Brand Founder AcademyThe Ship From Home Gear List.
Everything you need to pack and ship orders from home. Equipment and supplies, split into essential and optional, with a link to each one and a rough budget.
Start with the essential list. If you already own a printer and a table, you can ship your first order for about $115. Everything under optional can wait until the orders pick up.
Your budget
What you are looking at spending
Tick the box next to each item you need to buy. Untick what you already own. The numbers change as you tick.
Essential equipment$1616 items. $61 if you already own a table.
First supplies$52The smallest packs of boxes, mailers and tape. Yours depends on the sizes you pick.
Optional equipment$0About $308 for all of it, with the JADENS printer.
Your total$213Prices are rounded and were checked on October 2, 2026. They change often. Tax and shipping are not included.
Equipment
Essential
You buy these once. You need them to ship order number 1.
| Item | About | What I would buy | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shipping scale | $25 | Accuteck ShipPro, 110 lbIt reads to 0.1 ounce. Pirate Ship recommends this one. | Amazon ↗ | |
| A printer | $0 | The printer you already ownPrint the label on plain paper, cut it out, and tape it on. All 3 shipping apps let you do this. | ||
| Tape gun | $13 | Scotch Heavy Duty tape with a dispenserIt comes with 1 roll of 2 inch tape. | Amazon ↗Uline H-150 ↗ | |
| Box cutter | $10 | Stanley Classic 99 utility knifeTo open the cases your product comes in. The Slice 10503 costs about $28 and the blade pulls back by itself. | Amazon ↗Slice on Amazon ↗ | |
| A table | $100 | Lifetime 6 foot folding tableAny clear table works. If you pack standing up, the Lifetime 4 foot table (model 4428) raises to 36 inches and costs about $55. | Amazon ↗4 foot on Amazon ↗ | |
| Tape measure | $13 | Stanley PowerLock, 25 feetYou need it for your box dimensions. Carriers charge by weight or by size, whichever is more. | Amazon ↗ |
Equipment
Optional
Add these when the orders pick up.
| Item | About | What I would buy | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal label printer | $96 | JADENS 268BTPrints a 4 x 6 sticker label with no ink. Works on Mac and Windows over USB. This is the first thing I would add. | Amazon ↗ | |
| Thermal label printer, the step up | $200 | Rollo USB printer (X1038)Costs more and lasts. Shopify lists Rollo as a tested printer. Pick this one or the JADENS, not both. | Amazon ↗ | |
| 4 x 6 labels | $15 | 500 fanfold thermal labelsAbout 3 to 4 cents a label. Only for a thermal label printer. | Amazon ↗ | |
| Label holder | $20 | Rollo label holderHolds the stack of labels behind the printer. | Amazon ↗ | |
| Paper cutter | $47 | Uline horizontal paper cutter, 24 inchesHolds a roll of kraft paper on your packing table. You pull the paper and tear it off. Uline model H-194. The 36 inch one is H-195, about $55. | Uline H-194 ↗Uline H-195 ↗ | |
| Shelving | $80 | 5 shelf wire rack, 36 inches wideKeeps your product off the floor. The Uline rack is bigger, 48 inches wide, and costs about $203. | Amazon ↗Uline H-2941-72 ↗ | |
| Storage bins | $50 | 12 stackable binsOne bin for each product or size. | Amazon ↗Uline S-12415BLU ↗ |
Only if your product needs it.
A bag sealer. If you pack your product into bags yourself, a heat sealer closes them. Uline model H-163, about $97.
A hand truck. If your product arrives in heavy cases, this moves them. About $65.
Supplies
Where I would buy them: Uline
You buy supplies again and again. Uline sells pretty much all of them, in every size.
They have pretty much everythingBoxes in more than 1,600 sizes, mailers, tape, labels, and everything that goes inside the box.
You can ask for samplesCall customer service at 1-800-295-5510 and ask for a sample before you buy a case.
Their customer service is fantasticIf you are not sure which box or mailer you need, call and ask.
What to start with
| Item | About | What I would buy | Where | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boxes | $10 and up | Various sizesPick the size that fits your product. Uline stocks more than 1,700 box sizes, sold in bundles of 25. Small boxes start at about 39 cents each. | All boxes on Uline ↗ | |
| Poly mailers | $17 and up | Various sizesFor a product that cannot break. Pick the size that fits your product. Sold in packs of 100. Small ones start at about 17 cents each. | All poly mailers on Uline ↗ | |
| Bubble mailers | $32 and up | Various sizesA mailer with padding inside. Pick the size that fits your product. Small ones start at about 19 cents each. Smaller packs are on Amazon. | All bubble mailers on Uline ↗Amazon ↗ | |
| Packing tape | $25 | 2 inches wide, 6 rollsUline model S-25670. Each roll is 110 yards. | Uline S-25670 ↗Amazon ↗ | |
| Bubble wrap | $20 | 12 inches x 175 feetUline model S-1012. Tears off in sheets. | Uline S-1012 ↗ | |
| Kraft paper | $34 | A roll, 24 inches x 1,200 feetUline model S-3575. It goes on a paper cutter. Tear off a sheet, crumple it, and pack it around the product. No cutter? S-20213 is kraft paper in a box you pull from, about $33. | Uline S-3575 ↗Uline S-20213 ↗ | |
| Crinkle paper | $54 | 10 poundsUline model S-6119. Smaller bags are on Amazon. | Uline S-6119 ↗Amazon ↗ | |
| Packing peanuts | $24 | 12 cubic feetUline model S-1564. This is a very large bag. You need room to store it. | Uline S-1564 ↗ | |
| Fragile stickers | $27 | A roll of 500Uline model S-5944. | Uline S-5944 ↗ | |
| Thank-you cards | $149 | 500 printed cards, 4 x 6 inchesAbout 30 cents a card. Print side 2. Write side 1 by hand. | MOO ↗ |
Before you buy 500 of anything.
Ask for a sample, or order the smallest pack. Pack one order, ship it to yourself, and open it. Then decide.
Uline charges for shipping. On a small order the shipping can cost more than the boxes, so put everything you need into one order.
You will not need every row. A product that cannot break ships in a poly mailer. A product that can break ships in a box with something around it.
Free
What the carriers give you
Free USPS boxes
USPS gives you Priority Mail boxes and envelopes for free. You order them on usps.com. You can only use them when you pay for Priority Mail.
Free USPS pickup
USPS picks up your packages for free when your mail is delivered. You ask for a pickup on usps.com.
Prices change. Every price here is rounded and was checked on October 2, 2026. Amazon prices move every day, so the Amazon buttons open a search for the item. Look at the price before you buy.