Lamps, ceramics and glassware. Bulky, fragile and costly to break, so start with strong boxes and padding.
The kit our builder picks for a typical Home decor 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.
Double-wall boxes for anything fragile, single-wall boxes for soft pieces, a large roll of bubble wrap, packing tape and 4 × 6 in thermal labels. Buy a shipping scale rated for heavy boxes: dinner sets and lamps weigh more than they look.
Put lamps, vases and ceramics on steel shelving with numbered bays, off the floor. Set up a folding work table so you can wrap big pieces without bending over.
Wrap every piece on its own, with extra layers on handles, spouts and rims. Fill hollow pieces like vases and pitchers with paper first.
Use a double-wall box, fill the gaps, then shake it. If anything rattles or moves, add more fill before you tape it.
For a set, wrap each piece separately and add cardboard between them. Cardboard between pieces stops the knocking that breaks them. Add it to every set.
Give fragile pieces their own shelf at waist height so you're not lifting glass from the floor. Number each bay and put the number in the listing.
Keep spare boxes flat and sorted by size. You will go through boxes fast, and hunting for the right size slows each order.
Kit for this step
Shoot in daylight against a plain wall, with one photo showing the piece in a room for scale. Put height, width and depth in inches in the description.
Show any chips, crazing or marks close up. Turn ceramics over and photograph the base, since maker's marks help buyers search and decide.
USPS, UPS and FedEx price large boxes on size as well as weight, so a light box can still cost a lot. Measure and weigh a packed piece before listing so your shipping price is right.
Offer local pickup for furniture and large lamps on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. For boxes over about 5 lb, compare UPS Ground and FedEx Ground with USPS on Pirate Ship or your platform's label tool.
Buy boxes in the few sizes that fit most of your stock and build some ahead so they're ready. Keep bubble wrap on a roll holder by the table.
Track breakage by item type. If one kind of piece keeps arriving broken, change how you pack it or stop shipping it.
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 ship by, at today’s published rates. Rates checked October 7, 2026.
USPS Ground Advantage, up to 3 lbUsual$8.64 to $16.30
Heavier clothing bundles and boxed items up to 3 lb, tracked.
UPS Ground, up to 5 lb$12.00 to $25.00
Tracked UPS Ground for boxed items up to 5 lb, for when it costs less than USPS.
FedEx Home Delivery, up to 5 lb$12.00 to $25.00
Boxed items up to 5 lb to a home address, tracked, with drop-off at FedEx locations.
Mailers or single-wall boxes for glass and ceramics.
One roll covers a couple of hundred small packages.
Fits a boxed pair of sneakers with room for padding.
In home decor, how well you pack decides how many orders come back. Ship ceramics and glass in a double-wall box with padding on every side. A poly mailer won't protect them.
Large pieces fill a room quickly. Put stock on shelving with numbered bays so it stays off the floor and you can find a sold piece quickly.
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Pad each side with about 2 inches, then shake the box: nothing should move. Wrap each piece on its own.
For furniture and big lamps, yes. Local pickup on Facebook Marketplace or eBay saves you a costly freight quote and suits buyers nearby.
Remove the bulb and shade. Pack the shade in its own box or well padded beside the base, and wrap the base and cord separately.
For glass, ceramics and anything heavy, yes. Pillows, throws and other soft pieces can go in single-wall boxes or poly mailers.
Small decor and vintage ceramics sell well there, along with glassware that ships easily. Large or very fragile pieces are easier on Facebook Marketplace or eBay with local pickup.
Add one photo of the piece on a shelf or table, and put measurements in inches in the description.
