What shipping supplies should a beginner seller buy?

Start with a small, flexible kit instead of buying every box size. A beginner seller should buy:

1. Bubble mailers or padded mailers — for small, non-fragile items like clothing accessories, books, media, and soft goods.
2. Poly mailers — for clothing and lightweight items that don’t need crush protection.
3. A few corrugated boxes in small and medium sizes — for shoes, hard goods, bundles, and anything that could be damaged in a mailer.
4. Bubble wrap or cushioning paper — for fragile or scratch-prone items.
5. Packing tape and a tape dispenser — basic but worth getting immediately.
6. Shipping labels — either half-sheet labels for a regular printer or 4x6 thermal labels if you use a thermal printer.
7. A digital shipping scale — essential so you don’t underpay postage.
8. Measuring tape or ruler — carriers price many packages by size as well as weight.
9. Free USPS Priority Mail supplies — useful if you ship with USPS Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express; don’t use these boxes for other services.

Best beginner approach: buy mailers, tape, labels, a scale, and 2–3 box sizes first. Then add specialty boxes only after you see what you actually sell most often.