[ricelynnevans75]

Best Practices:

• Bubble Envelope
  
• Penny Sleeve, Toploader, AND Team Bag
  
• Masking tape over the top of a Toploader (better yet, Post-It over top held down with masking tape on non-sticky end)
  
• Slightly oversized Toploader
  
• Surround properly secured cards (above best practices) with cardboard before placing them in a bubble envelope (or box)
  
• Surround properly secured cards (above best practices) with Packing paper or bubblewrap if packed in a box
  
• First Class Mail (includes tracking)
  

Not Best Practices (or Shenanigans):

• Plain White Envelope (PWE)
  
• No penny sleeve, Toploader, or Team Bag
  
• Scotch tape or Packing tape ANYWHERE inside the packaging (box or bubble envelope)
  
• Wrapping (or "protecting") card with a paper towel
  
• Postage without tracking or insurance
  

Feel free to agree/disagree, or add to this.

Anytime I send out a card it's always in a penny sleeve, top loader that fits the thickness of the card, and a team bag.  Before I knew team bags were a thing I'd wrap a piece of paper around the top loader.  Then into a small rigid bubble mailer and off it went. 

While the cardboard aspect in the pic above is of no concern, I do agree that the tape should not have been applied like that.  Only thing I put tape on is the bubble mailer around all the edges of the package and over every part of the mailing label.  Tape, regardless of type, has no business near a card IMO.

[Phillies_Joe]

What the hell is this? A card /s is for sale on ebay and this is part the owners description :

This is a NEW product "Hand-Made and randomly DISTRESSED" to enhance collecting enjoyment by the Owner

Why the hell would you want a new card distressed to look old? At least the owner is honest (?) I have now seen it all....at least til next week....or tomorrow.

[kerryandbeth]

Is this the same guy who started the Pet Rock craze in the 90's?!

[rjcj2017]

What the hell is this?  A card /s  is for sale on ebay and this is part the owners description :

This is a NEW product "Hand-Made and randomly DISTRESSED" to enhance collecting enjoyment by the Owner

Why the hell would you want a new card distressed to look old?  At least the owner is honest (?)  I have now seen it all....at least til next week....or tomorrow.

Just tell all the "new collectors" that damaged cards are actually worth more.

They'll believe it.

[dogger99]

What the hell is this?  A card /s  is for sale on ebay and this is part the owners description :

This is a NEW product "Hand-Made and randomly DISTRESSED" to enhance collecting enjoyment by the Owner

Why the hell would you want a new card distressed to look old?  At least the owner is honest (?)  I have now seen it all....at least til next week....or tomorrow.

Must be like the jeans people buy that are already shredded with holes.  When I get a hole in the pocket area or other location I guess instead of tossing them I need to rough them up a little more then put them on Ebay.  Maybe get more than what I originally paid.

[kerryandbeth]

Must be like the jeans people buy that are already shredded with holes.  When I get a hole in the pocket area or other location I guess instead of tossing them I need to rough them up a little more then put them on Ebay.  Maybe get more than what I originally paid.

When I was in Minot, ND there was a Pawn Shop owner that would buy used denim jeans.  Then he made an annual trip to Japan and sold for multiple times the price paid.  He had a friend or relative there to justify the cost of the trip and enjoy vacation.

[sharkbyte]

People are now selling individual used top loaders, not including a card, for $4-5 apiece.

The lunacy has to stop eventually ... right?

I spent too much time, this last year and a half, working on house projects.  I need to look into this.  I have 3 triple shoes of good used top loaders, and half a case of new ones. 

I also have a couple hundred empty pages.  I'll have to see if it's time to sell those, too...

[ZSDOne]

Just tell all the "new collectors" that damaged cards are actually worth more.

They'll believe it.

Have you seen the NWSL boxes at Target or Wal-Mart?  I picked up a couple of boxes because they had some cards of players I wanted and they are the first club cards for most members of the US Women's National Team so there should be some appeal here (and it was something to pick up at retail) 

One of the parallels they have is "Vintage" which is on old looking card stock and comes out of the box beat up and looking old.  I am not making this up - its hilarious.

[rjcj2017]

Have you seen the NWSL boxes at Target or Wal-Mart?  I picked up a couple of boxes because they had some cards of players I wanted and they are the first club cards for most members of the US Women's National Team so there should be some appeal here (and it was something to pick up at retail) 

One of the parallels they have is "Vintage" which is on old looking card stock and comes out of the box beat up and looking old.  I am not making this up - its hilarious.

And the wonderful new collectors will send those off to be graded, because, you know ... literally every card needs to be graded.

The other day I saw a graded Giannis fourth-year Prizm base card for sale on Amazon ... like seriously, a 2016-17 base card.

The grading fee is about 10 times what the card is worth.

Gee, I can't figure out why the grading companies are so far behind.

Memo to my "new collector" friends:

Not. Every. Card. Needs. To. Be. Slabbed.

[jack pfiester]

Years ago people didn't want cards shipped in top loaders because they tend to shift. Recently, I used 1994 Flair packs stuffed with commons!