Tents, walking boots, fishing tackle and camping kit. Bulky, seasonal and sometimes restricted in the post, so check what can travel before you list.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Outdoors 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.
Spring is camping season for buyers. List tents, sleeping bags, stoves and cool boxes from late winter, so they are live before the bank holidays. Autumn brings demand for waterproof jackets, fleeces and walking boots.
Fishing has its own calendar. Coarse anglers in England and Wales work around the river close season, so river tackle often sells best in the weeks before it ends in mid June.
Put up every tent before you list it. You will spot a missing pole or a broken zip, and a photo of the tent standing tells the buyer more than a picture of the bag. Count the pegs and poles into a photo too.
Test stoves with gas before you sell, then remove the canister. Wind a reel and photograph the line lay. Flex walking boots and photograph the sole tread straight on, because buyers judge wear from it.
Gas canisters, fuel bottles with fuel still in them, flares and strike-anywhere matches are restricted or prohibited in the post. Look up anything that burns on Royal Mail's restricted goods page before it goes in a parcel.
Knives are covered by UK law. You must not sell one to someone under 18, and remote sales of bladed items have rules on how they are delivered. Read your platform's policy on bladed items before listing a knife, an axe or a saw.
Pepper sprays and similar defence sprays are illegal to possess in the UK, so leave any you find in a job lot out of your stock.
Tackle lots suit a live show: tip a box of lures, floats and hooks onto a tray and let buyers bid on handfuls. Sort by type first so you can call out what each lot holds.
Large kit is harder live. Show the tent pitched in a photo on screen, then hold up the pack and its poles on camera. Tell buyers the postage band before bidding opens, because a heavy tent costs more to send.
Clean and dry everything before you pack it. A tent packed damp will smell of mildew when the buyer opens it, and muddy boots invite a return.
Rods and walking poles go in a strong tube with the ends padded. Tents and sleeping bags compress into a box or a heavy-duty mailing bag. Weigh every parcel on a parcel scale, because outdoor kit pushes into higher weight bands quickly.
For big boxes compare Royal Mail Tracked, Parcelforce and DPD, then Evri for lighter parcels. Check the length and weight limit for each, since a rod tube can be over the length limit while being light.
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.
InPost locker to locker, medium£2.59
Shoe boxes, books and bags up to 19 cm deep, sent between lockers when the buyer picks a locker.
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.
Packing damp tents or stoves with gas still attached.
A lower-priced platform scale for everyday parcels.
One roll covers a few hundred small parcels.
Step-by-step help for the jobs that come next.
Outdoor kit sells by season. Tents and camping stoves move in spring, before the summer festivals, while waterproofs and walking boots pick up as the evenings draw in. List ahead of the season, not in the middle of it.
A lot of outdoor gear is awkward to post. A family tent can weigh more than a courier's standard parcel band, rods come in long tubes, and some items, like gas canisters and knives, have legal or postal restrictions you need to know before a sale.
Outdoor buyers pay for proven condition. A buyer wants proof the tent has all its poles and pegs, the boots have tread left and the reel turns smoothly. Show it set up and working.
No. Butane and propane canisters are flammable gas and Royal Mail lists them as prohibited, and couriers take the same line. Sell stoves without the gas, and make sure any stove you post is empty and clean of fuel residue.
Selling a knife to anyone under 18 is an offence in the UK, and remote sales of bladed items carry extra rules on delivery and age checks. Royal Mail and the major platforms each have their own policies on bladed items, so read them before you list a camping knife, an axe or a multi-tool with a blade.
Pitch it in the garden or a park and photograph it standing, then lay out every pole, peg and guy line and photograph the count. Note any repairs, and check the seams and zips. Buyers ask about missing poles more than anything else.
Break the rod down into sections and send it in a rod tube or a long, strong postal tube. Long parcels can exceed standard size limits, so measure the tube and check the courier's maximum length before you quote postage.
Lithium batteries fitted inside a device can usually go by Royal Mail within set limits, while lithium batteries sent on their own are prohibited. Check Royal Mail's current guidance on batteries before you post, and leave spare lithium batteries out of the parcel.
eBay reaches buyers searching by brand and model, which suits tents, stoves and tackle. Vinted works well for outdoor clothing and boots. Whatnot has an Outdoors category for live shows, which suits tackle lots and small camping kit.
