Shipping Guide

Lets Talk tools -- getting a thermal printer that prints 4x6 labels is a huge timesaver - whether you are using pirateship, ebays labels or whatever - the ability to print from phone or ipad via Bluetooth to a printer - unpeel the stickered label and slap it on the box -- is the way to go. Plus ebay and pirateship offer bulk labels - so if you sold a bunch of items at 1 time and already received payment - hit bulk ship - all the labels print at ones - pack and slap.. time to go!

Using a thermal printer is also great because you dont need ink.. the labels react to the headed rollers and "prints the image" - you dont need super fancy -there are so many different models out there - but I went with ultra budget:

jadens Bluetooth thermal label printer and labels: https://amzn.to/4vanXH7

this comes with I believe 50 or 100 labels, but if you need more: https://amzn.to/4vO2aoH

They will last you a long time .. Plus you can upload an image to the app for Jadens and print your logos in black and white to stick to your boxes too.. its wonderful

Nothing will make you more mad than not having the right box/packaging materials and nothing will dip into your profits harder then over paying for shipping because you didn't have the right size box and are paying for more cubic inches than you need -- so lets get into it:

Bubble Mailers: https://amzn.to/4xuG4Ju

perfect for trading cards, graded cards, single dvd/blurays now for anything I can afford to loose/take a loss on - these are great - light, small and get the job done cheap -- just be warned the usps may still bend and fold these - so dont put anything of value in here that you haven't properly insured - or that you cant afford to refund if the carrier monkey stomps your package.

Shipping boxes:

Amazon is a great source for shipping materials and boxes - honestly way cheaper than usps/ups or even uline smaller quanties and you dont need a business llc to order them.

9x6x3 - https://amzn.to/4xu47br

These are the perfect size for single carded hot wheels, hot wheels in protecto packages -and you can 69 the cars to get 2 per box. Super easy to fold when needed - can be bought in massive bulk or in small quantities. I also love using these for higher value trading cards as I can tape them to the bottom and the box offers a lot more protection.

10x10x3: https://amzn.to/4xvc9Rw

I use these for custom neon signs, and other misc prints - great for dvd box sets.. the 3" depth is a decent size - you can bump up to 4-6" if needed.

Trading card shipping supplies: Top loaders and penny savers:

Buying these in bulk from Amazon is the best way to get them - https://amzn.to/3S7rdEN - since these are cards we are selling - no need to spend a ton of cash - and these sets come with both the penny savers (silm little plastic sleeves) and the top loaders (hard plastic sleeve that carsds load in from top to bottom).

A few things to note - you can get top loaders in different sizes called pts - these sizes are from anything starting at 35pts for basic everyday trading cards up to 260pt - which are for your really rare hits like sports card relics etc - buy as you need - but standard pokemon/non-sports/sports cards are 35pt - some inserts are going to be 100-130, patches 180 and up. Buy for what you are selling.

Gemini comic book holders:

https://amzn.to/4erkfSy

By far the industry standard for shipping comic books.. add in bags and boards (https://amzn.to/4efLSO8) and you are good to go! There is a reason all the best comic shops ship this way and you can send multiple books in these holders.

Painters Tape:

Good ole fashion blue - low adhesive painters tape: https://amzn.to/4eHuaoe

Used on the insides of packages to seal bubble wrap/cardboard/top loaders/comic bags etc together with little to no effort for the end user to open - but at the same time sturdy enough to keep everything from moving around while shipping.. combined with the correct packing material - its your friend until the end.

Protecto-packs:

https://amzn.to/4vOqyGL - basic 1/64th scale "mainline"/treasure hunts

https://amzn.to/4vHAamw - premium cars (this one has a big bubble for those odd shaped premiums like the cartoon cars etc)

A must have for resellers of hot wheels - these work best for typical hot wheel mainlines, and also come in premium sizes as well.. When shipping single cars or even multiple they are the go-to standard for keeping the cars and cards safe during shipping.

Weight - is your next shipping cost killer next to cubic size - try to use the least amount of padding material needed to protect your shipment. Using loosely crumbled paper - whether newspaper (yes they are still a thing) - old xmas wrapping paper - or leftover filler from shipments you received - is one of the better ways to reduce weight, fill in bulk empty space and help keep your items from shifting in transit (look if it works for amazon it works for you)

Trading cards - if not graded - should be dropped into a penny saver, then a top loader, and squished between 2 pieces of cardboard; then I use painters tape as its easy to remove - and secures the cards inside the cardboard - drop that into a bubble mailer and off you go.

Graded cards- normally can be dropped into a bubble mailer on their own - but again I only do this for any cards less than $50 - as i know they are insured upto a $100 without extra cost. Any card over 50, graded or not - will go into one of the 9x6x3's - same process - penny saver, top loader, two pieces of cardboard - and then taped to the bottom of the 9x6 using painters tape

video games/Blu-ray and dvds - single package movies normally do JUST fine in a bubble mailer - there are some occasions where this isn't true (old dvds that have the cardbox boxes and plastic flaps), but for the most part a single bubble mailer is fine - if the movie is open/pre-watched a thin layer of bubble wrap or some sheets of paper can keep the disc from popping out of the holder while in transit keeping it from getting scratched - brand new sealed -- may the odds forever be in your favor - but at the same time modern day holders do a great job of keeping the disc in place. I tend again to go with the less than $50 - bubble mailer it - anything over that - get yourself a 9x6x3 or maybe a 10x6x3 and send it on its way.

Comic books - bag and board the book (this should be obvious), then stack them neatly in a pile on the bottom of the gemini holder, painters tape them to the cardboard, fold tape and ship. Almost ALL comic book retailers ship this way and as long as the carriers are not donkey kong- they will arrive safe and sound

Hot Wheels/die cast cars - The best and most effective way is put the car in a protecto pack, drop it into a 9x6x3 and send it.. a single piece of tape on the box (its how mattel does it) and you are good to go. if you want to go an extra mile - take your handy painters tape, a single piece across the car BUBBLE ONLY from left to right so that if the car bangs around in shipping it wont crack the bubble and your buyer doesn't do a charge back - normally only needed for really expensive cars or cars with pointy bits (though mattel just ships them 72 in a box and doesn't care).