By Isabella Jacobs July 11, 2026 6 min read

The Essential Packaging Checklist for Starting an Online Shop

Sat Jul 11 • By Isabella Jacobs • 6 min read

Whether you're listing your first few items on Vinted, setting up a small Etsy shop, or launching a proper Shopify store, packaging is one of those things that's easy to put off until you've made your first sale and then suddenly need sorted within 48 hours. Getting the basics right from day one saves you money, avoids damaged parcels, and means you're not scrambling to the Post Office for overpriced bags the first time someone buys from you.

This checklist covers exactly what to have in place before your first order comes in, with enough detail to get started without overthinking it.

Step 1: Work out what you're actually sending

Before buying anything, take stock of your product range and group it into rough categories. Most online shops fall into one or more of: soft goods like clothing and accessories, small items like jewellery or craft pieces, rigid or fragile items like ceramics or electronics, and documents or flat items like prints or stationery. Each category points toward different packaging, so this five-minute exercise saves you from buying the wrong thing first.

Step 2: Mailing bags, if you're selling clothing or soft goods

If any part of your range is clothing, accessories, books or other soft, non-fragile items, mailing bags are what you need as standard. They're the cheapest, lightest and most practical way to ship this category, and they're what the vast majority of UK clothing sellers on Vinted, Depop, eBay and Shopify use.

Start with an assorted pack across two or three sizes rather than committing heavily to one size before you know what you sell most. A useful starting spread looks roughly like: a small size around 250mm x 350mm for t-shirts and light tops, a medium around 350mm x 500mm for jeans and mid-weight garments, and a large around 450mm x 600mm for coats and bulkier items. Grey is the standard colour choice, fully opaque and the most cost-effective option, though pink, purple, green and blue are worth considering if presentation and branding matter to your shop from the outset.

For the detail on exactly which size suits which garment, our mailing bag size guide covers this thoroughly. Once you know your typical order, you can browse and order from our full mailing bags range.

Step 3: Grip seal bags, if you're selling anything small

Jewellery, craft supplies, small accessories, beauty samples, badges, anything that's genuinely small benefits from being contained in its own bag before it goes anywhere near outer packaging. A small grip seal bag keeps the item from shifting, getting lost in a larger parcel, or arriving looking like an afterthought.

A sensible starting stock is two sizes: something around 30x30mm to 40x40mm for individual small pieces like earrings or rings, and 45x50mm to 50x50mm for chains, sets, or slightly bulkier small items. Clear bags are the simplest starting choice, letting the buyer see the item straight away, with coloured or printed options worth adding later if you want more presentation polish.

For more detail on sizing and use, our grip seal bag sizing guide and our guide to using grip seal bags for small item selling cover this in full. Browse the range on our grip seal bags page.

Step 4: Packaging tape, for anything going in a box

If any part of your range needs rigid protection, fragile items, electronics, anything boxed, you'll need cardboard boxes and tape to seal them. Even if your main product line is clothing in mailing bags, it's worth having a roll of tape on hand for occasional items that need a box, returns, or anything bulkier than a standard mailing bag can handle.

For a first order, a single roll of standard 48mm tape covers the vast majority of needs. Brown or clear both work fine functionally; clear is the better choice if you want labels and any branding on the box to stay visible. As your volume grows, the 92m rolls work out cheaper per metre than smaller ones, and it's worth knowing how the H-tape method works properly, one strip along the centre join and one down each side seam, extending onto the box wall, rather than relying on a single strip across the middle.

Our guides to choosing the right tape and how much tape you'll actually use per box cover this in more depth. Browse the range on our packaging tape page.

Step 5: Thermal labels, once you're shipping regularly

You don't need a thermal printer on day one, printing labels on A4 and taping them to your parcel works fine while you're sending a handful of orders a week. Once you're shipping regularly, a thermal printer and a stock of 4x6 inch (100x150mm) labels speeds up the process significantly and produces a cleaner, more reliably scannable barcode than a taped-on A4 printout.

Step 6: Work out your sizing before you order in bulk

This is the step that saves the most money long term and the one new sellers most often skip. Buying a large bulk pack of one size before you actually know what you sell most is a common early mistake. Start with smaller or assorted quantities, track what you actually use over your first few weeks of selling, and then move to bulk single-size packs in your top one or two sizes once you have real data rather than a guess.

A simple starter shopping list

If you want a no-overthinking starting point, here's a reasonable first order for a new clothing-focused seller:

An assorted pack of grey mailing bags covering small, medium and large sizes (roughly 100 to 120 bags)
A small pack of clear grip seal bags in one or two small sizes, if you're selling any accessories or small items alongside clothing
One roll of 48mm clear or brown packaging tape, for the occasional boxed item or return
A4 paper and your existing printer for labels, until your volume justifies a thermal printer

For a small business focused on rigid or fragile items rather than clothing, swap the mailing bags for an assorted pack of small to medium cardboard boxes and add a second roll of tape, since you'll be sealing more boxes than bags from the outset.

What to add as you grow

Once you have a few weeks or months of selling under your belt and a clearer sense of your actual product mix, it's worth revisiting your packaging setup properly. This usually means moving to bulk single-size packs of your most-used mailing bag or grip seal bag sizes, adding a second tape width (75mm) if you're occasionally sending heavier items, and considering a thermal printer if you're not already using one. It's also a good point to think about whether coloured or printed mailing bags or grip seal bags would add value to your brand, now that you have a clearer identity than you did when you started.

Don't overbuy at the start

It's tempting to buy everything in bulk straight away to get the best unit price, but this is usually a mistake for a brand new shop. You don't yet know your real usage patterns, and packaging that sits unused for months, particularly the adhesive seals on mailing bags and tape, can degrade in storage before you get to use it. Buy smaller quantities to start, learn what you actually need, then commit to bulk orders once you have real data rather than a guess about your future volume.

You can browse our full range across mailing bags, grip seal bags and packaging tape to put together your starting order. If you're not sure where to begin, get in touch and we can help you work out a sensible first order based on what you're planning to sell.

FAQs

What packaging do I need to start selling online?

It depends on what you're selling. For clothing and soft goods, mailing bags are the standard. For small items like jewellery or accessories, grip seal bags keep them contained. For anything fragile or rigid, you'll need cardboard boxes and tape. Most new sellers benefit from starting with mailing bags as the core, adding grip seal bags and tape as needed.

What size mailing bags should I buy when starting out?

An assorted pack covering small (around 250mm x 350mm), medium (around 350mm x 500mm) and large (around 450mm x 600mm) gives a useful spread to start with. This covers most clothing items without committing heavily to one size before you know what you sell most.

Do I need a thermal printer when I start selling?

No. Printing labels on A4 paper and attaching them to your parcel works fine for low volumes. A thermal printer becomes worthwhile once you're shipping regularly, as it speeds up the process and produces a more reliably scannable barcode.

Should I buy packaging in bulk when I first start selling?

It's generally better not to. Buying in bulk before you know your actual usage patterns can mean ending up with the wrong sizes or stock that sits unused for months. Start with smaller or assorted quantities, track what you use over your first few weeks, then move to bulk orders in your most-used sizes.

What packaging tape should a new seller buy first?

A single roll of standard 48mm tape, in either brown or clear, covers most early needs for sealing any boxed items or returns. As volume grows, larger 92m rolls work out cheaper per metre, and a 75mm width is worth adding for heavier items.

Do I need grip seal bags if I'm only selling clothing?

Not necessarily, but they're worth having on hand if you ever sell accessories, small items, or anything that benefits from being contained before going into the outer parcel. If your range is purely clothing, mailing bags alone may be sufficient.

What is the cheapest way to start packaging for a new online shop?

Buying a small assorted pack of mailing bags rather than a large single-size bulk order, using your existing printer for labels rather than buying a thermal printer immediately, and only adding grip seal bags or extra tape widths once you know you need them keeps initial costs low.

How do I know what packaging sizes to buy for my shop?

Group your product range into categories first, soft goods, small items, fragile or rigid items, and documents, since each points to different packaging. Start with smaller assorted quantities, track what you actually use over a few weeks of selling, then commit to bulk orders in your most common sizes.

What packaging do fragile or rigid item sellers need that clothing sellers don't?

Sellers of ceramics, electronics or other fragile and rigid items need cardboard boxes and packaging tape as their core packaging, rather than mailing bags. Void fill such as bubble wrap or paper is also worth having on hand for cushioning.

When should I switch from assorted packs to bulk single-size packs?

Once you've sold consistently for a few weeks to a couple of months and have a clear sense of your most-used sizes. At that point, switching to bulk single-size packs in your top one or two sizes reduces cost per unit while avoiding the risk of overbuying sizes you don't actually need.

Article By

Isabella Jacobs

Isabella is a packaging specialist with over a decade of experience helping UK retailers find sustainable solutions for their business needs.

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