Lamps, ceramics and glassware. Bulky, fragile and costly to break, so start with strong boxes and padding.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Homeware and decor seller. Change the answers to fit yours.
Storage
Holds tubs or boxes floor to ceiling in a small footprint.
Label printer
A compact thermal printer for your first few hundred labels.
Scales
Weighs anything from a card mailer to a boxed pair of boots.
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Double-wall boxes for anything fragile, single-wall boxes for soft furnishings, a large roll of bubble wrap, brown packing tape and thermal labels. A parcel scale that takes heavy items earns its place quickly.
Steel shelving with numbered bays keeps lamps, vases and ceramics off the floor. A folding work table gives you room to wrap big pieces without bending over.
Wrap every piece on its own, with extra layers on handles, spouts and rims. Fill hollow items like vases and jugs with paper first.
Use a double-wall box with padding on every side, then shake it. If anything moves, add more fill before you tape it.
For a set, wrap each piece separately and add card between them. Pieces knocking together cause most breakages.
Give fragile items their own shelf at waist height so you’re not lifting glass from the floor. Number each bay and put the number in the listing.
Keep spare boxes flat and sorted by size. You will run through boxes fast, and hunting for the right one slows every order.
Kit for this step
Shoot in daylight against a plain wall, with one photo showing the piece in a room for scale. Put measurements in the description: height, width and depth.
Show any chips, crazing or marks close up. Turn ceramics over and photograph the base, since makers’ marks help buyers search and decide.
Bulky parcels are often priced on size as well as weight. Measure and weigh a packed item before listing so your postage price is right.
Offer local collection for furniture and large lamps on eBay, and check whether Vinted offers it for your item. It saves a costly courier and suits buyers nearby.
Buy boxes in the few sizes that fit most of your stock and pre-make some so they’re ready. Keep bubble wrap on a roll holder by the table.
Track breakages by item type. If one kind of piece keeps arriving broken, change how you pack it or stop posting it.
Kit for this step
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 Medium ParcelUsual£5.70 to £12.25
Trainers, homeware and electronics up to 20 kg, tracked and cheaper than untracked 2nd Class.
Royal Mail 2nd Class Medium Parcel£7.00 to £13.70
Shoe boxes, homeware and bulky parcels up to 20 kg that don’t need tracking.
Bags or single-wall boxes for glass and ceramics.
One roll covers a few hundred small parcels.
Fits a boxed pair of trainers with room for padding.
In homeware, your packing sets your returns rate. Ceramics and glass need a double-wall box with padding on every side, never a bag.
Large items take room fast. Shelving with numbered bays keeps stock safe and makes a sold piece easy to find.
Enough that nothing moves when you shake the box, with at least a few centimetres on every side. Wrap each piece on its own.
For furniture and big lamps, yes. Collection saves you a costly courier and suits local buyers on eBay and Vinted.
Remove the bulb and shade. Pack the shade in its own box or well padded beside the base, and wrap the base and flex separately.
For glass, ceramics and anything heavy, yes. Soft furnishings can go in single-wall boxes or mailing bags.
Small decor, vintage ceramics and glassware that’s easy to post. Large or very fragile items are easier on eBay with collection.
Add one photo of the piece on a shelf or table, and put measurements in the description.
