces knotted round the eyelets.
Take a loose pair from shelf to counter: hold the shape, protect the uppers, choose a mailing bag or a plain outer box, and tell the buyer in the listing that the original box is missing.
Kit for this
The products this guide uses, with typical UK prices.
Small single-wall boxes, 25 pack
Use these for boxed toys and beauty sets that a padded bag would crush, when double-wall board costs more than you need.
Typical price£8 to £14
See on Amazon
Grey mailing bags, 10 x 14 in, 100 pack
Self-seal poly bags add almost no weight, so a single garment posts as a small parcel. You can't see through the opaque grey film, and a label lies flat on it.
Typical price£8 to £13
See on AmazonCotton dust bags, 10 pack
Designer buyers expect a bag to arrive in a dust bag. The cotton protects the leather while it sits in the outer box.
Typical price£10 to £18
See on AmazonHoneycomb paper wrap, 100 m roll
Stretches into a cushioned mesh and goes in the paper recycling. Choose it if low-plastic packaging is part of your shop's pitch.
Typical price£18 to £28
See on AmazonThe guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Say it in the listing first
Put “no original box” in the title or the first line of the description, and show the pair without one in the photos. A buyer who expected a box has a fair complaint, even if the shoes arrive perfect.
If a buyer asks you to post the box flat or leave it behind, note it in the messages. That record settles any later dispute about what was agreed.
Hold the shape from the inside
Stuff each toe with scrunched packing paper until it feels firm when you press the vamp. Paper keeps a crease from forming across the toe, which is the damage buyers photograph first.
Leave the shoe trees or tissue the pair came with if you still have them. Tuck the laces inside the shoe so they cannot snag or mark the other upper.
Kit for this step
Separate the pair
Two shoes rubbing together for two days scuff each other, worst on suede, nubuck and white leather. Put each shoe in its own dust bag, or wrap each one in tissue, to keep each sole off the other upper.
Sole to sole, heel to toe, is the tidiest way to lay them side by side. It makes a flat bundle that fits a box or bag with fewer gaps.
Kit for this step
Bag or box
A heavy grey mailing bag works for a beaten pair of runners where a little squeeze does no harm. Wrap the bundle in one layer of bubble wrap first and press out the air before you seal.
Anything deadstock, near new or worth more than a couple of postage fees goes in a plain single wall box. Fill the corners with paper so the pair cannot slide, and shake it: no movement means it is ready.
Seal, weigh and size
Tape the box with an H pattern across the top and bottom seams using a tape gun. One strip down the middle lets a corner pop open in a sorting cage.
Weigh the sealed parcel and measure all three sides. Without a shoebox the parcel is often smaller, so check the courier’s size bands for your platform, as it can drop you into a cheaper one.
Kit for this step
Keep proof before it leaves
Take two photos: the stuffed pair before wrapping, and the sealed parcel with the label on. Store them against the order number for a few weeks.
Most claims about loose pairs are about scuffs. A clear photo of clean uppers on the day you packed carries more weight than a written description.
Checklist
Run through it before each one goes out.
- 1Write “no original box” in the listing
- 2Stuff each toe firm with packing paper
- 3Tuck the laces inside the shoes
- 4Bag or wrap each shoe on its own
- 5Choose a box for anything near new
- 6Fill gaps until nothing moves when shaken
- 7Tape every seam in an H pattern
- 8Photograph the pair and the sealed parcel
Setups
Complete kits for one kind of seller, costed and laid out.
Questions
Can I post trainers in a mailing bag?
Yes, for worn everyday pairs. Stuff the toes, wrap the bundle in bubble wrap and use a thick bag. For near new or deadstock pairs, use a box.
Is it cheaper to post trainers without the box?
Often, because the parcel is smaller and lighter. Measure and weigh it, then compare against your courier’s size and weight bands.
What should I stuff trainers with for posting?
Scrunched packing paper or tissue in each toe until it holds its shape. Avoid newspaper on light colours, as the ink can transfer.
Will a buyer complain if the box is missing?
They can if the listing did not say so. State it in the title or first line and show the pair without a box in the photos.
Can I reuse an old shoebox from another pair?
Yes as packing, inside an outer box or bag. Say in the listing that it is not the original box so nobody expects a matching label.
How do I stop suede getting marked in the post?
Put each shoe in its own dust bag or tissue so no sole touches the suede, and keep the pair dry inside a sealed bag or box.