# Outdoors > Tents, walking boots, fishing tackle and camping kit. Bulky, seasonal and sometimes restricted in the post, so check what can travel before you list. 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. ## How to pack it - Clean and dry the kit, and remove any gas canisters or fuel. - Wrap poles, reels and sharp parts, then box them snugly. - Weigh and measure the box before you book the courier. Avoid: Packing damp tents or stoves with gas still attached. - **[Double-wall boxes, 18 x 12 x 8 in, 15 pack](https://sellersetups.com/product/double-wall-boxes)** (£22 to £34): Double-wall board resists crushing better than single-wall, so your boxed trainers arrive intact. - **[Bubble wrap, 500 mm x 100 m](https://sellersetups.com/product/bubble-wrap-roll)** (£10 to £15): A long roll costs several times less per metre than the small packs sold in shops. - **[Brown packing tape, 48 mm x 66 m, 6 rolls](https://sellersetups.com/product/brown-packing-tape)** (£5 to £9): 48 mm is the width tape guns take. Six rolls last a shop sending a few boxes a week for a few months. - **[30 kg digital postal scale](https://sellersetups.com/product/parcel-scale-30kg)** (£12 to £20): Covers the parcels most home sellers ship, up to 30 kg. Choose it when the 40 kg scale is out of stock. - **[100 x 150 mm thermal labels, 500 fanfold](https://sellersetups.com/product/thermal-labels-fanfold)** (£12 to £18): Fanfold stacks feed flat behind the printer and hold more labels than a roll. 100 x 150 mm matches the label size UK couriers and marketplaces print. ## Postage per order - Royal Mail Tracked 48 Medium Parcel: £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. ## Sell ahead of each outdoor season 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. ## Pitch it, test it and photograph it working 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. ## Restricted items you need to know about 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. ## Selling outdoor kit live 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. ## Packing long, heavy and dirty kit 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. ## Common mistakes - Posting a stove with a gas canister still attached breaks postal rules, so remove the canister and clean off fuel before packing. - Listing a tent without pitching it risks a missing pole complaint, so put it up and count every part first. - Packing a damp tent leaves it smelling of mildew, so dry it fully before it goes in the bag. - Selling a knife without reading the platform's bladed item policy can get the listing pulled, so check the rules first. - Quoting postage on a rod tube without measuring it leaves you paying for an over-length parcel, so measure the tube. ## Setups - [Outdoor gear setup for a shed or garage, eBay and Whatnot](https://sellersetups.com/setups/outdoor-gear-shed-seasonal): Tents pitched on the lawn before listing, tackle sold live in lots, and a 40 kg scale for the family tent that a medium parcel will not take. ## Guides - [How to post bulky items: bikes, golf clubs, prams](https://sellersetups.com/guides/how-to-post-bulky-items): Courier size limits for long and heavy parcels, how to work out length plus girth, and how to pack a bike, a golf bag, gym weights and a pram. ## Questions ### Can I post camping gas canisters? 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. ### Can I sell knives and multi-tools? 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. ### How do I show a tent is complete? 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. ### How do I post fishing rods? 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. ### Do headtorches and GPS units with batteries need special handling? 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. ### Which platform suits outdoor gear? 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.