Packaging/Shipping Stamps Pet Peeve

It sounds as if perhaps the issue lies not in the amount of tape used, but the carelessness with which it may be applied. I have received packages from Mr. Bus and can attest that he does use liberal amounts of tape. However, I have never found it difficult to get into the large envelopes or any of the goodies within. :)

Bullet-proof is good, but it can be over-kill.

I've found that a file-folder, cut to size of envelope has been enough to protect any small quantity of stamps I've received.

The rare more than a few stamps or panes etc may require heavier protection, though.

In the past few years, China has perfected blister packaging and sticky tape....so if you want to be sure, take a lesson.

I once got a blister pack cutter from China; but, couldn't open it because the cutter was in a blister-pack.

Got this 'feedback' in March:




To avoid damage, I think we need to stay well under 1/4", or well over 1/4", so it is obvious whether/not our piece will get thru the facer-canceller unmolested.




The checks I have *sent* have never been lost in the mail.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I often buy larger US collections, some running 50 pounds or more, from Europe. I was astounded at the number of times that I received shipping damaged material; particularly mint stamps with moisture issues. Even for the largest boxes, how much extra does it cost to wrap it up in a garbage bag before packing? I now request that every shipment of albums or accumulation of mint stamps be shipped this way. Just in the last 6 months I accepted two shipments where the cardboard boxes were wet but the stamps were not damaged.

So while I can sympathize with the frustration of dealing with over-taped 'bullet proof' packaging but would rather the shipper err on the side of safety than to just toss stuff in a box and call it done.
don

Shipping companies are hazardous to you stamps health!!

IkeyPikey, I've never had a payment lost in the mail either. Curious!

I myself, with visual difficulties (can't see cheap stamps . . ha) enjoy a well-packaged shipment immensely, but do not enjoy some seller's over packaging with tape and I mean excess tape, that requires me to use extra special care in opening with scissors or knife, else I would damage the most important piece of the shipment there . . me!

Poor eye-sight from any reason is a danger enough just by and in itself.

Could some of you post examples of both well-packed and over-packed examples? Maybe even under-packed, too?

When I sell, I try to pack very carefully, and since the items are usually mint, I try to make things as moisture-proof as possible. (I don't use a lot of tape, though. I've sometimes wondered if I don't use enough.)

Since most of us who sell never see the end result of our packaging work, at its destination, I know I would find it helpful to see examples of what you think was well-packed, over-packed, and even under-packed.

For me, the worst is when it's sandwiched between two layers of cardboard and you're basically cutting blind. Of course I know better than to take a scissors right down the middle, but there's no telling where the stamps might be inside - if they're right up to the edge of the packaging, etc. Given (at least in my experience), the infrequency - nay, outright rarity - of problems I've experienced in shipping stamps with the USPS, it's another example of overkill.

I should be receiving a few shipments in the next week and will try to take pictures and offer comments about the packaging.

I too am concerned about mint stamps when shipping them. It might not matter, but I actually pay a little attention to the weather when shipping mint stamps. If it's a cool, damp day, I don't drop the shipment in an outside box in the morning to sit there all day. I'll walk inside to the post office and drop it off there. If it's a hot and humid day outside, I do the same. I take it from my air conditioned home to the air conditioned PO instead of taking it out of my cool home, letting it sit in a hot and humid environment for hours, only to go back into AC again. Again, it may not matter a whit, but I think about things like condensation. A number of things may happen while en route or at the other end, but at least I know I did the best I could to get them there in good shape.

I, not too recently, received a model train in a package that was so over done it nearly required the use of forensic science to get the object out safely.
As for Condensation on a stamp, I feel there is little to be concerned with as the atmospheric condition inside the package would not change by simply going from warm to cold and back again. However, If the shipping company were to allow the package to be directly exposed to water as aforementioned, moisture could seep in.
I once received a package shipped via DHL, the driver set the card board box in a 3 inch deep puddle of water as opposed to setting it on the cement less than a foot away. Fortunately, that item was wrapped in a plastic bag.
So maybe the addition of a plastic enclosure should become more the norm instead of a hoard of constricting tape.

I once got a package with mint stamp sheets that made a set which I ordered and the inside packaging was sealed with box sealing tape. To make a long story short, some of the tape ended up on one of the stamp sheet margins so that it ripped off some of it. It was upsetting to say the least.

I am in the aiti-overpackaging camp.

What I particularly dislike is when the stamps are put in a glassine and then trhe glassine is folded over on itself and then taped down, and then can be very hard to open without creasing the stamps. Same problem when they over-tape down the glassing onto the stiffener.

I'd have to agree with you eyeonwall. I too have received may glassines that were laminated with tape to a cardboard stiffener.
Get the exacto knife!

put those over wrapped stamps in the microwave heloise says stuck stamps unstick so it might work lol /j/k

I have also heard that freezing them may help.

As promised, I'm posting some pictures of a recent shipment I received. This one was packed acceptably to me.

I arrived in a standard #10 envelope with no signs of damage. Inside a standard PayPal packing slip was a small manila envelope and a thank you card, which I thought was a nice touch. I don't send them and have never seen one of these from another seller. The manila envelope was not sealed, which is entirely appropriate, since merely folding the flap over will keep them inside the envelope during shipment. There was no separate stiffener inside the outer envelope. I'm OK with that (more on that later).





Inside the manila envelope was a small folded piece of heavy paper or thin cardboard that contained the stamps (it was a set of about 10). One side was folded paper, two other sides had a small piece of transparent tape, leaving one of the long sides open for easy removal of the stamps. Note that if it had been sealed on all 4 sides, that would have been stepping over the line into overpacking (although not horribly so) since it would have necessitated using something to cut the tape. The seller realized that all 4 sides didn't have to be taped shut for the stamps to still be secure.





The stamps were very easily and safely retrieved from the cardboard, and they were stacked up in Scott order. There wasn't enough room for the stamps to move around in that little manila envelope and also come out of the little cardboard pouch. They were held quite securely against 99.99% of what might happen to it in the course of normal mail delivery. Anything can happen, of course, but I've never, ever had a stamp damaged while in transit to me, regardless of how it was packaged.

Now, this was set of used stamps I paid $5 for. Had the order been for expensive mint stamps, I would much rather see them ship in glassines or approval cards and with a better stiffener. For a set like this, however, it was just fine, and it kept the seller's shipping costs down.

I do have more shipments coming soon and I'll be sure to post pictures of over-packing if I come across it.