Sending Shoes via InPost Lockers: What You Need to Know

InPost compartments are all 38 cm wide and 64 cm high; the sizes differ only in depth (8 cm Small, 19 cm Medium, 41 cm Large). A pair of trainers out of the box, stuffed with paper and bagged, packs to 10 to 14 cm: a Medium. Flat shoes, sandals and ballet pumps can be 6 to 8 cm and sometimes make a Small, though a Medium is the safe choice. A trainer box is typically 13 to 20 cm deep, so boxed shoes need a Large unless the box is unusually slim. Ankle boots out of the box are a Medium; mid-calf boots are a Large; knee-high boots laid flat are up to 50 cm long and 20 cm deep, which fits a Large only if the packed height stays under 64 cm and the depth under 41 cm.

• Small (8 cm): flat shoes and sandals bagged tight, at a push
• Medium (19 cm): trainers, shoes and ankle boots without the box
• Large (41 cm): boxed trainers, mid-calf boots, two pairs together
• Evri or Royal Mail: knee-high and thigh-high boots in a box, oversize boxed trainers

Stuff each shoe with crumpled paper so the toe box keeps its shape, place the pair heel to toe to make the footprint smaller, wrap leather or suede in tissue or a single layer of bubble wrap to stop scuffing, and slide the pair into a mailing bag that closes without straining. Press the air out and seal it. The packed depth should be under 19 cm; check with a ruler before you leave. Write the buyer's name on the bag as a backup in case the locker's printed label is damaged.

For branded trainers in good condition (Nike, Adidas, New Balance and the like) buyers expect the box and it supports the price, so keep it and plan for a Large compartment. For everyday shoes and boots the box adds nothing but depth, so take the shoes out, fold the box flat and include it if the buyer wants it, or leave it out. If it matters to the buyer, a quick message before you pack settles it. Boxed shoes should still go inside a mailing bag or be wrapped, because a bare box with a label on it arrives scuffed.

Knee-high and thigh-high boots in their box are the pair most likely to fail at an InPost locker: a box 55 cm long laid flat is fine for height but a 25 cm box depth is a Large, and if the box is any bigger it exceeds the compartment. Evri takes parcels up to 120 cm long and 15 kg at a ParcelShop (62 × 57 × 39 cm at an Evri locker), and Royal Mail's Medium Parcel format goes to 61 × 46 × 46 cm and 20 kg. Measure the packed boots and compare with 41 cm before deciding; out of the box and bagged, even tall boots often come down to a Large.

InPost's network maximum is £500, but second-hand items are covered only up to £50 and collectables are not compensated at all, so a lost pair of designer or limited-edition trainers is barely covered by InPost itself. On Vinted, integrated-label orders are covered by Vinted's protection up to £500; eBay's Simple Delivery protection runs from the first scan. For footwear worth more than about £100 sold outside a marketplace, Royal Mail Special Delivery (from £9.85 online, £750 of cover and a signature) is the sensible service. Photograph the shoes in their packaging before you drop them off whichever courier you use.

Sending direct with InPost, a Medium compartment (shoes without the box) costs £2.59 and a Large (boxed) £3.99 to another locker or shop, or £3.99 and £5.99 to a home address. If the box is too big for InPost, Evri is £2.62 to a ParcelShop or £3.52 to the door for a 1 to 2 kg parcel. Royal Mail Tracked 48 Small Parcel is £3.75 online since 5 October 2026, but a boxed pair is often over the Small Parcel's 16 cm depth and becomes a Medium Parcel at £7.00. On Vinted and eBay the buyer pays the marketplace's rate instead.

A pair of size 10 running trainers sold on Vinted for £45, buyer chose InPost. In the box the parcel is 34 × 23 × 13 cm, so a Medium would be tight and a Large is the safe choice. Out of the box, stuffed, wrapped and bagged, the pair is 32 × 22 × 11 cm and the box folded flat alongside adds 2 cm: a comfortable Medium. The InPost app shows the retail-park locker with plenty of Mediums free, the door closes first time, and the first scan shows in Vinted within minutes.