Had a quick look and couldn’t find a topic like this already posted. Thought I would start a discussion on ways to protect our cards. This is sparked mainly from a bad experience I had today.
I ordered some Ultra Pro “Graded Card Sleeves” so I can start storing my PSA cards without the worry of them scratching each other. Turns out the Ultra Pro branded ones are just way too big.
So, please, enlighten your fellow collectors on which brand of card protection you use and swear by. (hopefully someone will recommend a fitted graded card sleeve brand )
Never had an issue with Ultra Pro Deck Protectors & Toploaders. I store my main collection in this A4 Monster binder, which is also great however when you buy them there’s a chance some of the pages can have a lot of vertical scratching on them so I recommend checking it when you first buy it to make sure it’s good.
The PSA fitted sleeves linked above are great too, I use them for my graded cards.
I have a lot of Toploaders because that’s how I originally was going to store all my holo’s (as opposed to the binder) so I just keep my holo spares in them, in the boxes they come in and then all of that inside a shoebox.
Sleeves: Ultra Pro regular/KMC Perfect Fit
I mainly use Ultra Pro for one reason: cheap. I got 1000 sleeves (10 packs of 100) for about 10 bucks on Amazon about a year ago and still have 3 packages to open. They’re easy to get cards in and out of, and work well for protecting things like basic holos that aren’t too valuable, but still worthy of some protection. I also sleeve all my cards I submit to PSA in Ultra Pro sleeves, as it is easy to get the card out of the sleeve during grading. KMC Perfect Fit sleeves are much more expensive than regular sleeves, but worth it. As the name implies, they are literally a “perfect fit” for Pokemon cards. There is no room for the card to move around, it barely looks like it’s been sleeved. Perfect for sleeving cards and then displaying in a binder. I use these for cards that aren’t in good enough condition to grade, but I still want them in my collection. Downsides: getting cards in and out of them is slightly difficult, and if you aren’t careful can lead to damage.
Toploaders: Card Saver I
Any card that has a remote possibility of grading goes in a CS1 for me. They’re cheap (100 for $8-9) and do pretty much the exact same thing as a toploader. Cards don’t move around at all in them. There is a good reason PSA, BGS, and other grading companies recommend cards be submitted in CS1s.
Storage Containers: Pokemon Japanese Deck Boxes
These things have been a lifesaver for me. Visually appealing, compact ways to store the tons of holos I get from opening packs. They’re cheap ($2.50-$3 each) and usually come with some pretty epic artwork. They also have the virtue of usually being the only product that isn’t sold out of preorders at AmiAmi.
Bulk Storage: Opened Tins
I usually store all my commons/uncommons/non holo rares in opened tins. They’re actually pretty good, and you can pack the cards in tight enough that they don’t shift around a lot.
I’d seen the videos and some Instagram posts but wanted an opinion from someone who may have bought them instead of been given them in return for said video/post. Not that I’m putting anybodies honesty or integrity into question at all.
Yes it really bugs me that alot of sellers refuse to use USPS or the normal service, and they just won’t change from the global shipping program. Global shipping program stuffed up my 1st edition complete chinese base set order, and I never got it. Seller refused to resend, and wouldnt answer me back once he got it back in his hands. I try to ask people to change from there global shipping program everytime I win something, and its very hard to get them to budge…
Pretty sure the guy who runs this lives in Canada. And @xuzu, just because we got them for free doesn’t mean we can’t be objective in our assessments of their quality. If they were shit, I was fully prepared to say that they were. I understand how sometimes it can be helpful to have the critical eye of someone who has actually spent money on a product, but I was pleasantly surprised at the high quality of these sleeves. I’ll be buying them myself whenever I run out of my old ones.
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