What Packaging Do You Need for Different Products?

One of the most common questions from new sellers and small businesses is not "how do I pack this?" but "what do I even need to buy?" The answer isn't one-size-fits-all because what you're shipping genuinely changes the answer. A mailing bag that's perfect for a hoodie is completely wrong for a set of ceramic mugs. The right starting point is matching your packaging to your products rather than buying whatever seems most generic and hoping it works.

This guide covers the most common product categories sold by UK online sellers and small businesses, with a clear steer on what packaging each actually needs.

Clothing and soft goods

Clothing, knitwear, scarves, soft toys, fabric accessories and similar items are the simplest category to package correctly. They're flexible, non-fragile, and compress down to a manageable size when folded. The right packaging for almost all of these is a polythene mailing bag, nothing more.

Mailing bags are lightweight, waterproof, and come in sizes to cover everything from a single t-shirt to a heavy winter coat. No void fill, no internal padding, no secondary layer is needed for standard clothing. The bag itself provides all the protection these items need in transit.

Getting the size right is the main thing to focus on. A bag that's too large looks untidy and costs more per unit than necessary; one that's too small won't seal properly. Our mailing bag size guide covers the most common garment types in detail. For the full range of sizes, see our mailing bags page.

Jewellery and small accessories

Small items need a two-layer approach: a grip seal bag to contain the item itself, then an outer layer for shipping. Dropping a ring or a pair of earrings directly into a mailing bag leaves it free to shift around, tangle, scratch against the bag interior, or in rare cases work its way out through a gap in the seal.

A small grip seal bag, sized closely to the item, contains it neatly before the outer packaging is added. For most jewellery, a padded mailing bag or a small box as the outer layer gives enough additional cushioning and rigidity for transit. The grip seal bag handles containment and presentation; the outer bag or box handles protection.

For higher-value pieces, using a small presentation box inside the padded outer gives a more considered unboxing experience and adds a layer of structural protection. For lower-value or casual sales, a grip seal bag inside a standard mailing bag is entirely sufficient. Browse our grip seal bags for the inner layer and mailing bags for the outer.

Books, prints and flat paperwork

Books travel well in a mailing bag for most paperback and lightweight hardback sizes, particularly if the recipient isn't expecting a pristine copy. For anything where corner wear or minor creasing would be unacceptable, a board-backed envelope or mailing bag with a stiff card insert keeps the item flat and protects the corners. Hardbacks and high-value books are better sent in a snug cardboard box.

Unframed prints and posters need to stay flat. A mailing bag with a piece of rigid card the same size as the print inserted before the print itself protects against bending, which is the main transit risk for this category. Alternatively a tube is the right option for anything that can be rolled without damage.

Documents and certificates follow the same logic: a flat mailing bag with a card backer, or a board-backed envelope, keeps them flat and protected. A standard mailing bag without any stiffener is likely to produce a bent document by the time it arrives.

Fragile and breakable items

Ceramics, glassware, candles, bottles and anything else that can crack, chip or shatter under impact needs a cardboard box rather than a mailing bag. The box provides rigid containment that a mailing bag simply can't replicate.

Getting this right means three things: a box sized closely enough to the item that it can be filled properly, appropriate internal cushioning such as bubble wrap or scrunched paper, and correct sealing using the H-tape method on both faces of the box. The item should not be able to move at all when the sealed box is gently shaken. Movement inside the box is one of the most common causes of breakage, even when the outer packaging looks intact.

For fragile items, fragile tape adds a visible handling signal on the outside of the box that can make a difference at human-handled stages of delivery. Our fragile tape combines sealing and marking in one and is worth using for anything genuinely at risk from rough handling. Browse our full tape range for sealing options.

Shoes

Shoes in their original retail box need a cardboard outer around the shoebox. The shoebox itself is not designed for postal handling and will arrive crushed, dented or torn if sent unprotected. A cardboard outer sized to fit the shoebox snugly, sealed with tape, is the right approach.

Shoes without their box, or shoes being sold as casual second-hand items rather than packaged retail, can go in a large mailing bag if they're robust footwear like trainers. Structured shoes with a heel or toe that could lose its shape in transit are better in a box with some void fill to hold the shape.

Beauty and skincare products

Solid products like soaps, bath bombs and wax melts without glass or breakable packaging can often go in a mailing bag, particularly if they're individually wrapped. For anything in a glass jar, pump bottle or other breakable container, a cardboard box with appropriate cushioning is the right choice. Liquid-containing products should go inside a sealed polythene bag before being packed, so any leak is contained rather than soaking through the packaging and into the outer parcel or affecting other items.

Small beauty samples, sachets and testers are ideal candidates for grip seal bags as the inner layer, keeping them contained and protecting the contents from being squeezed or punctured by other items in the parcel. Our grip seal bags are available in sizes suited to small sample packaging.

Craft supplies and small parts

Loose beads, screws, buttons, pins, small hardware and similar items need containment first. A grip seal bag in the appropriate size keeps loose small parts from scattering inside an outer parcel, makes the contents immediately visible to the buyer, and makes the items easy to access without tipping everything out. For multi-item sets or kits, a single grip seal bag large enough to hold the whole set keeps everything together rather than relying on the buyer to find individual parts scattered through the parcel.

The outer packaging depends on the size and fragility of the item set. For lighter kits in a grip seal bag, a mailing bag is often sufficient. For anything with more weight or bulk, a small cardboard box is more appropriate.

Stationery, cards and paper goods

Greetings cards and single sheets travel well in a flat mailing bag with a card backer to keep them rigid. Packs of cards or multiple sheets are worth securing in a grip seal bag before placing in the outer mailing bag, so the pack stays together and doesn't fan out inside the parcel. Notebooks, planners and similar products with more rigidity can go in a snug mailing bag if they're robust, or in a small box for anything where corner or spine protection matters.

Multi-item and mixed orders

Orders containing more than one product type need packaging that works for the most demanding item in the order rather than the average. If an order contains both a t-shirt and a small ceramic item, the ceramic determines the outer packaging: it needs a box. The t-shirt goes inside the same box with the ceramic, cushioned appropriately. Trying to fit everything into a mailing bag because that's what the clothing would ordinarily need results in the fragile item arriving damaged, even though the clothing would have been fine.

For orders where all items are soft and non-fragile, a single mailing bag sized for the combined folded items works perfectly. Measure the combined stack first rather than assuming your usual size will fit.

A simple product-to-packaging reference

Whatever your product mix, the principle is the same: match protection to actual risk, contain smaller items before they go into outer packaging, and choose the outer layer based on the most demanding item in any given order. You can browse our full range across mailing bags, grip seal bags and packaging tape to put together what you need.