How to package clothes for shipping

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A customer is crouched on the floor of their apartment, holding items in one hand and is about to place them in the box in front of them.

Packaging clothes

Whether you're selling your clothes online or sending an outfit to a loved one, when packaging clothes for shipping, the contents need to be as protected as possible. Here are our best tips for folding, wrapping and padding clothes correctly.

Posting clothes with Evri

To ship clothing, your items need to fit in the packaging you’re sending them in, so they arrive safely at their destination. Our two top tips are:

Clothes in a box icon

Don’t roll clothes

Always fold them to save space

Icon of a parcel

Always fold clothes carefully

To avoid creases, which is especially important for a business sending clothing

A mother is placing a pair of jeans into a parcel box with the shipping label sat beside ready to attach. Her to children are reading a book on the sofa behind her.

Use sturdy packaging

These are some of the best types of packaging to use when sending clothes through our system.

An older woman is wrapping a parcel. She is pressing down on the label to keep it flat.

1. Padded envelopes

For a single item of clothing, buy a padded envelope and pop the item in the sleeve. This is a cost-effective way of sending smaller items, as it’s a lightweight choice.

Then, seal it with the adhesive tape attached, and stick the shipping label to the parcel.

Advantages of padded envelopes for clothing

1

Inside padding in padded envelopes helps secure clothing

2

Choose from different-sized padded envelopes

3

They're great for sending smaller items.

A mother is placing a pair of jeans into a parcel bag with the shipping label sat beside ready to attach. Her to children are watching a tablet on the sofa behind her.

2. Plastic delivery bags

When you’re packaging clothes for shipping, plastic mailing bags are a convenient choice - so long as you’re not including more “fragile” clothing.

Plastic delivery bags are:

1

Really affordable to buy

Saving on overall shipping costs.

2

Less protective

So, avoid using this packaging for more delicate items.

3

Great for light clothing

Such as t-shirts, socks, lingerie, light shirts and dresses.

A mother is placing the lid on a parcel box with the shipping label attached so it is ready to send. Her two children are sat on the sofa behind her reading a book.

3. Cardboard boxes

For packaging larger clothes, or bulk sending clothes, cardboard boxes are a really great choice.

Just choose a box that’s slightly bigger than the clothes you’re sending! This makes room for extra packaging materials, like bubble wrap or scrunched-up newspaper, to stop things moving around.

 

A close-up of a customer's hands as they are crouched on the floor of their apartment, holding items the lid of a box, ready to seal their parcel in front of them.

Cardboard boxes for shipping clothing are

  • Great for sending a larger amount of clothes.
  • Protective, sturdy and durable.
  • Recyclable - a great eco-friendly packaging option, with the person receiving the item able to reuse it.

Once you’ve found the best sized cardboard box for your clothes, simply:

1

Fold the items neatly

2

Wrap tissue paper around the clothing

This gives added protection.

3

Seal the tissue paper with a sticker/tape

4

Insert extra padding, like bubble wrap

This helps cushion the items.

5

Place the protected clothes inside the box

6

Use parcel tape to seal the box

Make sure you tape every corner to keep clothes nice and secure.

7

Add the shipping label to the box

This can be either printed for a Courier collection or at an Evri ParcelShop/Locker. Just use our ParcelShop finder to find locations offering this service.

Consider extra packaging for delicate clothes

Most clothes aren’t fragile, but some pieces might require more care than others. This includes items like beaded jumpers or a silk designer suit, for example. Some clothing falls under our prohibited items, too. For instance, you can’t send real fur through our network.

Packaging fragile items requires extra packaging, so:

  • Add filled packaging, like bubble wrap and newspaper.
  • Wrap bubble wrap around zips, beads, or more delicate embellishments.
Customer carrying multiple parcels inside a ParcelShop store, ready to drop off for delivery

Send your parcel

Now you know how to package clothes for shipping, you’ll feel confident doing this in future! All that’s left to do is send your parcel. Simply find a ParcelShop that’s convenient for you, book a Courier collection, or choose a Locker to take your clothes package to.

For further advice on sending parcels, read through our guides section, where you can discover helpful tips on how to package books and more.