Cardboard "pads" for protecting/shipping cards to buyers

DirtyHarry

There were a few threads a while back that I can't locate regarding pre-cut cardboard "pads" sized to PSA holders and top loaders. The gist was that many who sell on the internet invest significant time cutting spare cardboard up and tape it around the cards to protect them in shipping.

Excuse me if this was not posted on this forum (may have been SC&M) but a couple of questions as I have been talking to a cardboard manufacturer about this.

1. Please confirm - Is the universal size size for top loaders 3"x 4".

2. A PSA slab, based on my measurments is 3 1/8" W by 5 3/8" H.

3. I am not familiar with slab sizes from other grading companies.
Do they differ from the PSA slab size?

4. Is .07 per cut pad DELIVERED reasonable? Is it worth the trade off in your time, etc... and can it be passed on to buyers?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and opinions.

Mintstate

<< <i>There were a few threads a while back that I can't locate regarding pre-cut cardboard "pads" sized to PSA holders and top loaders. The gist was that many who sell on the internet invest significant time cutting spare cardboard up and tape it around the cards to protect them in shipping.
>>



Are you thinking of Safe T Mailers Link to distibutor You can purchase them right from Safe t mailer, but I couldn't find a picture of them there.

DirtyHarry

Mintstate - those are very nice...thanks for the link. Looks like .22 per not including shipping at the highest quantity discount.

Mintstate

A lot of coin dealers use them for mailing slabbed coins. I'm not sure how safe they would be for PSA slabs though, since they are thinner and larger.

wolfbear

I always cut cardboard into 4" by 6" chunks for shipping graded cards.
That way it covers the entire slab and even wraps around it somewhat.
For raw cards I use 3" by 4" cardboard pieces which will still fit into a team bag.

But you are correct. Cutting them up wastes a lot time.
At .07 each delivered, I'd take 500 right now. More time to waste doing other stuff.

However, most sellers just put naked slabs in mailers without protection,
so not sure how big the market would be for pre cut-up cardboard.

FB

I find that cutting "pads" while watching TV in the evening is a nice mindless way to (A) have enough pads for shipping and (B) not feel like I'm wasting time cutting them out. If you use a ruler (or better yet a T-squre) and drywall knife, it will go a lot faster than scissors.

And rubber bands are easier and faster than tape if you want to sandwich cards between two pads. It also makes it easier for the buyer to get the card out.

Just my two cents.

Frank

schr1st

I just cut a comic book backing board in half then fold. Works great so far, they look nice, are stury, and they end up being about $.02 a "pad" (plus the 10 seconds or so it may take to cut and fold one).