Sports Card Packaging

[bluenoze87]

I've been getting so frustrated receiving poorly packages cards, I spend good money for cards and to have them arrive poorly packaged, damaged,etc. is becoming an epidemic!  How is it that sellers feel they can charge $3-5 for shipping within Canada and just put the card in a penny sleeve and into a white envelope with no protection?!?!  I have to spend so much time and money shipping this damaged garbage back.  The point of charging shipping is not only to cover the $1.34 stamp it's for a penny sleeve, top loader and bubble mailer.  There needs to be some standards put in place! 

One of my biggest complaints is using scotch tape to keep the top of a toploader closed, this makes the toploader go straight into the garbage.  Team bags are $1-2 for 100, put the card in a penny sleeve, toploader and team bag and then into a bubble mailer, how hard is that!  I get many repeat buyers because I ship everything this way with new toploaders, I don't unload the junk one's that others send me.

PLEASE PEOPLE CARE A LITTLE!

[kg_collectables]

I can agree with you that most sellers charge too much for shipping. You will never get a standard, it is up to the seller to send the card safely. My son in law recently received a card for which he paid $5 for shipping. It came in a business size envelope only inside a penny sleeve. It was bent but not damaged. This method of shipping is totally unacceptable.

Your idea that a card be in a new top loader and a team bag is nice, but not practical. If I buy a card and sell it I do not remove it from the top loader and put it in a new one. Most buyers are purchasing the card not worrying about what kind of top loader it is in. Most sellers are not unloading (as you call it) used top loaders they are recycling them. I used to use bubble mailers, but most store do not carry #000 size which is all you need to send cards in. They can be bought through manufacturers and suppliers for about 17 cents a piece if you buy a minimum quantity of 500.

All cards I ship in regular envelopes with the card in a top loader and between 2 pieces of comic board cut to fit the envelope. The card is taped to one cardboard piece and then I tape the 2 cards together. There are exceptions to this when sending special cards (jersey, patches and some autos) these I put in larger bubble mailers. I also only charge $2 per card and 25 cents for additional cards. This will cover postage and costs for materials. Now that ebay charges fees for shipping charges I find this quite reasonable and it works very well for me. I have had no one receive damaged cards or complain about the way I ship.

I am glad you have success doing it your way and hope you continue doing so. Many sellers do not do anything to assure the buyer is happy other than ship the item and hope for the best.

(by the way tape can be removed from a top loader very easily)

[zee-chan]

Back when I used to sell animation collectible cards, I do use standard envelope but I put the card inside a penny sleeve and it's sandwiched between two pieces of thick stiff paper. And then I fold a standard letter size paper into threes (kinda like how your bank statements look like in a letter) to hold the overall envelope in place. So far no one has complained to me about bent cards yet. I don't think bubble mailers would be helpful since you can still bend bubble mailers... thick stiff paper / cardboard would work much better even if it's just a standard envelope that's used.

In this case I think a negative feedback to the seller is justified, since the seller did poor packaging resulting damage in transit. 

[Anonymous]

I have told eBay for  years that they need to add one more category for feedback like "how well does seller pack it".  Believe me the sellers will then pack them much better.

I always have to make the note on all my PayPal invoices before submitting with my payments to sellers like "Please pack them well by putting the photo(s) between 2 or 3 more thick hard cardboard insets to prevent bend corners, from bending or folding during the mail transit.....  Thanks."  

As a seller I will always pack them very well to ensure it arrive to my buyers in excellent conditions and also to make my buyers happy.  I never include the so-called handling charges, it is not worth it.  It helps when I can find mailing supplies like packing tapes, manila envelopes, holiday greeting cards (you can get them at second hand stores 50 for 25 cents!!), cardboard inserts at very reasonable low prices.  For larger items like 11x14" I use the eggs box or even disposable diapers boxes (that I get from the next door who received them monthly, they are very very sturdy like you wouldn't believe!) which are very sturdy and cut them up to more than 11x14 (to prevent bend corners) and also to insert one more board and test them.  Very often they weigh up to 250g or 500g which is still reasonable postage rates. 

If I am using Expedited or XpressPost, you can fill up to 500g (from 001 to 500g for one same flat rate), that way I can insert more protections.  For Tracket Packet up to 250g for one flat same rate, same with 500g.  If many sellers do their homework and they will see how many grams (ounces) they can fill up for one same flat rate.  Example if it weighs 300g, then I can add more protection up to 500g for one same flat rate as 300g, so why not fill up to 500g to protect.  Many sellers don't get the idea that they should do more homework and figure out.

As for vases, busts, tea pots, I use the boxes from liquor stores as they are very strong and sturdy and I just add bubble wrap to wrap them and add newspaper or tissues around them and shake them to make sure nothing is moving inside and then tape the box well. 

For smaller items in small boxes like 8x6" with 2 or 3" high, I get them from MTS (telephone companies in Canada), they are ideal to ship them as they are sturdy but very light!  They often put out those empty boxes by the door for anyone to take them!  Check them or call them to hold them for you.

Just never use the boxes from Dollarama or the ones from China or Thailand, they are very very horrible, too thin and fast becoming weak after 1st use, not worth it.  They belong to recycle bins.

Hope it helps.

[dinomitesales]

I've sold cards in the past, and for valuable cards I always put them in a penny sleeve, into a toploader, which went into a small Ziploc sandwich bag, and all placed in a #000 bubble mailer. Still ~5 mm thick and under 30 g so it can go as standard Lettermail. Total cost of packaging: about 30 cents.

If you receive inadequate packaging, and/or your card arrives damaged, I feel you are more than justified in leaving appropriate feedback. Hopefully it will teach other card sellers to not cut corners when shipping.

[jban5698]

If & when I receive a card in the manner some of the ppl that have replied go right back in the mail to the sender with negative feedback. If a sender sends me a card even in a top loader but in a PWE it will be returned. The way the poster described is the only way a card should be shipped unless it's high end card then it should be in a one touch. Tape on a top loader or One Touch is a poor excuse for service.