Just Knock It Off With The Scotch Tape, Okay?

I received three stamps from a well-meaning soul in California today. His envelope was tightly sealed with scotch tape. (I could live with that.) Inside, he placed the stamps within a tightly sealed sandwich of thin cardboard and scotch tape. (I was annoyed by then.) Inside of that, he wrapped the stamps in the smallest packet of paper and tape that I have ever seen enclosing three smallish stamps. (I was agitated now.)

Perhaps I would have been to blame, but I very nearly tore one of the stamps as I was wrestling with this thing.

Should I be grateful to this fellow? (Instead, I feel he's messin' with me!)

P.S. I do have now my first postmark from my birthplace in (West) Germany. It's sorta neat.

I estimate that probably 5% of the packages I get from ebay sellers have the same problem! TOO MUCH TAPE (INSIDE AND OUTSIDE). In at least 5 cases, I actually ended up causing damage to the contents in trying to open the package/envelope.

I occasionally get packages like that too. What makes it worse it that they usually make sure it is tightly secured. You have about a millimeter between cutting the tape and creating a straight edge!

Some tape is OK but they should think ahead. All the taping has to be undone too!

Dan

I package using 2 pieces of cardstock with a bestine envelope containing the stamps in the middle. Then I use easy to remove tape and tape all 4 sides. Them I put it in an envelope and seal it shut.

Are you talking about me by the way? I don't think I put a return address but I live in Colorado.

Hahahha! 60, no, it wasn't you. This fellow's all the way from California.

One of my better sellers would fold the end of the tape, so I would always have something to grab to simply pull off the tape. It was packaged so that I could easily recognize the reverse sequence of his tape job.

Another one of my better sellers used Scotch removable tape, which I could use many times over, including packing stamps I was sending out.

Check out this packaging from a German seller. Note that this has actually been typical of my experience buying from other German sellers as well.

Here's the envelope my order arrived in. I almost mistook it for junk mail. This is actually a plus because it won't catch the eye of the thieves at the NY customs office.



And here's how the stamps were packaged. No tape, it was simply sealed all the way around. A quick cut with a scissors and the stamps were free. It's the perfect mix of secure yet easy to open. Stamps do NOT need to be encased between layers of impregnable packaging to be safe.

Artful I get the same type of plastic packaging from German dealers. They look to be somehow "vacuum packed" because they're sealed on all 4 sides.

Ok good. Did you get my stamps yet?

60, not yet. Lookin' forward to tomorrow's post!

I don't think he was messing with you but he might have had problems in the past.
Tom

Many sellers from "foreign" countries do package heavily because of problems within their own country with thieves or brutal handling by postal employees.
I deal with many middle eastern and they are very worried about packaging both coming and going.
Albeit the original poster does have a point on that package....

One of my pet peeves. I had one just this week. Mint stamps in baggies with the open ends taped to a piece of paper. If the stamps had moved at all they would have slid (crashed?) into exposed tape. Art's example is something all buyers and sellers should aspire to.

And that Bavaria set looks VERY interesting! :-D

My new handle should be "SuckerForDefinitives"

I have actually received stamps sent loose tucked in a fold of a copy of the invoice. One apparently fell out and went missing awhile.

Another tine some doofus sent me my stamp encased in a sandwich of cardboard literally plastered several times with tape. I knew there was NO way I could extract it without damage so I messaged him, he didn't reply so I sent it back asking for either a refund or that he package it in a manner that can be accessed. He refunded with no comment, I think he wrecked it trying to get it out.

What the heck do these people think they are protecting their stuff from- nuclear fission?

I have never dealt with packaging problems. I am glad to say that I do not order stamps online-there could be a host of problems hidden.