Packing and shipping a sale without breakage or dispute

Offering shipping multiplies a listing's audience: your buyer is no longer twenty kilometres away, they are anywhere in the country. But shipping is also the moment where a successful sale can tip over: one broken item, one lost parcel, and you are looking at a dispute, a refund and a bitter review that will follow your profile for a long time.

The remedy comes down to three principles: packaging that survives a one-metre drop, photo and video proof at every step, and a tracked shipment whose number travels through the messaging thread. Here is the full method, from choosing the box to the release of the funds.

The right box, the right padding

The golden rule: the item must not move when the parcel is shaken. Double-wall cardboard for anything fragile or heavy, padding on all six faces — crumpled paper, packing peanuts, foam — and, for the very fragile, the double-box technique: the item packed in a first box, itself cushioned inside a second one with 5 cm of margin on every side.

Match the size to the object: an oversized box costs more to ship and lets the item travel around inside; an undersized one protects nothing. Where to find good boxes? Supermarkets, pharmacies and wine shops give them away willingly — the double-wall cardboard of a wine box is excellent. This method covers most of what gets shipped: clothes from the fashion category, small tech items, games and consoles from the hobbies category.

Pack according to the object

Clothes and textiles

Washed, folded, slipped into a plastic sleeve against moisture, then a padded envelope or a slim box. Add a thank-you note: ten seconds of your time, and real weight on the review.

Electronics

Battery at half charge, device switched off, screen protected by a foam or cardboard plate, cables tied and packed separately. The original box, if you kept it, is worth gold: it was engineered for exactly this journey.

Fragile items and glass

Every piece wrapped individually, never two objects in direct contact, double box mandatory. Write "fragile" on the parcel — without relying on it: only the padding really protects.

Prove the condition before sending

Before sealing the parcel, photograph the item from every angle, in natural light — the same reflexes as for the photos that sell a listing. Then film the closing of the parcel in a single take: the item visible, the packaging, the sealing, the label. That one-minute video closes almost every "arrived broken" or "empty box" dispute.

Timestamp everything: the photos and the video must date from the day of shipping, not from the week before. And keep those files until the delivery is confirmed — not just until the parcel is dropped off.

The shipment: tracking, insurance, drop-off

• Always a tracking number — without it, there is no way to prove the shipment;
• Insurance from 50 of value: a few euros against a full refund if the parcel is lost;
• Weigh the parcel before buying postage: an underestimated kilo blocks the parcel or triggers a surcharge;
• Keep the proof of drop-off, paper ticket or digital receipt.

Ship fast: sending within 24 to 48 hours reassures the buyer, lifts your reviews and feeds the virtuous circle described in our guide to selling in 7 days.

After the drop-off: messaging, confirmation, dispute

Share the tracking number in the platform's messaging straight away — not by text message: the thread is the trace that counts. With protected payment, the funds are released when the buyer confirms delivery; the protected payment guide walks through that sequence step by step. Tell the buyer the carrier's announced timeframe as well: a wait that has been explained worries nobody.

If something goes wrong — a late parcel, a contested item — reply quickly and factually, proof in hand. A responsive seller with a complete file wins disputes; a silent one loses them.

Ship like a pro

The right box, six-face padding, dated proof, shared tracking: four habits that cost ten minutes per sale and remove almost every dispute. Your next item is ready to go? Post your listing with shipping enabled: the whole country becomes your market.