Small, often liquid stock that needs clean photos, protective packing and a tidy backdrop for videos.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Beauty seller. Change the answers to fit yours.
Phone mount
An articulated arm that clamps to the desk and holds a camera over the mat.
Lighting
Large, soft light for clothing and full-body shots.
Microphone
Keeps your voice clear when you turn away from the phone.
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Start with a light box, a phone tripod and a thermal label printer. The light box gives every lipstick and palette the same white background, so shades compare fairly across your listings.
For packing you need padded envelopes, small single-wall boxes, a roll of bubble wrap and thermal labels. Add tissue paper if you film unboxing videos, because it photographs well.
Check every lid before it goes anywhere. Tape over pump tops and screw caps, then seal liquids in a small plastic bag so a leak stays inside it.
Compacts and lipsticks go in padded envelopes. Glass bottles, jars and gift sets go in a small box with bubble wrap and enough fill that nothing moves when you shake it.
Pressed powders crack if the parcel is dropped, so wrap palettes face to face with bubble wrap and keep them flat in the parcel.
Keep stock in clear tubs sorted by type, such as lips, eyes and skincare. Label each tub and give every listing a matching location code in the SKU field.
Store away from radiators and sunny windows. Heat softens lipsticks and separates creams, so a melted lipstick costs you a refund.
Kit for this step
Shoot the front, the back with ingredients and batch code, and the shade name. Buyers search by shade, so put it in the title along with the brand and size.
State whether an item is new and sealed, new without box, or swatched once. Some platforms restrict used cosmetics, so check the rules before you list anything opened.
TikTok Shop and Whatnot suit beauty because buyers want to see the colour on skin. Swatch on your arm under steady light and hold the product next to the swatch so the shade is clear.
Bundle minis and samples into mystery bags for quick sales. Pack the bags before the show so you aren't counting lip balms on camera.
Perfume and aerosols carry restrictions on many services, so read your carrier’s prohibited and restricted items list before you list them.
Once you pass 50 orders, batch your packing: print all labels at once, pack envelopes first, then boxes. Weigh a few typical parcels and note which postage band each product type falls into so you stop weighing every lipstick.
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
Complete kits for one kind of seller, costed and laid out.
What most orders like these go by, at today’s published prices. Prices checked 6 October 2026.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 Small ParcelUsual£3.75
Clothing and small boxed items up to 2 kg, with tracking for less than untracked 2nd Class.
Royal Mail 2nd Class Large Letter£1.55 to £2.70
Single cards in a rigid mailer, jewellery and other flat items up to 750 g that fit through a letterbox.
InPost locker to locker, small£1.99
Flat parcels up to 8 cm deep, such as folded clothes, dropped at a locker and collected from one.
Glass bottles in padded envelopes. A drop on a sorting conveyor can break them.
One roll covers a few hundred small parcels.
Wraps a garment so the buyer opens a neat, cared-for parcel.
Step-by-step help for the jobs that come next.
Buyers judge beauty by how clean and new it looks, so shoot photos and videos on a bright, plain backdrop. With a light box, every listing photo has the same background and lighting.
Wrap glass and liquids and put them in a box with enough void fill to stop movement. Lipsticks and compacts go in padded envelopes.
Most cosmetics are fine in the UK post if they’re sealed and packed to stop leaks. Perfumes and aerosols have restrictions on many services, so check your courier’s prohibited items list before you list them.
A light box gives every photo the same background and lighting. A 40 cm light box fits most products and folds flat.
Some platforms restrict used cosmetics and many buyers avoid them. Check the platform’s rules, and if swatched items are allowed, say so in the title and description.
Tape the cap or pump, seal the item in a small plastic bag, then wrap it. Pack it upright in a box where you can.
Yes, where you can. Buyers use it to check age and authenticity, and it cuts down on questions before they buy.
Items that look good on camera: swatchable lip and eye products, sets and minis. Show the shade on skin and keep the product in shot.
