how to mail cards safely without spending a fortune
You’ve done it!
You sold a card.
Now the easy part… mailing it off.
There are a few do’s and don’ts when mailing cards that you want to be aware of.
Remember, you’re not trying to sell 1, you’re trying to build repeat buyers. The best way to do that is to ship every card out the way you’d want to receive it.
Here’s how I do it.
Supplies you’ll need:
Penny Sleeve
Top Loader
Team Bag
Blue Painters Tape
Printer Paper
Envelope (4 1/8 x 9 1/2)
Scissors
Scotch Tape
Heavy duty packing tape
step 1: Prep the card
Get the card ready
Make sure the card is in a penny sleeve and in a top loader. Hopefully, this was already done.
Don’t use a Card Savr for these shipments. Top loaders offer better protection and collectors prefer this.
Seal top of the top loader with blue painters tape. Small strip over the top. Not tiny, something that will be easy to remove when it arrives.
Do not use Scotch Tape here. It’s hard to get off and buyers hate it.
Painters tape comes off easy and makes it look like you know what you’re doing.
step 2: Secure card
Slide card into a team bag and seal.
This keeps out moisture, dust or whatever and keeps card secured. A good touch that I highly recommend.
Fold the printer paper into thirds.
Take a small piece of painters tape and fold it over to stick on back of card and place in middle section of paper.
Fold the paper closed.
This will make sure the card stays put on its journey.
Slide that into an envelope and seal.
step 3: Prepare envelope
Print the shipping label off eBay.
When shipping a lower value card on eBay, select the standard option.
Double check before purchasing. I’ve made this mistake a few times where I end up paying for higher end options when I didn’t need to.
Tape label to envelope and then secure with the packing tape.
It’s ready to go out.
things to avoid
Don’t use Card Savers. I’ve gotten cards in these and it’s not a great look. These are meant for PSA subs that have been packaged properly in bubble tape. Not for mailing in a standard envelope.
Don’t use scotch tape on the top loader. It’s hard to get off and drives buyers crazy.
Don’t sandwich cards between junk base cards. No one wants your junk series 2 cards and adding them just annoys some buyers. It’s not needed so I’d avoid.
final thought
For low end cards, buyers aren’t expecting bubble wrap or premium packaging.
But they do expect the card to arrive safely.
A little care goes a long way and creates buyer trust.
Send out every shipment like it’s going to a serious collector, because it is.