How to Ship Trading Cards? (Easy Guide)

If you’re a seller, it is very important to send the items in a secured way to the customers and if you are a buyer, you would obviously want to receive your products in a good condition.

Although we are here to discuss the ways to ship trading cards, let us tell you that there is no rocket science for that process. 

Shipping trading cards in the best possible condition is an important step for it doesn’t matter what causes the damage, a collector never wants their cards to be damaged, be it whatever kind. 

Down below we will be discussing all the do’s and don’t involve in the process of shipping trading cards.

---

How to Prepare Trading Cards to be Shipped? 

Penny sleeves and top loader help to prep your trading cards. This is an inexpensive way to protect your cards and get them ready for shipment. It is a necessity for every card to have a penny sleeve and a top loader and the type that is required depends upon the thickness of the card. 

If you use a smaller option, there will be a possibility for your card to be damaged. Additionally, they shouldn’t have corners with creases or dings. This option is chiefly applicable in the case of orders that are not in bulk that are less than 50 cards. 

It is a super common practice to use scotch tape but as much as this tape can protect the trading card from slipping out of its container, it is prone to ruining not only the top loader but also the buying experience of the customer. Tapes do not give an appealing look and tend to stick many of the top loaders together. 

And on trying to remove the tape, some sort of residue is left behind that can be a painful sight to remove. That is why we would always advise you to go with a painter’s tape. Not only is it easy to remove but also leaves no residue.

---

Tape Over the Top Loader: What You Need to Know

It is Important to Fold the Tape

If you wish to make the process of removing the tape easier for the buyer, fold the tape to get a small tab. This is done in order for the buyers to avoid using their fingernails to remove the tape.

Try to Avoid Over-Using the Tape

As much as it is important to protect the cards, it may also become irritating for one to have to remove a whole bunch of tapes from their trading cards. It would really be upsetting if overprotecting the cards ruin their quality, won’t it? 

---

How to Ship Trading Cards? 

There are a lot of popular ways in which a trading card can be shipped. We will be going through some of them down below! 

Plain white Envelope

Now, this process has a lot of criticism against it in the shipping industry, the reason for which is as follows. Using plain white envelopes may get your job done in the cheapest possible way but it has a lot of drawbacks, the first being that it provides zero protection. 

If you ask our opinion you are better off without shipping your trading cards through a plain white envelope, but if you wish to opt for an Inexpensive way you can easily ship around 10 trading cards through it. If you choose this controversial way, there are some small general tips we would like you to have to make the process easier. 

Protecting the cards is an important step so we would advise you not to throw the trading cards in the envelope all by themselves, you can stuff some thick paper in the envelope.

Cardboard Card Boxes

If you are planning on sending trading cards in bulk, say more than a hundred cards, then the cardboard card boxes will prove to be your best bet. The best way to ship trading cards is to go for the box in a box approach.

Put the cardboard box in another box that is larger than it and fill it up with either your bubble wrap or the packing peanuts making sure the box inside is all secured and not moving inside at all. That ensures the security of your trading cards.

Some of the other larger options that you can go for are as follows:

Bubble Mailer

This is the most inexpensive and protective way of all other shipping methods. I would advise you to pick this option, you can add however many cards you like in the singles. 

The next step is to add the card to the team bad app so that you are completely secured. For more protection for the trading cards, you can add some more pieces of cardboard. 

What is the cheapest way to ship a trading card?

The first thing to remember to ship trading cards the cheapest way possible is to keep the weight of the package low. 

One way to do that is to avoid using too many packing materials or using a heavy-weighted packing box. This will also save money lost in buying too many packing materials.

Also, if you could avoid sending too many cards at once, that can reduce the weight and hence the price. So, choosing the best packing material is the first step to cheap shipping.

The next thing to consider is the courier company and the shipping method used to send the trading cards. Different shipping companies offer different shipping rates for different shipping methods.

It depends on various factors like the weight of the package, distance of the delivery destination, shipping quality, availability of carriers, etc. So, it would help if you did extensive research on all those companies first to narrow it down to the one that offers the cheapest service.

If you are a high-volume shipper, the best thing is to talk directly with the carriers to know who can offer you the best deal, which is cost-effective but doesn’t compromise the shipping quality. 

How much does it cost to ship a single trading card?

The cost to ship a single trading card depends on 3 factors: The weight of the package in which it’s being shipped, the destination of the shipment and the shipping company, and the method they are shipping it. 

Thus, the cost could be between 50 cents and 1 dollar, and sometimes it might cost up to 3 dollars. The cost mainly increases when the card is shipped with first class or priority shipping. But the weight and the distance, too, play a role in determining the exact price.

Shipping a single trading card isn’t the most cost-effective method to follow. It takes too much effort, and the shipping price is rather high. So, it’s advisable to ship at least a few cards together if possible.

How do I protect my trading cards in the mail?

Trading cards are sensitive items, and no one wants their collectibles to get damaged. Hence, they must be protected during their transit. And the only way to ensure that your trading cards stay protected in the mail is to pack them well.

So, the first thing is to use a sturdy envelope that fits your card just right. It shouldn’t be too big to get folded but must have enough space to prevent the card from bending. Also, the envelope mustn’t be too thin to crumble under pressure easily.

The next step is to protect them with pine bags, bubble envelopes, or bubble mailers. These are to be cut to the size of the cards and placed above them inside the sturdy envelope.

The next thing is to seal them in a way that neither damages the card inside nor comes off in the middle of the transit. So, the trick here is to use masking tape instead of scotch or packing tape.

Masking tapes are strong and do not leave any sticky residues behind on the trading cards. And if you can use team bags to pack it, you needn’t tape it!

How do I ship expensive trading cards?

Now, if you have an expensive trading card to ship, you must go all out with the packaging. You cannot simply pack it with bubble wraps and envelopes. It would help if you walked the extra mile.

• Firstly, you must ensure that it doesn’t get any scratches by sandwiching it between two thick and sturdy cardboards and taping them together.

• Next, cover it with a strong bubble wrap and drape a few rounds around it. Secure it with strong tape. 

• The next step will be to box it up instead of bubble mailers. Bubble mailers are great for shipping cards, but not expensive ones. 

• You can also consider putting one box inside another to ensure extra protection.

• Use packaging foam around the box or boxes to prevent the card from moving around during transit.

Furthermore, to ship expensive trading cards, you cannot simply go for the cheapest shipping method. No use mailing expensive trading with good packaging if it’s going to end up being damaged due to the cheap service you used. 

Using a private courier instead of the regular post is the best option to ship expensive trading cards.

Also, consider ensuring the shipment. Even if it’s costly, it’s worth the risk since the potential downside is huge.

Can you mail cards in the envelope?

Yes, you can surely mail the trading card in the envelope. But it comes with a few conditions.

Plain white envelopes should be avoided as far as possible, especially for shipping a single card, unless you want to listen to the horror stories of the envelopes getting ripped open or cards being crumpled or bent.

But should you use them, ensure that you ship not less than 10 cards together and that combined with thick paper or cardboard packaging?

Otherwise, use those fat, sturdy and strong envelopes to ship your trading cards. Even then, do not throw in your cards just by themselves.

Use thick cardboard or bubble mailers to protect against any pressure they might encounter in transit. Special padded envelopes can also be used to keep your packing compact.

Moreover, the envelope must be properly sealed and kept inside a team bag to ensure further safety. Use extra cushioning to fill up the space so the cards can’t move inside the package.

Also, avoid shipping expensive trading cards in envelopes at all costs. The two don’t go together.

To sum up, our discussion, let us rewind what details we went through. Not only did we answer how to ship trading cards in detail but we also discussed how to prepare the trading cards to be shipped. 

The steps to prepare the trading cards will not only save your time but also protect them during their shipment. Even though there isn’t any specific process of shipping the trading cards, we still specified some of the processes in an easier way so that it gets easier for you to understand. 

Last but not the least, do not hesitate to share this article with any of your friends or acquaintances who may need it.