Shipping / Mailing Standards For Sending Stamps To Buyers

Hi all – What is the common standard for sending stamps to buyers, among collectors and dealers? How are the stamps protected? Card stock inserts in a letter envelope? Padded mailer? Photo mailers?

I just noticed that ebay got wise to how much money it was wasting using First Class Package Service to send banknotes and stamps. ebay's sellers tend to use ebay's shipping APIs/software (maybe they're required to), which previously forced them all to use First Class Package as the base tier, which is several times more expensive than First Class flats, much less letters. Commercial flats are a dollar for the first ounce at most, less for greater automation or presort levels, and 20 cents per additional oz. First Class Package averages #8776;$3.50 minimum (it's zone-variant), for up to four ounces, then punches through $4.00 for heavier packages.

The examples I've received most recently are using card stock on both sides of the stamps, inside a #10 envelope. Is this how collectors normally want their stamps? Am I safe using this approach if I end up selling something?

One issue that people run into with letters and flats, especially flats, is that USPS staff are still drawing from pre-2007 rules and norms. You still see a lot of them assert that a padded mailer, bubble mailer, or rigid mailer is inherently a "package", and they try to charge people for First Class Package Service. Most of those cases are flats, not packages. There is no rule whatsoever, anywhere, about padding, bubbles, rigid mailers, etc. A flat can be up to 3/4 inches thick, as long as it meets the uniformity requirements and the stiffness/deflection requirements. Uniformity won't be an issue with stamps or banknotes. Pretty much all mailers meet the deflection and stiffness requirements – those that don't are the floppy poly mailers you sometimes see for clothing or books, or regular mailers that contain an un-centered small, heavy object.

Very few sellers seem to know the rules for flats, but ebay eventually figured this out less than a year ago. They're not even wasting money on flats – they're getting letter rate by using normal #10 envelopes. They're spending less than 50 cents now. Letters can be up to 1/4 inch thick, so the card stock is not a problem.

One disadvantage I see is the lack of USPS tracking, for both letters and flats. Only packages and Priority include tracking. ebay has some kind of tracking # on their envelopes, but I'm not sure how it works.

ebay's new envelope is below:


***I blurred out the address - Don***

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

First you may want to remove identifying information from your pic.

For myself how things are shipped is dependent upon what the things are. Low value items are fine in a regular envelope between some card stock. Pricier items (you define your own comfort level) should be in an approval card within a rigid (photo) mailer with the approval card protected by some sort of plastic for moisture resistance.

And for Pete's sake do not, I repeat, do not use scotch tape on anything except the outside of the rigid mailer if you feel the compulsion.

This is all said as a buyer because as a buyer I could care less about the cost and effort required by the seller to ensure that my stuff shows up safe and sound.

No yellowed old postal stationary containing a crumbling old glassine folded multiple times and taped to death inside of a sandwich bag. Please.

When shipping albums and/or reference materials, please wrap them in a plastic (waterproof) garage bags.

Do NOT ship stamps via UPS, they consider postage stamps as "Prohibited Items" and will wash their hands of any responsibility if any issue arise. https://www.ups.com/kn/en/help-cent...d-items.page

Don

I had stamps sent from the US to Canada by UPS this past year. Had to pay obscene brokerage fees (at my local PO) that USPS would have steered clear of. Still angry.

I can't speak for the intricaces of the US postal system, but I use a manila envelope with card backing. I usually have the stamps in a small stock-card in a plastic cover. If there are several lots, I tape the outside coverings of the cards to stop them moving around in the package. I cut the envelope to the size of the contents, and secure it with parcel tape on all four sides. This will accommodate a few hundred stamps in the <100 gms or <250 gms large letter categories used here (96p or £1.53 respectively for second class). I've never had any complaints about damage in transit.

UPS brokerage fees are definitely out of line when importing to Canada, Fedex is more reasonable, USPS/Canada Post sometimes doesn't assess duty at all. Auction houses can be flexible in that regard, Dutch Country switched from UPS to Fedex when I asked them.

Re packaging, as a seller, stamps in 102 cards nicely labelled, then those in white card stock a little bigger than a 102 card when folded (custom cut to size & scored by a local printer), a bit of tape to hold it tightly closed. In a plastic sleeve on more expensive items, then all in regular envelope. For bigger items, larger rigid cardboard etc., as much as needed to ensure no bending happens in transit. Seems to work well, get regular compliments on packaging.

I use a regular First Class envelope (there's a name for just like a standard envelope you get at the dollar store or whatever, though I buy mine at estate sales) and use a piece of junk mail card stock. I put the stamp in either a black card or a 102 and tape that to the junk mail. Perhaps I should sandwich it with another junk mailer, but I fear that would make it too heavy or stiff, requiring surcharge. Noone's ever complained, so I guess it gets there just fine. For actually good stamps and covers I bite the bullet and send Priority Flat Rate Envelope with the cover/stamps sandwiches between two manila stock pages. I have gobs of them and I don't send too much good stuff via ebay so it all works out.

Note that since last year and as per UPU regulations, merchandise cannot be included in First Class mail for any international mailings. As we have seen, doing so can result in the envelope being returned to sender.
Don

Oh??? Oops! Good thing I don't really sell international. Since when (why) is this a thing?

"Very few sellers seem to know the rules for flats" & "One issue that people run into with letters and flats, especially flats, is that USPS staff are still drawing from pre-2007 rules and norms"

Your milage will definitely vary - show the same item to 3 different postal clerks and most likely you will be told 3 different things.

Being new, I have only purchased stamps at this point and have been mpressed by the safety precautions taken by my sellers. I have not paid more than $1.50 in postage and have always received the stamps typically in either a cardboard mailer or folder cut down to fit the #10 envelope. Nothing more was required and typically it escaped at a first class stamp price...what was cool was that in the 6 orders I placed, only one of them sent it with 1 $.58 stamp...the other 5 came with combinations of smaller denomination stamps ranging back over the last 50 years or more. The post office only cancelled 1 or two of them and let the beauty of the other older stamps remain. As one who does not have an appreciation for postmarks, I was most pleased to see this. I am not removing them as it is cool to see the assortment together and it will be a cherished memory for my collection as the early beginnings....

Now as to the packaging issues above, when I shipped baseball cards, I met the same dilemma with rates and sizing. The post office had a metal card that had a width and height limit for their first class letter size rates...With a #000 bubble mailer, 1-3 cards in a hard sleeve would fit through this tool and I would often escape paying a stamp with the 1 oz stamp added...in those days it was $.43 and a $.17.... if they disagreed and would not honor that card, they haid I had to pay the package rate which was $1.58 at that time... I remember these numbers because of the volume I was sending and how vast my shipping costs would differ...

When I get to trading, at the very least, I will place the stamps in a rigid baseball card sleeve and then affix that to a letter size sheet of paper to prevent movement on the inside and ship in a #10 envelope. I also intend to purchase some vintage stamp sheets to come up with the $.58 necessary in a collage of history and share the hobby the way that it has been shared with me...

Sorry to ramble, but this has been fun to think through and I am excited to be a part of this community. Thanks for all of your comments and time spent.

Ty

Hi, as a buyer primarily I get stamps worth some money shipped in a Canada Post Express rigid mailer with the stamps in a 102 card in between two pieces of foam board to secure them and to ensure there was no damage to the stamps in the mailing process. I almost always get insurance and tracking on lots I purchase too, just incase something were to happen to the item(s) during transit.

What's a 102 card? I searched on DDG and see some listings, but I'm stumped by this bit at iHobb:

"We occassionally receive reports a blank cards included in the boxes of 1000 cards. The cards are mass produced and are not individually inspected when packaged. The cards are made in large sheets and then cut, so if one sheet makes it through the process without the proper integration of the front clear piece, when cut the one becomes 20. The solution to this issue would double the price of the cards. We consider the potential for a small number of defective cards to be part of the cost of the cards."

Part of the cost of the cards? Are they saying the cards are extraordinarily low-priced, and this is due to not having quality control? I'm not sure I've ever seen a business say that out loud.

What are these 102 cards though? Is it a spec of a size and thickness? How do people attach stamps to them?

"102" cards have become a generic term utilized by multiple manufacturers and specify a size (width and length) of a storage card consisting of card stock with a clear plastic pocket glued to the card into which you insert stamps. You can get plain white, black background and various colors. Some have a space for catalog number and price and others are plain. There are also 104, 106 and other cards which increase in size as the numerical designation increases.

I use tens of thousands of these cards and will occasionally run across cards without the clear plastic pocket. Not a big deal.

They are not really meant for long term storage although many dealers will have their stock in them for years without issue. I have cards with stamps in them that have been sitting in storage for over a decade and everything is OK.

Cost is the driver for using these cards and the ability to easily mark the cards up.

THEY ARE NOT MEANT FOR ARCHIVAL STORAGE.