Boxed and loose toys in odd sizes, packed from a station with boxes, padding and an accurate scale.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Toys and collectibles 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.
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Start with two or three box sizes and padded envelopes, plus a long roll of bubble wrap. Add brown packing tape, a tape gun and a parcel scale that handles heavier lots. Small zip bags keep loose parts with the right toy.
Buy clear storage tubs with lids early. Toy stock is bulky, so buy tubs that stack.
Count and bag loose parts first, accessories and instruction sheets included. Wrap boxed toys in bubble wrap and place them in an outer box with padding all round, so the original box arrives with sharp corners. Check the box corners against your listing photos before you seal the parcel.
Loose figures and small vehicles travel well in padded envelopes. Anything with long thin parts, like swords or antennae, gets its own wrap first.
Kit for this step
Sort tubs by line or brand, not by age, because that’s how buyers search. Number each tub and add the tub number to your listing notes. A quick photo of each tub’s contents on your phone saves opening lids.
Keep complete sets together in one bag with a note of what’s inside. Incomplete sets are fine to sell, but list what’s missing.
Kit for this step
Photograph the toy on a plain background with every included part laid out beside it. Buyers of vintage toys look for missing pieces, paint wear and box damage, so show all three. State whether the toy is complete.
Use the line name, character and year in the title on eBay. On Vinted, mixed bundles of play-condition toys often sell faster than single items.
Whatnot has a strong following for collectable toys and figures. Run themed shows, one line at a time, and line the lots up in sale order before you start. Show boxes from every side on camera so buyers can judge condition.
Pack straight after the show while you remember what each buyer asked about. Keep the show order list next to your packing table.
Toy orders range from Large Letter figures to big boxed parcels. Weigh and measure the packed parcel, not the toy, and check the current Royal Mail or courier size guide for the band. Bulky boxes often cost less with a courier than as a Royal Mail parcel, so compare.
Past 50 orders, standardise your box sizes so you can buy them in bundles, and keep a pre-cut stack of bubble wrap. A shelving unit by the packing table stops boxes taking over the room.
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 Small ParcelUsual£3.75
Clothing and small boxed items up to 2 kg, with tracking for less than untracked 2nd Class.
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.
Reused supermarket boxes for boxed collectibles. The weak board lets the corners crush.
One roll covers a few hundred small parcels.
Light boxes for boxed toys and beauty sets.
Step-by-step help for the jobs that come next.
Toys and collectibles range from loose minifigures to boxed sets. You need two or three box sizes and plenty of padding, because one mailer won't fit everything.
A crushed corner cuts the value of a boxed collectible. Pack them like trainers: original box inside an outer box, with padding on every side.
Two or three sizes cover most toy sellers: a small box for figures, a medium box for boxed sets and padded envelopes for loose small items. Add sizes only when you keep wasting void fill.
Bubble wrap is cheaper per parcel; honeycomb paper is plastic-free and goes in the recycling. Pick one, buy it on a long roll and stick with it.
For anything electronic or battery-powered, test it and say so in the listing. Remove batteries before posting so they don’t leak.
Toys sold in the UK must be safe. Check the government’s guidance on toy safety for resellers, and avoid selling items with broken parts that could be a choking risk for young children.
Yes, if you have it. For collectable toys the box can add a lot to the price, so pack it as carefully as the toy.
Pack it in the smallest strong box that fits with padding, then compare courier prices for that size and weight before you set postage.
