How to Ship a Coat in the UK: Best Courier Options

InPost compartments are 38 cm wide and 64 cm high; only the depth changes, at 8, 19 or 41 cm, and every size carries up to 15 kg. A coat rolled from the collar down and sealed in a mailing bag is a cylinder about 25 to 35 cm across for a wool coat, which needs a Large, and 12 to 18 cm for a light jacket, which fits a Medium. Folded flat instead of rolled, a trench coat or mac can come down to 10 to 15 cm. A coat in a cardboard box is almost always over 41 cm once the box is sealed, which is why boxes are the mistake to avoid.

On Vinted the InPost option is only offered in the standard tier of up to 2 kg, so a heavy coat may not be offered InPost at all; the buyer will see Evri and Royal Mail instead. List bulky coats in the right size category so that happens cleanly.

Empty the pockets, do up the buttons or zip so the front lies flat, fold the sleeves across the body and fold the coat lengthways in half. Then either fold it again into thirds for a flat parcel, or roll it tightly from the collar down for a cylinder. Slide it into the largest polythene mailing bag that fits (a 60 × 80 cm bag for a long coat), press out as much air as you can and seal it. For puffer and down jackets, a vacuum bag removes the air that makes up most of their volume and can halve the depth. Measure the packed parcel at its thickest point and compare it with 19 and 41 cm.

• Mailing bag, not a box: the single biggest saving in depth
• Fold in thirds or roll tightly: a half-folded coat is far deeper than a rolled one
• Press the air out, or vacuum-pack a puffer
• Skip bubble wrap; a coat does not need it and it adds centimetres

If the packed coat is over 41 cm deep or over 15 kg (unlikely, but a heavy parka with its box can reach 3 kg), it cannot go by InPost however it is folded. Evri ParcelShops take parcels up to 120 cm on the longest side and 245 cm combined, up to 15 kg, and Evri's own lockers take up to 62 × 57 × 39 cm. Royal Mail's Medium Parcel format is 61 × 46 × 46 cm and 20 kg, which suits a long coat in a box. On Vinted and eBay the buyer's choice of carrier decides where it goes; if you buy your own postage, Evri is usually cheaper than Royal Mail for a coat over 2 kg.

InPost covers second-hand items only up to £50, so a lost Barbour, North Face or Canada Goose coat is effectively uninsured by InPost itself. On Vinted, integrated-label orders are covered by Vinted up to £500; on eBay, Simple Delivery protection runs from the first scan. For a coat worth more than that, or sold outside a marketplace, Royal Mail Special Delivery includes £750 of cover (£1,000 or £2,500 for a small fee) and a signature. Evri's standard cover is £20, raised to £999 only when you book directly and add it. Photograph the coat, its labels and any wear before you pack it.

Sending direct: an InPost Large compartment is £3.99 to another locker or shop and £5.99 to a home address, a Medium £2.59 or £3.99. Evri is £2.62 to a ParcelShop or £3.52 to the door for a 1 to 2 kg parcel (£4.79 for the larger standard size). A Royal Mail 2nd Class Medium Parcel is £7.00 up to 2 kg since 5 October 2026 and £9.00 up to 10 kg; Special Delivery for a 2 kg coat is £16.05. On Vinted, eBay and Depop the buyer pays the marketplace's own rate, so for marketplace sales the question is only which carrier the coat fits.

A wool overcoat sold on Vinted for £60, buyer chose InPost. Folded in half in a box it is 48 × 38 × 24 cm, which is a Large with little room to spare and an awkward shape. Folded in thirds in a 60 × 80 cm mailing bag with the air pressed out it is 40 × 30 × 15 cm: a Medium. The InPost app shows the retail-park locker with eight Mediums free, the door closes first time, and the first scan shows in Vinted within minutes. The same coat in a rigid box at 46 cm deep would have meant a trip back home and a message to Vinted to switch the courier.