Whether you’re shipping a new dress to it’s dancer, or rehoming a well-loved costume, we’re sharing our method for shipping dresses using less than $10 of supplies. While this is geared towards solo dresses which are usually too odd-shaped to fit in a box, a similar method can be used for other costumes.
You will need:
- 1 Medium-sized moving box such as from a hardware store or moving company. Dimensions vary, but somewhere around 19-20 inches long, 15-17 inches tall (for a teen/adult dress…smaller may be fine for some youth).
- 1 plastic dry-cleaner bag, or part of a plastic dropcloth (for painting, etc)
- Packing tape
- Large sheet of bubble wrap (optional)
Fold the Dress Appropriately
Since the dress will be tightly packed, it’s important to fold it in a way that is most natural to the shape and structure. As the back skirt is larger than the front, we want to fold it nicely to preserve the side pleats. Lat the dress face down, and pick up the skirt from the center-back/zipper. Either fold the excess to one side (left photo), or distribute into 2 folds on each side back (right photo). Either way, the back of the side pleat is still sitting nicely and folded as it should be.
From here, fold the top of the dress back over the skirt (in half), and arrange the sleeves nicely on top. If the dress has a lot of heavy gemming, especially chunky stones, lay 1-2 layers of bubble wrap inside the fold to prevent the gems from scratching on each other. If desired, wrap a layer of bubble wrap around the outside of the dress bundle too.
Wrap the Dress in Plastic
Wrap the dress in the piece of dropcloth, or enclose in the garment bag. Tape over any edges, folds, or cracks so that moisture can’t get inside to the costume. Once the package leaves your hands, you can’t control whether it gets left in the rain, or becomes subject to damage in transit.
Non-Dress Costumes
For vests, jackets, bodice costumes, or skirts, the general idea is the same. You want to wrap the costume in plastic to guard against moisture or staining, and you may want a layer of bubble wrap to protect chunky gems. How or whether you decide to fold the costume is up to you and your packaging. Since these tend to be smaller and less bulky, it’s more likely that they can be folded to fit into a standard size flat shipping box.
Fold the Box
Here are two methods of folding the box around your dress (other types of costumes can take inspiration if needed). What works best for you might depend on the size of your wrapped costume and the size of your box. Both methods end up with a flat-pack rather than a traditional box shape with sides.
Note: For US folks – if shipping via USPS you’ll be charged an extra $15-20 if the widest dimension is over 30 inches (as of June 2026). For most dresses this should be possible to avoid.
Method 1
Method 2
It’s worth noting that the width of the package shown above, from bottom corner to bottom corner, was 31 inches. If I had known about the USPS overage fee mentioned above, I could have easily folded in these corners to avoid paying extra!
Tape! All the Tape!
Once your box is folded, make sure to tape every possible edge and overlap. Even irregular shaped packages may be run through mail sorting machines. You can’t use too much tape.
A Note on Shipping in Traditional Boxes
Smaller dresses, vests, jackets, or skirts may be able to be shipped in a traditional cube-shaped box. The most important thing to remember if packaging this way is to fill any extra space with filler paper, bubble wrap, etc. It will be best for the costume if it is not falling around, crunching against the side of the box, getting smooshed into a corner by gravity. If it’s folded and wrapped in a fairly flat shape, you can even tape the corners to the inside of the box to prevent it moving around too much.
Shipping Options
Obviously this will vary by country, and I am speaking as someone experience shipping from & within the US. I ship my dresses USPS Priority (2-3 day), with insurance for their full value, and signature required upon delivery. This ensures that the dress doesn’t get left out in the rain, or stolen off the front steps. It also protects you from the seller trying to claim it didn’t arrive and wanting their money back. This usually runs me between $40-60 USD depending on weight and size. If you use a private shipper such as FedEx or UPS, ask about their insurance and signature options.
If you’re shipping internationally, the package may be subject to tarrifs, VAT, or other import/export taxes. Here in the US in 2026 these have been changing so often that I’m not going to get into it because it will probably be different by next year. Talk to your shipping carrier about if/who will owe these (buyer vs seller) and when/how they’ll be charged. It’s also a good idea to warn your recipient if you think the costume will be subject to fees, so they are budgeting for that cost and it doesn’t come as a surprise. 10-20% on a new or even used dress is more than pocket-change! Many folks try to avoid import/export fees by listing the costume as a gift and/or as low value. I’m not saying you can’t do this, but if it gets damaged or lost during travel, you’ll be out of luck and unable to make a claim against the true value. It’s better to plan for those costs from the start so both shipper and receipent are protected.
Do you have tips or tricks for shipping costumes? Share them in the comments!