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 mailers, plus a long roll of bubble wrap. Add packing tape, a tape gun and a shipping scale that handles heavier lots. Small zip bags keep loose parts with the right toy.
Buy clear storage totes with lids early. Toy stock is bulky, so buy totes 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 around, so the original box arrives with sharp corners. Check the box corners against your listing photos before you seal the package.
Loose figures and small vehicles travel well in padded mailers. Anything with long thin parts, like swords or antennas, gets its own wrap first.
Kit for this step
Sort totes by line or brand, not by age, because that's how buyers search. Number each tote and add the tote number to your listing notes. A quick photo of each tote'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 and Mercari. On Facebook Marketplace and Mercari, mixed bundles of play-condition toys often sell faster than single items.
Whatnot has a strong following for collectible 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 small figures in a mailer to big boxed packages. Weigh and measure the packed box, not the toy, because USPS and UPS price larger boxes on dimensional weight. Most packages under a few pounds go cheapest by USPS Ground Advantage; bulky boxes often cost less with UPS Ground, so compare.
Past 50 orders, standardize 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 ship by, at today’s published rates. Rates checked October 7, 2026.
USPS Ground Advantage, under 1 lbUsual$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.
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.
Reused grocery boxes for boxed collectibles. The weak board lets the corners crush.
One roll covers a couple of hundred small packages.
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 sneakers: original box inside an outer box, with padding on every side.
Straight answers to what sellers ask about this.
Two or three sizes cover most toy sellers: a small box for figures, a medium box for boxed sets and padded mailers for loose small items. Add sizes only when you keep wasting void fill.
Bubble wrap is cheaper per package; 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 shipping so they don't leak.
Yes. Resellers can't sell toys that have been recalled or that break federal safety rules, such as small parts limits for children under three. Check the CPSC's guidance for resellers and search recalls on cpsc.gov before you list.
Yes, if you have it. For collectible 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 USPS, UPS and FedEx rates for that size and weight on Pirate Ship or your platform's label tool before you set shipping.
