Is it possible for me to ship cards in plain white envelopes with tracking and still have the card reach the customer in good shape?
I plan on putting the card in a penny sleeve.
Then putting the sleeve in a Card Saver I.
Then putting cardboard from a box on either side of the Card Saver I.
Then putting it in a plain white envelope with tracking.
Please let me know if this is ok way of shipping cards and let me know.
Just make sure the cardboard is not too thick that it goes beyond the allowed dimensions for machinable lettermail.
I don’t use cardboard personally for singles. Penny sleeve + card saver 1 in a plain white envelope like you describe has never been a problem for me. I only ever send cards <$30 this way. Anything more I go bubble mailer or box.
^What this guy said. This is the widely accepted practice. Bubble mailer for cards worth more than 20$ USD is de rigueur. Cardsaver or penny sleeve + thin cardboard sandwich is the bare minimum that you should do.
I used to use a sleeve, thin cardboard and rubberbands, but sometimes my letter was not accepted as it was too thick.
Now I have replaced the rubberbands with cling wrap and have not had an issue since.
Yes it is, I’ve received hundreds of cards this way from TCGplayer and eBay with only 1-2 arriving slightly damaged, make sure to use a top-loader and this is 100% important: buy a “non-machinable” stamp for it, also be sure to put the cards in a penny-sleeve/deck-protector before inserting into a top-loader, sometimes the edges of the hard plastic will scrape the card damaging it a bit and if possible put a piece of paper and tape so the card doesn’t “peek out” possibly getting damaged on its way.
Most damaged white envelope mailers are torn due to card board and/or toploaders. Don’t use those. A penny sleeve and card saver is perfect with shipping tape around the outside of the envelope that’ll cover and protect the address.
You could always wrap the top-loader in a piece of paper to avoid any corners damaging the envelope, though to be fair I haven’t had this happen in cards I’ve received. However if it’s an expensive card I would see no reason not to spend a tiny bit extra on a bubble envelope…
…and if it’s a cheap card just put the stamp and address on the card itself to assert dominance.
Or just use cardboard backed envelopes. Problem solved
Here’s what I’d do for <$30 cards
Card > penny sleeve > top loader/ card saver > plastic wrap to keep card from coming out the top > sandwich between two cardboard pieces > tape sides of cardboard together creating a pocket where the top loader can’t come out > tape cardboard pocket to inside of envelope to reduce movement > use non-machinable stamp > write non-machinable in large font on outside of envelope. If you want to save the few cents on the special stamps, everything should be fine but the buyer may see slight wear where the roller passes over the cardboard, creasing the envelope. Others above said they’ve never had complaints from this so it’s mostly preference.
I use:-
penny sleeve–toploader—cling film(shrink wrap) on the top to stop the card falling out—cardboard backed do not bend envelope
Is it possible to get tracking on a non-machinable plain white envelope?
What is the thickness allowed via non-machinable plain white envelope?
I’m uneasy about shipping without tracking.
Please let me know and thanks.
I plan on using USPS.
Thanks for all the help.
Just be aware of your exposure to refunds because eBay will always rule in favor of a buyer who claims he/she never received the card purchased. Most people are honest but unfortunately not all.
Can you get tracking on PWE?
think so
Has the $0.75 tracked envelope service between eBay and USPS been made available yet?
Cut a piece of paper in half, wrap the card saver in the paper to make it feel like a normal mail piece and ship. Never had one damaged out of many hundred, maybe thousands at this point.
As King Pokémon stated, do not use cardboard. It will just make it more likely to get damaged. The way to ship PWE is to make it feel as close to a normal letter as possible.
How do I get tracking number on a PWE?
Use the eBay “standard envelope service.” Otherwise you have to go first class
Thanks.