****** mail day for me today

[greatdadx2]

I received two trades today in the mail...Both of these trades had unrelated problems...

1st PWE I open was a BV card of $25....a third of the envelope, cardboard inside the envelope, and top loader bent...card had to go in the garbage....why is it ok to send a higher BV card in a PWE, especially when you know I have to send your end in a Bubble mailer or am I the only one that thinks if I'm gonna send BV cards of $5+ in a bubble mailer is the RIGHT thing to do?

2nd PWE I received had not one, two, three, or five cards in it....but 12 cards in the PWE----- TWELVE----- Flabbergasting, I don't get it, so of course you can imagine how tightly stuffed one of those top loaders was with six cards in it, so a couple of the cards were damaged because of that....I wouldn't send TWELVE 5 cent cards in a PWE if it is going to your collection, let alone TWELVE $3 cards.

I did notice under both of these traders though that they had a 4.90 rating, I guess I am going to have to take a closer look at that before making a trade, and to me that is extremely unfortunate and disappointing....where has common sense gone?

Had to vent and hoping someone will think twice before packaging cards after reading this.
I can only hope
Robert

If those two traders would like to send me a PM and let me know the reasoning, I would like the knowledge, because I am clearly missing something.

 

[David K.]

I heard you buddy! I was going to mail 5 Topps Finest cards in a pwe....but it was to much so I used a bubble envelope...normal only three or four thin cards for pwe.......everything else bubble envelope! Cost more ...but worth it as far as peace of mind. Best regards, David

 

[greatdadx2]

Trader that sent me the 12 cards in the PWE, sent me a PM....no apology, no admitting wrong, and no offer to fix the situation. AMAZING.

Check those trader ratings before making a trade or double check the way they are going to send your cards. Even a 4.90 rating is not good.

 

[Scobes]

The way I feel about shipping is that as long as the card(s) gets to me safely I do not care how it is sent - PWE, Priority boxes, bubble mailer, or just a stamped toploader (ha!). So, if there are 12 cards in a PWE and they are not damaged, I don't mind. If cards are damaged, however, the trader should definitely fix the situation with other cards or paypal. That should be the standard for any deal. That does stink that you've had to deal with this twice in one day!

Scobes

 

[Mike121]

I'm in agreement with @Scobes. I'd probably frown upon getting an expensive card in a PWE, but as long as it gets to me safe I'd be fine with it.

If it were damaged, however, I'd definitely be looking at the sender to make it right.

 

[chief wahoo]

I always ask if PWE is ok before finalizing a trade.

 

[Platnum71]

Anytime I send PWE (regular or business) I go to post office and have them sent non machinable, they cost you $0.15 cents more, which is way worth it for it not to go through their sorter and get possible damage.

did you let them know or leave those traders a bad shipping rating?

 

[akamikey2001]

Sending cards in a PWE is and always has been the cheaper alternative. Sending 1-2 thin cards is safe anything after that it starts to get risky. I'm ok with sending a $10-15 card but anything after that it's all about what david mentioned "peace of mind". If i have to send 5 cheaper cards i would use 2 PWE's. It still cost a lot less vs using a bubble envelope. Sending game-used in a PWE doesn't work unless its thin like a 2002 ud diamond connection bat or jersey.

12 cards inside 1 PWE is to many. It's the traders responsibility to get the cards to the other trader in a safe manner. Nobody likes damaged cards so i would say replacement cards are in order or just send back your end or void the trade.

 

[mrmopar]

Unless the PWE in trade 1 was agreed upon, I say you out both of them to warn others of poor shipping practices.

I recently received an ebay purchase, it was a GU card and it was somehow squeezed into a toploader that was too small. It took me several minutes to free the stupid thing. That may not sound like a bid deal, but a flipping card should easily slide out of a holder with minimal effort. It should not take MINUTES to free a card from a toploader. Irresponsible seller with poor handling etiquette. There are just too many clueless or apathetic people shipping things these days. No bend protection, cards loose in holders so they can slip out, fragile items not protected from crushing, tight toploaders and envelopes so tight to an object it is nearly impossible to open it, because in addition to that, the SOB tapes the entire F'ing envelope too! Do I seem upset at this type of thing? You should too. It's stupid and easily preventable with a sliver of commons ense.

MY basic minimum expectation for cards being mailed should be a padded or rigid cardboard mailer, unless something else is agreed upon ahead of time. The cost of mailing cards has gone up so much that it almost is not worth mailing low end cards any longer. It is unfortunate, but then again that is what a site like COMC is supposed to help remedy.

 

[89Giants]

As soon as I read "12 cards in a PWE" I knew who it was. I remember thinking why is this guy agreeing to such a small BV trade when I can ship my end in a pwe and he has to pay $3+ for bubble mailer shipping? I recall the cards making it, albeit sticking out half way out of the long pwe. I know I gave him a 1 star where it needed to be, so thats most likely why the trader rating was below 5.0. Sometimes if I do a smaller trade with 6 or less standard size cards I will use 2 pwe's to ship, and I've never had an issue. If you use a card saver 1 it fits nicely and is under 1oz. I never ship GU in PWE as I've received several with creases and again, I gave them a 1 star for condition. If I trade a GU I make sure the trade is at least $30 in value to make it worth it to ship in PWE. Always tape card saver/top loader to the inside of the pwe so it doesnt move around and is less likely to get damaged or fall out in transit.

 

[katester44]

It is a sick feeling to open up a package/pwe and see that the card you had traded for is damaged. I have a stack of numbered inserts, GU'd, etc., etc. that are destroyed. Just don't have the heart to throw them out, because I really like the card.

PWE's are tricky - you have to put the right protections in place and you can't over-fill them. The most cards I have ever put in a PWE is 4. After that it is bubble mailer only.

 

[mechjo16]

There is a right way to do it. The problem is a lot of people want to just wrap paper around a top loader and call it good.

I agree with what alot of people are saying 4 card Max in a toploader as anything more then 1/4" will highly likely get destroyed AS STATED on the USPS website. Also this requires non machineable stamp.

Here is what I do and have never had a problem (at least no one has ever complained). Keep in mind, first and foremost cardboard is to protect the top loader, NOT paper. The toploader is taped to the cardboard to prevent movement. Recycle grocery product boxes, they work great. ALSO, TAPE THE TOP LOADER CLOSE. This should be common since but I have had so many cards come in damaged because the card came out of the toploader.

Note: With 1-2 card single toploader in PWE, cardboard is cut to size of envelope to avoid the envelope from bunching up during the shipping process.

Keep in mind this is for low value cards and for members that don't want to pay bubble mailer shipping to get the deal done. I have no idea why you would risk a $25+ card to save $2.

PWE shipping methods:

1-2 cards in a single toploader standard, PWE 1 first class stamp.

3-4 cards in a single toploader (under 1 oz), standard PWE 1 $0.75 non machineable first class stamp.

Up to 8 cards in 2 toploaders (under 2 oz). Extended PWE 1 first class $0.75 non machineable stamp and 1 $0.20 extra ounce stamp

Up to 12 cards in 3 toploaders (under 3 oz). Large yellow document envelope. 1 first class $0.75 non machineable stamp, 1 $0.55 first class stamp, and 1 $0.20 extra ounce stamp. (If weight is 3 to 3.5 oz it will need $0.75 non machineable and 2 first class stamps)

 

[bblair_2002]

About 12-15 years ago I received a 2001 Donruss Class of 2001 Albert Pujols RC /625 in a PWE from a long standing member of this site. Thankfully the card was fine but I vowed never to deal with that person ever again (and I haven't).

 

[theguru14]

I can see the couple of weeks that I was gone from the site some sh*t went down. That is 100% unacceptable!!! I do not think I have ever mailed more than 2 thin cards in a PWE. If I did please PM me and I will make it right whether the card I sent you was damaged or not. I have spent the necessary $3-5 to mail the other persons card responsibly.

Yes, shipping cards nowadays is expensive, but its not like you are not aware of the cost after your first couple of PWE to BM transactions. The trader/seller has to remember that it is not necessarily how you like things to be done, but simply what is the most proper way to do things where it arrives to the other person as safely as possible. For a player collector like me it is even more imperative that the card arrives to me undamaged. I am at a point in my Bernie Williams/Dan Marino collection that the cards I need are rare or hard to find inserts, game used and/or autographs. Common sense people!!!

I feel you should name the 2 members that did this, not to put them on blast, but to simply let the other members of this site know. These 2 members may have things that we need/want. These future deals can still happen with proper communication in how things will be sent out. If these 2 members do not agree in how a buyer/trader would like the cards shipped to them then there is no harm and both parties move on.

 

[cjay101]

I have a few thoughts to add to this (although the majority of this discussion was from back in October)

1. Ebay has started allowing sellers to send sport cards in PWE with tracking. The card has to sell for under $20 and there are limits on how many cards can be in a PWE through ebay.

2. Supplies are getting harder to find, so toploaders themselves are even at a premium.

I personally PWE low-end trades, but i'd never send something rare/limited or of value that I'm not comfortable replacing if it doesn't show or if it shows up damaged.

I have sent probably 25-30 of my 600+ trades via PWE. Anything of value or volume needs to be in a bubble mailer. That being said, I trade a LOT less now due to the expense of trading.

 

[mcgwirenut]

the bubble mailers i use on my smaller ( 1 -3 card ) trades only cost me a $1 to send out i will put them in penny sleeves then into a 180 pt top loader with painters tape to close it .... as for the rating depending on how many trades a person has 1 mess up could knock it down and then it takes forever to build it up again i have 1 package at the moment that has not arrived to the person i traded with and the cards were mailed on 04/09/21 i am going to repack the cards he sent me and send them back with some other stuff as a apology so inquire as to why the rating is what it is