The cheapest way to post clothes in the UK is to send them in the smallest, lightest parcel that protects them: fold tightly, use a mailing bag rather than a box for soft items, weigh the packed parcel on kitchen scales, and choose the parcel size that matches. Most single garments are light, so it is usually the size and weight band you pick, not the piece itself, that decides the postage.
When you sell on Rewear, the buyer pays for delivery at checkout and you print a prepaid label from the app, so you never buy your own postage. But the parcel size you choose still matters, because it decides what the buyer pays, and a lower postage price makes your piece more tempting.
Rewear's four parcel sizes
When you list a piece on Rewear you choose one of four parcel sizes. Each has a weight limit and a rough guide to what fits.
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- Small, up to 0.5 kg. Fits through a letterbox: a T-shirt, accessories or jewellery.
- Medium, up to 1 kg. A jumper, a dress or a pair of jeans.
- Large, up to 2 kg. About a shoebox: a pair of shoes, or a few pieces together.
- Extra large, up to 8 kg. A winter coat, boots or a full bundle.
The buyer chooses a delivery option at checkout from the ones available for that size, so a smaller size usually means cheaper delivery for them.
Weigh before you list
Guessing is where most sellers end up overpaying or underpaying.
- Fold the piece as you will post it, with the packaging you plan to use.
- Weigh it on kitchen scales or bathroom scales. For bathroom scales, weigh yourself holding the parcel, then without it, and take the difference.
- Pick the smallest parcel size whose weight limit is comfortably above the figure.
Leave a little margin. A parcel that is only just under a limit on your scales may not be under it on a carrier's.
Fold small, pack light
Most clothes do not need a box. A box adds weight and size, and soft garments travel perfectly well in a bag.
- Use a strong plastic or paper mailing bag for clothes, folded flat. Reused bags are fine if they are clean, sound and have no old labels or barcodes showing.
- Fold neatly and tightly. Roll T-shirts and knitwear, or fold them into a flat rectangle. A neat fold keeps the parcel slim and arrives looking cared for.
- Use a box only when you need one: shoes, boots, bags with structure, and anything that could be crushed.
- Skip heavy padding for clothes. A sheet of tissue paper looks nice and weighs almost nothing.
- Protect from rain. Put the piece in a clean plastic bag inside a paper mailer, or use a plastic mailer.
Shoes, boots and bags
Footwear is heavier and needs to keep its shape.
- Stuff shoes with paper so they do not crush.
- Wrap each shoe, or put them in a shoe bag, so they do not scuff each other.
- Use the shoebox if you still have it. Otherwise any sturdy box of a similar size works.
- Boots often need the extra large size, so weigh them boxed before you list.
Posting several pieces together
On Rewear a buyer can buy several pieces from the same seller as a bundle. A bundle travels as one parcel, so postage is charged once rather than for each piece, and the parcel size is worked out from the sizes of everything in it. That is one more reason to choose each piece's parcel size accurately when you list.
Label and drop-off
Once a piece sells, the prepaid label comes from the app. Where you take the parcel depends on the delivery option the buyer chose. Some options go from lockers or parcel shops and some from a Post Office, and the order tells you which. Post within five days of the sale, and keep your proof of posting until the buyer confirms the piece has arrived.
If you cannot post in time, cancel the order in the app so the buyer is refunded straight away rather than left waiting.
Packing that prevents problems
A careful parcel is also your best protection.
- Check the piece one last time against the listing: size, condition and any flaws you declared.
- Make sure it is clean and dry, with no pet hair or strong smells.
- Seal the bag or box well. Tape all the seams on a box and fold the flap of a mailer flat.
- Stick the label on flat, over a smooth area, with the barcode uncreased.
A tracked parcel that goes missing in transit is dealt with by Rewear with the carrier, and the seller is not out of pocket as long as they used the Rewear label and posted on time. Our guide to buying second-hand safely explains more.
Selling for the first time?
Our beginner's guide to selling clothes online in the UK walks you through the whole process, from photos to getting paid, and our guide on how to price second-hand clothes helps you set a price that sells.
The short version
Fold tightly, use a mailing bag for soft clothes and a box only when you need one, weigh at home, and pick the smallest parcel size that fits. On Rewear the buyer pays the postage and you print the label from the app, so the right size simply makes your piece cheaper to buy.
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