Sporting goods

Weigh and measure each item first, then pick a service. Small kit like football boots or a cycling helmet fits a medium parcel. A road bike frame, a golf set or a rowing machine needs a courier that takes large parcels, or collection.

Use a comparison site to quote Royal Mail, Parcelforce, DPD and Evri side by side, and check Evri’s current limits for lighter boxes. Put the postage cost into your listing price or postage field before the buyer asks, so a heavy sale doesn't cost you money.

Golfers search by brand, model, loft and shaft flex, so put all of them in the title of a driver or iron. Note left or right handed in the first line. A set listing should list every club it contains.

Used golf balls sell well in graded bags of a dozen or more. Sort by brand and condition, and photograph a handful up close so buyers can see scuffs. They are light, small and easy to sell live.

Bike components sell to buyers who need an exact fit. Give the standard and size: wheel size, axle type, groupset generation and number of gears. Photograph the part on a clean background with any wear shown close up.

Bike shops often give away the cardboard boxes new bikes arrive in. Use one to post a whole bike: remove the pedals, turn the handlebars, pad the frame and fit an axle spacer in the fork. Check the courier's size limit before you book.

Fitness kit sells in January and again before summer. Kettlebells, resistance bands and yoga mats post easily, while benches, racks and machines usually go by collection.

For any machine, show it working on video or live: the resistance on a rower, the display on an exercise bike. Clean it, wipe the grips and note any missing parts or bolts.

A live show suits mixed lots: golf balls by the dozen, cycling accessories, team shirts. Lay lots out on a table in order and hold each up to the camera with the size or spec called out.

For heavier items, tell buyers the postage band before bidding opens. Buyers back out when a large parcel charge appears at checkout.

Use a double-wall box for anything heavy, and tape every seam, including the bottom, with strong packing tape. Fill gaps with paper void fill so weights can't shift and burst a corner.

Wrap club heads, bike derailleurs and other parts that stick out in bubble wrap and tape them so they stay put. Weigh every parcel on a scale that reads to 30 kg or more, and stay inside the courier's limit for each box.