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Fold clothes flat, bag them against moisture, and pack them snug in a box or padded mailer so nothing shifts in transit. Weigh the sealed parcel before you buy postage, since clothing parcels are priced by weight and size. A Canada Post Xpresspost label from LetterAgent covers parcels up to 5 kg within Canada.
Folding suits most shipments. Fold each item flat, stack the pieces in one neat pile, and keep heavier items like jeans and sweaters at the bottom. Rolling works better for soft, wrinkle-resistant things like T-shirts and leggings, and it can squeeze a little more into a small mailer. Do not roll structured pieces: blazers, pleated skirts, and dress shirts crease badly when rolled, and a garment bag inside the box protects their shape far better. Whichever method you pick, shake each item out first. A forgotten pen, coin, or tissue in a pocket can stain a whole parcel.
Put the folded stack inside a plain plastic bag and press the air out before you seal it. Parcels sit in trucks, sorting bins, and sometimes rain on a doorstep, and a thin bag is the cheapest insurance against a damp box. Skip scented dryer sheets and sachets: scent clings to fabric, and the recipient may not want it. If the clothes are secondhand or have been stored for a while, wash and fully dry them first. Damp fabric sealed in plastic turns musty fast, and a parcel that smells stale on arrival reads as careless even when the clothes themselves are fine.
| Item | Packing method | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| T-shirts, leggings, casual tops | Fold or roll, then bag | Loose threads catching on tape edges |
| Jeans, sweaters, hoodies | Fold flat at the bottom of the box | Weight adds up quickly; check the 5 kg limit |
| Dress shirts, blazers | Fold carefully or use a garment bag | Creases from rolling and pressure marks |
| Delicate or embellished pieces | Tissue between layers, then bag | Beads, sequins, and buttons snagging neighbours |
| Shoes with the clothes | Shoes in their own bag, soles apart | Dirty soles marking light fabric |
A padded mailer handles one or two light items well. For anything more, use a box that fits the stack with a little room for padding and no more: a half-empty box lets clothes tumble, while an overstuffed box bursts at the tape. Fill gaps with crumpled paper, not loose fabric scraps, so the contents stay put. Tape every seam with packing tape, not masking tape, and run one strip across the centre seam plus one across each end. In Canada, a box that bulges at the sides can be measured at its widest point, so a parcel that looks small can still be billed as a larger one.
Weigh the parcel after it is sealed, with the label and tape already on, because that is the weight the carrier sees. A kitchen scale works for light mailers; a bathroom scale works for heavier boxes if you weigh yourself with and without the parcel and take the difference. Measure length, width, and height at the widest points, including any bulge. Clothing is deceptive: a parcel of winter sweaters can pass the weight limit while failing on size, and a parcel of jeans can do the reverse. If you are close to a limit, split the shipment rather than squeezing one more sweater in.
Leave hangers out unless the recipient asked for them: they add weight, poke through mailers, and bend in transit. Skip loose buttons, pins, and belts in open pockets, since small hard objects work their way out and damage fabric. Perfume, aerosols, and other liquids do not belong in a clothing parcel either, and some are barred from air transport outright. If you are sending a gift, a short note inside the plastic bag survives better than one taped to the outside, where rain and handling can destroy it.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
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