Packaging/Shipping Stamps Pet Peeve

I love ebay for the wide selection of stamps and the great deals. But why does seemingly every seller insist on packaging the stamps in some kind of impregnable fortress? Getting the stamps out of the packaging shouldn't necessitate bringing them to a surgeon or saying some kind of prayer that you don't damage the stamps while removing them from the package. Is putting them in a simple glassine envelope or approval card deemed too risky? I mean, is there really a danger of the mail being dropped in a lake while en route, or surviving a nuclear holocaust? These are stamps for Pete's sake, not radioactive waste. Glassines or approval cards are just fine, thanks. And they don't need to be completely sealed edge-to-edge with scotch tape.

/end rant

Amen to what ArtfulHinger said!

Don

I worked at the PO and have seen stamps strewn all over the automated machines but that was multiple stamps for one stamp yes they get cocooned but a trusty pocket knife does the trick. Maybe the sellers have heard one time to many "I want a refund it was damaged in the mail" I can understand the caution in packaging it is not for the buyer or the stamp but the sellers peace of mind.

Other then the packaging I would be more concerned with "I haven't seen the item yet" or It hasn't come yet", lost in the mail, for me I know our postal service is way better then that and I hate hearing ebay knocking and demanding instant refund please with out so much as a blink at least give me a dinner and a movie before ya show me a good time lol. (yes they have tracking and insurance on letters but it is expensive).

Yes, a little common sense goes a long ways. If you're talking about a bulk shipment - dozens or hundreds of stamps - to the point where the envelope is lumpy - a little more reinforcement is necessary, preferably including reinforcing the outer envelope/wrapper. If shipping one or a handful of stamps, a stiffener and a glassine or approval card is fine. When I ship stamps I sell on ebay, I also tape the glassine envelope(s) to the packing slip so they don't slide back and forth inside the mailing envelope.

I supposed I'd rather have them over-packed than under-packed, but I can't see any real reason why it's necessary to go to the extremes that I've seen some sellers go to just to ship a few cheap stamps. Thankfully I've never damaged any thus far, but I had to get way too close for comfort with a scissors today, which is what precipitated my post.

I use the tape to middle of the invoice too so as to keep slippage out and so the envelope doesn't get heavy on one end, those machines don't like that and as a bonus overseas you can ship a thin stamp holder and it looks and feels just like a letter which if under 1oz you don't have to do any customs paperwork.

Maybe run over by a forklift or caught in a machine somewhere more like.

I did once see a pick-up mail tuck drop his load of parcels just when he got to his truck, taken on a cart from the Post Office. Quickly picked up and remedies though, I almost jumped in to help but he was too quick for me.

There are the homes that have their mail slots in the door and the prevailing winds carry any rain or snow into the foyer floor along with the mail. Always the chance.


Scotch tape, plastic tape, 3M or any other brand (I like 3M better myself), the over use of, can be a dangerous things around paper collectibles of any sort; and stamps, especially old ones are friable and susceptible to damage by mishandling, sooo, No Tape Around The Stamps Please!




I use polypropelene plastic clear little envelopes (non-sealable) that I bend over and secure to the packing slip with a piece of tape. From ebay seller Unique Packing http://www.ebay.ca/usr/uniquepacking .

I should note that the 102 card shown at bottom of scan is sold by different sellers. Similar plastic and good looks for almost any product in the bags.

I totally disagree with all of you and the lovely comments I have received from buyers both on this Forum, other forums and ebay about my 'Bomb proof' packaging makes me both proud and happy.

Give me a well sealed and hard-to-open package over the flimsy garbage ruined by the Postal services any time.

Rant over.

Londonbus1.....tape rules and does no harm to stamps in the short term.

P.S. Get real everyone.

Londonbus - I agree. With a few thousand sales I have never had a complaint about over packaging (which I don't do - I just do it well). But I have had maybe 7 or 8 about mangled orders.....and I just may have been light on the padding a few of those times but I have to blame the cancel crusher for the most of it. Methinks.

Oh, it's a minor gripe, really. I'll never give negative feedback or less than 5 stars over it, and I can see it for more expensive shipments. But...all in all...it's just a more pleasant buying experience for me if I don't have to fight the packaging at the very end. It really can be quite frustrating at times, trying to avoid damaging the stamps. I'm OK with stiffeners and I use them myself. But (I'm not making this up) they really don't need to be buried 3 layers deep, each layer being completely sealed and requiring a razor blade or scissors to open.

I agree that some sellers overdo the packing. When I ship stamps I put them in a 102 card, then in a glassine, then inside thin cardboard like used USPS flat rate envelopes. The cardboard is light but dense. A typical shipment in a small envelope will weigh 0.6 to 0.7 ounce, so first class postage is all that is needed. I've never had a complaint in over 500 sales in 11 years.

I am in the bullet proof camp. I find it hard to believe that some have a hard time using a razor blade to carefully slice open the edge of a double taped envelope or package. But then, I guess it is much easier to file a claim for a damaged package, or tell the seller that you want your money back or file a PayPal dispute because the crappy package was damaged in shipping.

Comic book bags are very nice to pack larger orders of covers and postcards when a sleeve won't do. I use chipboard for stiffeners which works well. I currently have three massive bundles of it along with 2500 6"x9" envelopes sitting in my office closet.

And to Londonbus1, please triple wrap that Seahorse that you are sending me.

I've sent and received hundreds of shipments over the past year. In that time I've received one shipment that had a little damage to the envelope, but none to the stamps (they were packaged well, but not to excess). I've had one buyer that claimed some stamps stuck together on a $3 lot and I promptly refunded them. That level of damage is worth the risk, at least on cheap (sub-$25 or so) lots. If I thought that breaking out the scissors and razorblades was warranted due to the risks involved, that would be one thing. But when the risk is so remote, it's really not necessary to go to such an extent in the packaging, in my opinion.

Again, I'm not going to quit buying from a seller over it, nor would I give negative feedback. But as was mentioned above, a 102 card inside a glassine is pretty darn good, retrieving the stamp is easy, and the risk of damaging a stamp getting it out is minimal. Add a good stiffener, and something that's going to damage a stamp packaged like that is in all likelihood also going to damage a stamp wrapped in layers of plastic and sandwiched between layers of cardboard.

Um... all I can say is "WOW". I have received several shipments from the folks here and sellers on bidstart that came either on a card or glassine, neatly tucked into a note centered in a small envelope, and not once were any stamps daamaged in the process. In contrast, from ebay I have received envelopes with too much stiffener arrive damaged and the stamps creased, due entirely from the heavy stiffeners being non-machinable. I have also received the bomb proof packages which come apart rapidly using my boyscout wood carving skills and a pocket knife.

I dont really sell, I just buy and It's what ever. I'd rather get a cardboard lockbox then the overstuffed envelope that got mangled in the sorter.

In any case, I have ner had a shipment lost in the mail when I buy, But I have one buyer say they didn't get what I sent. It was the first thing I have had lost in the USPS since the 70's.

Over package or not, as long as I get what I bought. then Okay!