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How to pack and ship cards

The most common shipping damage is not the card itself breaking, but the whole package getting bent in a letterbox or in the postal sorting machine. Pack so the package cannot be bent, and the contents will survive. A single card goes in a penny sleeve, then a toploader, and then between two rigid boards or in a rigid envelope.

Outgoing shipment. Every package is packed to withstand transport.

The protection goes from the outside in: team bag, toploader, penny sleeve, card.

Quick facts

One card	Penny sleeve, toploader, team bag, padded envelope
Several cards	The same, plus a cardboard sheet so the stack does not bend
A deck	Deck box, wrapped, in a box with filling
Sealed box	Outer carton with at least five centimetres of filling all around
Never	A loose card in a plain envelope

The quick version

One card	Penny sleeve, toploader, bag, rigid envelope
Several cards	The same, plus filling so nothing moves
Cards for grading	Penny sleeve and card saver, never a toploader
A full deck	Deck protectors, deck box, filling in a box
A display or Elite Trainer Box	Corner protectors and an outer carton larger than the item
Graded card in a slab	Bubble wrap around the slab, rigid box

One or a few cards, step by step

The card in a penny sleeve.
Sleeve and card in a toploader. Do not push the card down, let it slide.
Tape the toploader's opening shut with a piece of tape over the edge. Never on the card or the sleeve.
Put the toploader in a resealable bag against moisture.
Place the bag between two pieces of rigid cardboard and tape them together.
Padded or rigid envelope on the outside.
Mark it fragile if you like, but do not rely on it.

A full deck

The deck in deck protectors, collected in a deck box.
The deck box in a box with filling all around, so it cannot move.
Rubber bands are never an option, not even for a short trip. The marks are permanent.
Never send a deck loose in a padded envelope, the cards creep out of the box.

Sealed boxes

Protect the corners. They take the impact and they decide a sealed item's value.
Use an outer carton that is at least five centimetres larger than the item in every direction.
Fill the whole gap so the product does not touch the outer wall anywhere.
Never put a display in a bag. It will arrive with dented corners.
Tape all seams, not just the top.

Moisture

Always put the shipment in a plastic bag inside the packaging. A rainy letterbox is a real risk to the cards, and a bag is cheap to add. This applies in summer too, since condensation forms when a package moves between cold and warm.

When selling

Before packing	Photograph the card so the condition is documented
Tracking	Choose tracked shipping when the value justifies it
Insurance	Check what it actually covers. Collector value is rarely reimbursed in full
Packaging cost	Include it in the price, not afterwards
Delivery time	State it before the purchase, not after

Common mistakes

A plain envelope without rigid cardboard. The package gets bent in sorting.
Tape directly on the toploader's opening so the card sticks to the adhesive.
Too little filling. Anything that can move will.
Sending a sealed box in a bag.
Overdoing the packaging on cheap cards, which eats the whole margin.
Forgetting the plastic bag against moisture.

Frequently asked questions

Is a padded envelope enough? Only if the card is between rigid boards inside.
Do I need tracking? On cheap cards no, on expensive ones always.
Can I send several cards together? Yes, but each card should have its own sleeve and they should not be able to slide against each other.
What do I do if something arrives damaged? Photograph both the packaging and the item before you unpack further, and contact the seller right away.

What it costs to pack properly

Penny sleeve	Next to nothing per card
Toploader	A small extra per card
Team bag	Marginal cost
Bubble mailer	A small extra per shipment
Total per shipment	A fraction of what a damaged card costs you

A damaged card costs more than every shipment you send in a year. That is the whole argument.