# Outdoors > Tents, hiking boots, fishing tackle and camping gear. Bulky, seasonal and sometimes restricted in the mail, so check what can ship before you list. Outdoor gear sells by season. Tents and camp stoves move in spring, before summer camping trips, while rain jackets and hiking boots pick up in the fall. List ahead of the season, not in the middle of it. A lot of outdoor gear is awkward to ship. A family tent can weigh over 15 lb, rods come in long tubes, and some items, like fuel canisters and knives, have legal or shipping limits you need to know before a sale. Outdoor buyers pay for proven condition. A buyer wants proof the tent has all its poles and stakes, the boots have tread left and the reel turns smoothly. Show it set up and working. ## How to pack it - Clean and dry the gear, and remove any gas canisters or fuel. - Wrap poles, reels and sharp parts, then box them snugly. - Weigh and measure the box before you buy the label, since UPS and FedEx price bulky boxes by size. Avoid: Packing damp tents, or stoves with gas still attached. - **[Double-wall boxes, 18 × 12 × 8 in, 15 pack](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/double-wall-boxes)** ($45 to $70): Double-wall cardboard resists crushing better than single-wall, so your boxed sneakers arrive intact. - **[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. - **[Brown packing tape, 1.88 in x 72 yd, 6 rolls](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/brown-packing-tape)** ($10 to $18): 1.88 inches is the width tape guns take. Six rolls keep a shop shipping a few boxes a week going for a few months. - **[66 lb digital shipping scale](https://sellersetups.com/us/product/parcel-scale-30kg)** ($20 to $35): Covers the packages most home sellers ship, up to 66 lb. Choose it when the 110 lb scale is out of stock. - **[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, up to 3 lb: $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. ## Sell ahead of each outdoor season Spring is camping season for buyers. List tents, sleeping bags, stoves and coolers from late winter, so they're live before Memorial Day. Fall brings demand for rain jackets, fleeces and hiking boots. Fishing and hunting have their own calendars, set state by state. List tackle a few weeks before your state's seasons open, when anglers are restocking. ## 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 zipper, and a photo of the tent standing tells the buyer more than a picture of the bag. Count the stakes and poles into a photo too. Test stoves with fuel before you sell, then remove the canister. Wind a reel and photograph the line lay. Flex hiking boots and photograph the sole tread straight on, because buyers judge wear from it. ## Restricted items you need to know about Fuel canisters, fuel bottles with fuel still in them, flares and strike-anywhere matches are hazardous or banned in the mail. Look up anything that burns in USPS Publication 52 before it goes in a box. Knife rules differ by state and by platform. Read your platform's policy on bladed items before listing a knife, an axe or a saw, and check USPS rules for the type of knife. Bear spray and pepper spray are hazardous materials in the mail and banned on several platforms, so leave any you find in a box lot out of your stock. ## Selling outdoor gear live Tackle lots suit a live show: tip a box of lures, bobbers 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 gear is harder live. Show the tent pitched in a photo on screen, then hold up the bag and its poles on camera. Tell buyers the shipping cost before bidding opens, because a heavy tent costs more to ship. ## Packing long, heavy and dirty gear 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 trekking poles go in a strong tube with the ends padded. Tents and sleeping bags compress into a box or a heavy-duty poly mailer. Weigh every box on a shipping scale, because outdoor gear climbs into higher weight bands quickly. For boxes over about 5 lb, compare UPS Ground and FedEx Ground against USPS Ground Advantage on Pirate Ship. Check the length limit for each, since a rod tube can be oversize while being light. ## Common mistakes - Shipping a stove with a fuel canister still attached breaks hazmat 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 shipping on a rod tube without measuring it leaves you paying an oversize charge, so measure the tube. ## Setups - [Outdoor gear setup for a shed or garage, eBay and Whatnot](https://sellersetups.com/us/setups/outdoor-gear-shed-seasonal): Tents pitched in the yard before listing, tackle sold live in lots, and a floor scale for the family tent that needs a bigger box and a carrier quote. ## Guides - [How to ship a bike and other bulky items](https://sellersetups.com/us/guides/how-to-post-bulky-items): Carrier size limits, length plus girth math, and how to ship a bike, golf clubs, dumbbells and a stroller. ## Questions ### Can I ship camping fuel canisters? Not as a home seller. Butane and propane canisters are flammable gas and hazardous materials under USPS rules, and UPS and FedEx need a hazmat contract. Sell stoves without the fuel, and make sure any stove you ship is empty and clean of residue. ### Can I sell knives and multi-tools? Knife laws vary by state, and USPS limits mailing some knives, such as switchblades. eBay, Mercari and other platforms each have their own bladed item policies, so read them before you list a camp knife, an axe or a multi-tool with a blade. ### How do I show a tent is complete? Pitch it in the yard or a park and photograph it standing, then lay out every pole, stake and guy line and photograph the count. Note any repairs, and check the seams and zippers. Buyers ask about missing poles more than anything else. ### How do I ship fishing rods? Break the rod down into sections and ship it in a rod tube or a long, strong mailing tube. USPS caps length plus girth at 130 inches, and long boxes can trigger oversize pricing, so measure the tube before you quote shipping. ### Do headlamps and GPS units with batteries need special handling? Lithium batteries installed in a device can usually ship by USPS Ground Advantage within set limits, while loose lithium batteries face tight rules. Check USPS Publication 52 before you ship, and leave spare lithium batteries out of the box. ### Which platform suits outdoor gear? eBay reaches buyers searching by brand and model, which suits tents, stoves and tackle. Poshmark and Mercari work well for outdoor clothing and boots, and Facebook Marketplace for bulky gear sold locally. Whatnot has an Outdoors category for live shows, which suits tackle lots and small camping gear.