How to Ship Trainers in the UK

For branded pairs in good condition the original box supports the price and buyers expect it, especially on eBay and for anything collectable; on StockX and similar platforms it is required. For everyday worn trainers the box adds nothing but depth. Decide before you list, state it in the listing, and if the buyer asks for the box after a sale without it, a folded-flat box alongside the bagged pair is a fair compromise that still fits a Medium.

InPost compartments are 38 cm wide and 64 cm high; the depth is 8 cm (Small), 19 cm (Medium) or 41 cm (Large), and every size takes up to 15 kg. A trainer box is usually 12 to 16 cm deep, which is a Medium if it sits flat and a Large once it is wrapped or the box is a chunky one; a boxed pair of basketball or skate shoes at 18 to 20 cm is a Large. Out of the box, stuffed and bagged, most pairs pack to 10 to 14 cm and take a Medium. A box for a UK 12 or above can be 36 cm long and 24 cm deep, still a Large laid flat, but a box with extra padding in an outer box can exceed 41 cm, and that pair goes by Evri.

Stuff each shoe with paper so the toe box keeps its shape. Put the pair in the box with tissue between them so the soles do not mark the uppers. Tape the box lid down at both ends. Then put the whole box inside a mailing bag or wrap it in brown paper, because a bare box with a label stuck on it arrives scuffed and torn, and for a collectable pair that costs money. For a limited edition, double-box: the shoe box inside a slightly larger outer box with padding, which is what StockX's own guidance asks for.

A pair of adult trainers weighs 600 g to 1.2 kg; bagged, 750 g to 1.5 kg; boxed, 1 to 1.8 kg. InPost prices by compartment rather than weight, so a boxed pair sent direct is £3.99 (Large) locker to locker and an unboxed pair £2.59 (Medium). Evri is £3.52 to the door for 1 to 2 kg, or £2.62 to a ParcelShop. Royal Mail's Small Parcel format is only 16 cm deep, so a boxed pair is usually a Medium Parcel at £7.00 by 2nd Class since 5 October 2026, which is why Royal Mail is the courier for value rather than for everyday pairs. On Vinted, eBay and Depop the buyer pays the marketplace's rate.

Vinted: the buyer chooses the carrier; InPost is offered in the standard tier up to 2 kg, which covers a boxed pair, and you choose the compartment at the locker. eBay: Simple Delivery assigns Evri, Royal Mail or InPost and the buyer pays by parcel size and item value (a 1 to 2 kg small parcel is £3.38 on an item under £75, £4.90 at £100 to £150). Depop: Depop Shipping's Medium tier (under 2 kg) suits most pairs. StockX, GOAT, Laced and Klekt: prepaid labels, deadlines and verification centres, covered in the StockX guide.

InPost covers a second-hand item up to £50 and lists collectables as non-compensatory, so a lost pair of limited-edition trainers sent by InPost outside a marketplace is barely covered. Vinted's protection goes to £500 on its own labels and eBay's Simple Delivery cover runs from the first scan, which makes a locker acceptable on those platforms. Sold elsewhere, a pair worth more than £100 should go by Royal Mail Special Delivery (£16.05 for up to 2 kg since October, £750 of cover, signature). Photograph the pair from every angle, including soles, tongue labels, box label and size tag, before packing.

A pair of UK 9 running trainers in the original box, sold on Vinted for £55 with InPost chosen. The box is 33 × 22 × 13 cm; wrapped in a mailing bag it measures 14 cm deep, so a Medium is tight and the seller picks Large on the locker screen, which costs the buyer nothing extra. The same pair sold for £260 as a limited edition on a Facebook group goes in a double box by Royal Mail Special Delivery at £16.05 with £750 of cover, photographed first, handed over at the Post Office counter.