Shipping larger lots

f2tornado

I purchased a 322 count lot of cards and they arrived in your typical white 600 ct card storage box. These things are fine for storage but are a much different animal when actually transporting cards. The seller did secure the cards in the middle by placing newspaper at each end of the box. This is the way to do it because the corners of the box are at the greatest risk of making hard contact. The problem is the long side of the box can also make contact. Further, cards can still move up and down in the box even if secured from the sides. There were about 200 cards damaged in my box, all on the same corner. I already left the seller a note asking for a remedy and figured I might as well get the paypal ball rolling too... Item not as described. So much for the mint pack fresh description.

Here is how you ship a large stack of cards. In the ideal world each card would be sleeved but securing a stack of 20 or so cards in a team bag will also do the trick. This step is not absolutely necessessary but it does add an element of security (and cost). Next, place the cards in the middle of the white storage box and secure them with paper or bubble wrap on each side. If you can squeeze some bubble wrap on the long side then go for it. Once the ends are secure then put a strip of bubble wrap all along the top of the cards. This serves to keep the cards from bouncing off the bpx top. Close the box and if you are a paranoid then throw some tape on for a seal. You are not done yet! You will now need to place this box inside a shipping box/container. First I place some bubble wrap or crumpled paper on the bottom for cushion then I place the card box in the center. I then secure the box with whatever packing material I have on hand. I close the shipping box and then give it a mild shake to make sure the contents are secure. If that checks out then I seal the shipping box and throw my address labels on. I am now confident the items I sold will get to their destination without damage.

If this seller was shipping using my method he would need about 16 team bags (about 25 cents total) and an extra shipping box (perhaps $1). Every seller with 4000 feedback should already have bubble wrap on hand and the seller would only need a few cents worth along with some crumpled up New York Times (that's all the NYT is good for anyway). Total additional outlay would be less than $1.50, the cards get there in one piece, buyer is happy, and the seller doesn't have to refund 62% of the total sale for being ignorant. I paid $8 to ship and the seller had a little more than a $6 label on there so he had room to spare or should have charged more to get the job done right.

leathtech

Maybe the new ebay feedback system will take care of this... How many neg's will it take to get sellers to do a better job shipping cards!

dizzle

The last 1986 fleer basketball set I bought came shipped in a 400 count box. Thats it, Label was slapped on it and then thrown in the mailbox. There was no penny sleeves used no stuffing inside to keep the cards secure or nothing. Sad part is many of the cards were dead centered but had dinged up corners from the crappy shipping..

Priority boxes are FREE and you can ship up to a pound for 4.60..I guess saving a 1.20 is important to some.

CDsNuts

Some people are idiots. Whenever I buy a set or a lot I tell them to secure the cards tight within the box so they can't move during shipping, then secure the box within another box with ample padding. I always preface it with something like "I probably don't have to tell you this, but I've had some stuff come damaged to me recently....."

Estil

I had a least a couple sets arrive ruined because the set box was wrapped in brown paper and nothing more. I agree, looking forward to something like that and getting it DOA is absoultely no fun.