# Books, games and vinyl > Pack heavy media rigid and weigh it to the ounce, so it arrives intact and costs less to ship. Books, video games and records are flat and heavy. Weigh each one before you buy a label, because shipping depends on weight. Pack in boxes or padded mailers with cardboard stiffeners so corners don't dent and sleeves don't bend. ## How to pack it - Wrap books and games in a layer of bubble wrap to protect the corners. - Use a padded mailer for single items, a small box for bundles and box sets. - Weigh it to the ounce, and try a Medium Flat Rate Box for heavy stacks. Avoid: Thin envelopes for hardcovers. The corners push through and arrive dented. - **[Kraft bubble mailers, #0, 100 pack](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/padded-envelopes)** ($16 to $28): Enough padding for a lipstick, a small figure or a sealed booster pack, with no box to fold. - **[Small corrugated boxes, 25 pack](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/single-wall-boxes)** ($12 to $25): Use these for boxed toys and beauty sets that a poly mailer would crush, when double-wall board costs more than you need. - **[12-inch LP record mailers, 10 pack](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/lp-record-mailers)** ($25 to $40): A folding corrugated mailer holds one to three 12-inch records flat, so corners and jacket seams survive the sorting belts. Buy them if you sell vinyl every week; for a box set or a stack of records, use a box with bubble wrap. - **[Bubble wrap, 12 in x 175 ft](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/bubble-wrap-roll)** ($15 to $30): A long perforated roll costs several times less per foot than the small packs sold at the post office or a drugstore. - **[4 × 6 in thermal labels, 500 fanfold](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/thermal-labels-fanfold)** ($8 to $16): Fanfold stacks feed flat behind the printer and hold more labels than a roll. 4 × 6 in matches the label size USPS, UPS and the marketplaces print. ## Shipping per order - USPS Ground Advantage, under 1 lb: $6.93 to $8.95. Clothing, cards in a mailer and other small items under 1 lb. Tracked, with $100 insurance included. - USPS Ground Advantage, 1 to 2 lb: $7.61 to $13.42. Shoes, jeans and boxed items up to 2 lb, tracked with $100 insurance. - USPS Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box: $21.17 to $25.80. Flat Rate box for dense items like books or ceramics, priced the same to any state. ## The kit for books, records and games Buy a shipping scale first, then rigid mailers or book wraps for books and bubble wrap for discs. Small boxes cover bundles. Add a stack of cardboard stiffeners for records and large hardcovers. ## Packing so corners and sleeves survive Pack each book in a rigid wrap or a box with no room to slide. Vinyl needs a box made for records, with the record taken out of the jacket and placed beside it so it can't split the seam. DVDs, CDs and games are lighter and fine in padded mailers if the case is wrapped. ## Storing stock by location code Give every shelf and box a code from your first listing and note it on each listing, so an order tells you which shelf to go to. Store books upright and records vertically. Don't stack them flat in tall piles: records warp, and the weight crushes spines. ## Photos and listings Shoot the cover, spine and back, plus any damage. For books, include the copyright page if edition matters, and for records, the label and the vinyl surface under good light. Buyers search by edition, so fill in the ISBN or catalog number on every listing. ## Shipping heavy, flat items Most single books and games weigh under 1 lb and go by USPS Ground Advantage. Heavier books and record lots can go by Media Mail, which is cheaper but slower and limited to media. Weigh a sample bundle of the same books before you quote shipping on a lot. ## Growing past the first 50 orders Once you pass your first 50 orders, list in one session and pack in another. At that point, add a thermal label printer and a shipping tool such as Pirate Ship that pulls orders from all your platforms. Keep stock codes in the label notes so picking is quick. ## Common mistakes - Shipping a record inside its jacket. The disc can split the seam, so pack it beside the jacket in a record mailer. - Sending books in a thin poly mailer, where the corners dent in sorting. - Tall flat piles of records warp them. Store them upright. - Calling a book a first edition before you check the copyright page. - Buyers ask about dust they can see in photos, so wipe each record before you shoot it. ## Setups - [eBay books, games and vinyl setup](https://sellersetups.com/us/setups/ebay-books-media): Two scales, rigid mailers and shelves sorted by code, so 20 to 80 books, games and records a week go out at the cheapest rate that fits. ## Questions ### Should vinyl go in a box or a mailer? Use a proper record mailer or a box with stiffeners on both sides. Take the record out of the jacket and pack it beside it, so the seam doesn't split in transit. ### Can I use USPS Media Mail? Media Mail is a cheaper USPS service for books, records, CDs and DVDs. Video games and anything with ads don't qualify, and USPS can open the package to check. It is also slower than Ground Advantage, so compare both prices on Pirate Ship. ### Is it worth selling cheap paperbacks? A single cheap paperback rarely covers your time once shipping is paid, so bundle them by author or genre and sell them as lots. ### How do I find a book among hundreds? Give each shelf a code, add it to the listing, and keep books upright in code order. ### Do I need to clean records before selling? Wipe the dust off every record and describe each mark and scuff in the listing. A clean record plays and photographs better. ### Should I sell video games with or without the case? Complete games with case and manual sell better. If something's missing, say so in the title and the description.