Packaging Guidelines

Safe shipping starts with the right box. We recommend choosing a sturdy box with about 2 inches of extra space on each side of the item. This will allow for plenty of room for padding.

It's important that you pack your collectibles safely before shipping to ensure they do not get damaged. If you do not follow the guidelines below, you may have to pay higher seller fees, or your selling privileges could be revoked.

Once an item sells on Whatnot, you must package the item as follows:

• Wrap the item with a protective material before putting it in a box 
• Please use a bubble mailer when shipping out cards to ensure the item doesn't get damaged. If you are shipping cards using First-Class Mail Letter Shipping, please review this article for packaging guidelines.
• The box or bubble mailer must have enough room such that the item will not be easily crushed
• For smaller collectibles in cardboard boxes we'd advise against using airbag protectors as they often crush the item
• It's important that the box isn't overfilled with packing materials or the item can be squashed in transit. Be sure there's enough room that if you pushed the walls of the box in a bit, the item will not get crushed
• Please do not write or include written or printed propaganda in your shipping box. 

Special packaging rules per-country

• US sellers
  • If you’re a seller in the United States, you’ll receive one of the following USPS shipping labels for items you’ve sold:
    • USPS Priority Mail: USPS pays for packaging. Any item over 16 oz. will receive a priority mail shipping label. 
    • USPS Ground Advantage mail: Seller pays for packaging/envelopes. Any item under 16 oz. will receive a ground advantage mail shipping label. 
• French sellers
  • See article
• German sellers
  • See article

Common weight of items sold on Whatnot

Packaging recommendations by category

Regular-sized Funko Pops

Guidelines for shipping a single regular-sized Funko:

• Put your Funko Pop in a soft protector
• Place bubble wrap around the protector
• Ship the Funko Pop in an 8x6x6 Box
• Fill large empty spaces in the box with scrunched-up newspaper, bags, or packing peanuts, but leave some room for the Funko Pop to breathe                  

Regular-sized Figpins

• Place bubble wrap around the item
• Ship in a sturdy 7x2x4 box
• Fill large empty spaces in the box with scrunched-up bubble wrap, newspaper, bags or similar material 

Cards (General)

• There must be an extra layer of protection on whatever is being shipped to prevent damage. Common packing items are cardboard squares, bubble wrap, or an extra bubble mailer.
• There should never be empty space in the package or bubble mailer that would allow the contents to move around. Bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing paper, or air pillows are required in the package to prevent the contents from moving around in transit.

Graded Cards

• It is recommended that each slab is placed in a graded card sleeve or team bag to prevent scratching on the surface of the slab.

Raw Cards

• Any card of significant value must be placed in a penny sleeve and a top loader. Toploaders and sleeves must be the proper size to match the card’s thickness.
• It is required that all raw cards are placed in a team bag in order to prevent them from moving around in transit.
• It is recommended that all cards, regardless of value, are placed in a penny sleeve.

Thick Raw Cards

• For thick cards, it is recommended that the corner of the thick penny sleeve is cut in order to smoothly place the card inside without damaging corners. 
• It is recommended to use painter's tape (not scotch tape) to seal the opening of the top loader to prevent the card from sliding out.
• If a magnetic case (mag) is being used, make sure it is the right size. It is recommended to put a penny sleeve over the front of the card before sealing the mag to prevent surface damage.

Raw Comics

• All comics must be shipped in a comic mailer or cardboard box, not a bubble mailer.
• All single comics must be bagged & boarded, and comic lots need to be protected with either comic bags or larger plastic bags.
• It is recommended that at least one piece of cardboard be used to stabilize comics shipped in a mailer.

Graded Comics (Slabs)

• All slabbed comics must be wrapped in bubble wrap or placed in a large bubble mailer to prevent damage in transit.
• All slabbed comics must ship in a cardboard box. Do not ship slabs in bubble mailers or polybags with bubble wrap. A slabbed comic wrapped in a couple of layers of bubble wrap will fit perfectly in Mailing Box 1095.

Sealed Wax

• All sealed wax must be shipped in a box, not a bubble mailer. 
• It is recommended that the sealed wax is wrapped in bubble wrap.

Estate Sales and Vintage Decor

• Place bubble wrap and/or paper around each item.
• Be sure to ship using a sturdy, sealed box.
• Fill large empty spaces in the box with scrunched-up bubble wrap, newspaper, bags, or similar material.

For more useful tips and tricks, check out the following video:

Retro Games

• Single, sturdy games less than $50 (e.g., cartridges, Sega clamshell cases, DVD or Blu-Ray style cases):
  • Place the item in a third-party, flexible protector for added protection, or utilize a disc envelope for loose disc sales.
  • For single items or multiple enveloped discs, weatherproof padded mailers are OK. Please provide cushioning material to prevent movement once the mailer is sealed.
  • For multiple items that won’t fit in a weatherproof padded mailer, utilize a box and a minimum of one inch of padding or bubble wrap.
    • *You should not hear any movement if you shake the box while holding it closed.
• Single, fragile games more than $50 (e.g., Nintendo cardboard boxes, jewel cases):
  • Place the item in a third-party, flexible protector for added protection, or utilize a disc envelope for loose disc sales.
  • Utilize a box with a minimum of one inch of bubble wrap or padding.
    • You should not hear any movement when shaking the box.
• Soft-boxed games (e.g. NE,S, SNES, and N64):
  • Ensure that there is no movement of the cartridge inside the box.
  • NES boxes should have a styrofoam block that inhibits movement.
  • SNES and N64 boxes should have trays for the cartridges to sit in that will help protect both the carts and the boxes while in transit, provided the trays are still in good shape.

Hazardous Materials

For sellers based in the US, you must comply with the following hazmat policy

Before selling potentially hazardous materials on Whatnot, please check out all of our prohibited items and USPS Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, & Perishable Mail. Publication 52 will provide information on the quantity, packaging, and code that indicates the corresponding sticker required to ship this item (e.g., UN1088 for Acetal).

If you’re unsure if your items are considered hazardous, you can check out a full list of hazardous items here or contact the US DOT Hazardous Materials Information Center.

• Separate any hazardous materials from the rest of your shipment.
  • You can unbundle your shipment in your Seller Hub to separate all hazardous materials from the rest of the order.
• When dropping off parcels with hazardous materials, you must drop these off in a separate receptacle than parcels with non-hazardous materials
• All packages with hazardous materials must be marked with the corresponding hazardous material symbol.
  • For example, an item that contains an ion battery (inside a device) would classify as UN3481. The seller should include the below sticker on the packaging to denote this to USPS.
  • Check out USPS’s recommendations on stickers for various materials here. You can purchase these stickers from various sources, including Amazon. 
    
• Shipments with used, damaged, or defective devices that contain or are packaged with lithium batteries must be marked as "Restricted Electronic Device" and "Surface Transportation Only" on the package in 12.5 size font. 
  • You can find more detail on shipping items with lithium batteries here and the latest packaging guidance from the USPS here.
  • This excludes new devices in original packaging and manufacturer-certified new / refurbished.

Find more info on how to ship hazardous materials here.