Acceptable Packaging Methods

Hi All!

I haven't had a chance to sit down and play with the hoard lately, but I have been mulling over different selling methods/venues, and I'm curious....What types of packaging do you all receive your stamps in when purchasing online?

For example, I put a stamp up for sale, you purchase it, now what is the method of packaging for shipment that you prefer to recieve it in?

I'm especially curious aout the lower value stamps...if you only pay a dollar or two, then how do I keep the cost of packaging low enough to make even a small profit (while still shipping safely)? I think higher value items would be easier to secure without worrying the cost of packaging exceeds the sale.

Thanks so much!

I like my purchases to be in a mount and a card backing. Some sellers go overboard with the sticky tape... for example I have had a single stamp placed into a single sized mount AND taped closed, then put onto a card backing AND taped vertically and horizontally again, then the envelope was taped at all the seams yet again. Sometimes there is also a small piece of sticky tape holding the card backing to the envelope which I sometimes don't look for and ruin the stamps used to post the item

Hi scotzm,

I agree with you. I hate the multi layered sellotape mummy like swathing of stamp cards. The likelihood of damaging the stamp removing it from all this is greatly increased. God knows how much time the sellers waste doing all this. I just don't go back to any seller who does this. I know one seller who after having gone through this swaddling process then sellotapes the whole thing to the inside of the envelope. Why????

Terry

We treat all comers the same when it comes to packaging. A lot of people will buy 1 item just to see how your packaging works before they buy an expensive bunch of stamps. Plus on ebay mailing is free from us.

We make our own DL letter cardboard stiffeners out of cheap 3A sheets that are useless for printers to print on as the white coating comes off when they mass print them and wrecks the printers but not a problem for us.

Then the stamp or stamps are put into a 2 strip black stock card with a clear strip that covers the front of the stock card and we buy 1,000 at a time to get the price down.

The stock card is then tightly fitted into a plastic open ended envelope and then put all together with the flap of the DL envelope closed shut with taped .

For large items like Mini Sheets or Sheetlet or Souvenir Sheets or blocks of stamp we use 2 strip stock sheets that have no hole on them to fit a binder and we cut them in half. We buy them at 200 a time and mailed they cost us 50c per sheet or 25c per packing.

We have done this for over 2 years and over 1 year for free to our buyers and we make money out of the so called free mailing because the cost is in the stamps for sale.

Believe it or not that is what we very happily do our mailing and the buyers love it!

I took a queue from someone who sent me stamps on here, and I have started to ship stamps inside of Ultra-pro 3"x4"toploading baseball card holders. They're semi-rigid plastic and acid-free. I bought a 25 pack at my local card/stamp/coin store for $2.25. Throw one of those in an envelope and a Forever stamp will get it where it needs to go.

Some Amazon links:

5x7 top loaders: http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Pro-Top...o+top+loader

They come in tons of sizes all the way up to 9x11. If you have a local card collecting store, they'll probably sell you individual ones.

... just remember that if you use too much carboard, etc and the envelope is too think or stiff, it may become a PACKAGE and require more postage. I do that at times by accident...

Hi!
Ha, I can actually provide some answers to this one!

Over the last year I've made well over 200 separate purchases of stamps and supplies, utilizing a reasonable guesstimate of 40 different dealers. Thankfully, with two exceptions (which were immediately corrected), all arrived safely.

The typical shipment has the stamps in glassine envelopes, sandwiched between two pieces of pressboard - the quality of file folders. The sandwiched cardboard is taped, and I use an Xacto knife to slit the tape, etc. Now normally this works out fine, but a few suppliers will use cardboard barely bigger than the glassine envelope, and they totally enclose the thing with scotch tape. Soooo, one better be very careful so as to not damage the stamp when slitting open the tape around the cardboard.

The problems seem to also occur when a panel of stamps is shipped. Some vendors have folded them (along the perfs of course) to allow a smaller shipping envelope. Well, sometimes that fold is enough to separate the stamps when the buyer unfolds them.

The good news is that most of the suppliers I've dealt with have done an outstanding job in providing quality transactions. In example, NOLA Stamp Shop has consistently shipped well packaged items (in a timely fashion & good prices).

I'm a big believer in recycling. I'll cut a piece of box board from a cereal or cracker box (for example) just under the size of my envelope. The stamps go in a glacine or black mount, depending what I've go (again always recycling) which is taped to the board - two pieces either side, not mummified.
Then I'll usually wrap a sheet of paper, order details if it's ebay or just a note, and stick them in the envelope. Often I'll put a small piece of tape on either side of the closed flap where it isn't stuck down. Don't know if that's necessary, but I worry about moisture getting in, so it makes me feel better.
No complaints so far.

I reuse cardboard from packages, glassines, and a small amount of the blue painters masking tape. The masking tape works well because it is less likely to cause damage to the stamp if it comes into contact with it. It is also very easy to remove. Death to cello tape!

These are all very informative and helpful! Thanks so much for the detailed replies you guys! I love the idea of blue tape! After painting almost my entire house (only 2 rooms to go) I am intimately familiar with all aspects of it's sealability-non-damaging-but still getting the job done nicely qualities

and yes, recycling.....I'm also on the maniacal side of that...I'm the one constantly rooting through the trash in my house and hollering out that something they've tossed "CAN BE RECYCLED!" Hahaha

These are all such great ideas! I'm glad you guys took the time to respond. I am especially glad to be educated on over-cello-taping....I tend to go overboard when shipping gifts to family and get into trouble because it took an hour to get something open

Thanks again!

No such thing...so not really good education !

I use as much tape as possible to make both outer and inner parts of the sending as safe as possible.

I have been doing this since day one and have had many compliments for it. Indeed, many members here can testify to that.

too much tape is not enough. Just ask a thief !

Londonbus1

If you really want to see stamp packaging at its best, then buy something from Londonbus. He has made a art form out of it

Stamp(s) go into a 102 card, taped shut, and then into a cardboard mailer. I never just use a plain envelope.

The mailers I use are these:

http://www.amazon.com/Inch-White-Ca...=5%22+mailer

They are light enough that they come in under 1oz, so domestic postage is $0.66 ($0.46 + $0.20 nonmachinable surcharge).

That is a really great idea revenuecollector! Thanks again

I usually mail covers which usually requires a 6" x 9" envelope. I place the cover(s) inside a comic book bag or other type of plastic wrapper to protect from bad weather and scuffing. The bag is sealed with a small piece of tape. The bag with the cover(s) are then taped to one side of a piece of chipboard to prevent it from sliding around and then sandwiched with another piece of chipboard. The two pieces of chipboard are then taped together with enough tape at each side to hold it together. Chipboard and purchase is then slipped inside of envelope, sealed, labeled, stamped, handstamped with return address, etc. etc. and ready to go.

The comic book bags are really nice for shipping and 1,000 of them can be had off of Amazon for $30-$40, free shipping if you look around. The bags can be cut in half for smaller shipments.
6"x9" booklet envelopes can be had for around $25 for 500.
Chipboard (cardboard) is too expensive to buy online at any reasonable rate due to weight. Find a local shipping supplier. It's usually sold in large bundles of 1,000 for about $30 something a bundle. Each sheet can be cut in half for one average shipment.

Even with the chipboard, if the shipment is 3.5 ounces or less and fit within the size restrictions then it can still be shipped at letter rate with the non-machinable 20 cent surcharge. Don't let any U.S. postal clerk tell you otherwise as they are wrong.

edit - took out my typos :)

Hi again,
May I clarify my previous post..........
To me, this thread concerns two aspects of "acceptable packaging". The first is to properly wrap stamps/covers so as they will be transported safely from seller to buyer. The second part is to assure that the buyer can safely and easily open the packaging so as not to harm the contents. While the majority of my purchases have met this last "requirement", a few were so over wrapped and taped that it was difficult for this "fairly skilled" model maker to open them with an Xacto blade.