How to safely ship cards

[dkrill]

PLEASE DON'T USE SCOTCH TAPE!!!!

This is a fight I keep fighting - Scotch tape leaves residue that is very difficult to get off without acetone or finger-nail polish remover.

PLEASE USE BLUE PAINTERS MASKING TAPE, or some other masking tape. It is much easier to remove without the gunk!

 

[RustyGreerFan]

I just started trading this week, and I was surprised at something that happened yesterday. I had one bubble mailer - that cost about $1.14. Then I had a business size envelope with two toploaders inside (not stacked). I asked for that to be sent non-machineable. It was the same price as the bubble mailer!

Exactly what kind of PWE mailing costs .44 plus .17 non-machineable?

 

[JamesNevans]

I just started trading this week, and I was surprised at something that happened yesterday. I had one bubble mailer - that cost about $1.14. Then I had a business size envelope with two toploaders inside (not stacked). I asked for that to be sent non-machineable. It was the same price as the bubble mailer!

Exactly what kind of PWE mailing costs .44 plus .17 non-machineable?

The kind that is thinner than 1/4 inch. Many at the post office consider anything that is rigid such as a toploader to be a parcel, many will also assume that using a manila envelope constitutes a parcel. Check my post about how I use a cut bubble envelope as a sleeve for a PWE to get me past some of the prejudices.

Must have been another thread for my method, so here goes it again. I never use a new bubble envelope, in true "green" fashion I save the ones I get and cut down the larger ones size 00 into two sleeves a little wider than a topload that will fit into a plain small white payment envelope. I can also cut the small end of a legal size envelope my mail comes in to slide my mail out and using a toploader as a guide I can cut a sleeve that I can slide a toploader into snuggly, no tape residue on the toploader! I can of course slide another couple of penny sleeved cards into this sleeve as the toploader will provide stability, then tape the end of the sleeve closed so cards and toploader don't move, these then go into the bubble sleeve which also gets taped so that there is no movement and into the payment envelope snuggly, but the flaps are taped down so it does not snag on any machine or other item that may rip it open. In my opinion it is more secure than a toploader moving loosely in a bubble envelope, plus it saves postage in a couple of ways, it often cuts down the secondary ounce weight and I generally don't have a problem of one toploader with 1-5 cards getting sent as a large envelope rate at the very least rather than a parcel.

 

[twins2008nathan]

PLEASE DON'T USE SCOTCH TAPE!!!!

This is a fight I keep fighting - Scotch tape leaves residue that is very difficult to get off without acetone or finger-nail polish remover.

PLEASE USE BLUE PAINTERS MASKING TAPE, or some other masking tape. It is much easier to remove without the gunk!

My tip, being some dislike taping the top loader because the tape can stick to the card top or leave residue on the card is take a little piece of paper... fold it over the top loader opening and put the tape over the paper adhering the tape to the front and back of the top loader.... result is top loader is sealed and no tape issue on the card as the tape is on top of the little piece of paper on the top loader opening.

 

[Paintballah12]

thanks for the info!

 

[KeMVP]

Great tips guys. I always send cards in a penny sleeve, top loader, and team bag for added protection. I found that if you put the team bag over the top loader and close it, you wouldn't need to deal with tape. And if I'm sending out a lot of cards(15-100), I always use hard cases, never team bags. Team bags are good but the corners could still be damaged. I don't trust sandwiching cards between top loaders and/or cardboard either. They could always slip to the edges and ding the corners as well. Just my preference...

 

[soc4yankees]

thanks

 

[pmanningsfan73]

So this thread is just common sense right? Sure glad that I use it on all trades &/or sales. BTW I hate TAPE but do accept being that some do use it.

 

[t.rooster]

Cardboard that is the size of the PWE which you can tape your toploader to is great protection and prevents the plastic top loader from ripping the envelope open in times of rough handling.....