Shipping cards in a plain white envelope (PWE) for TCGplayer & Ebay

TCGPlayer Store
tinyurl.com/TheBearNecessiTCG
Welcome to The Bear NecessiTCG, a place where we talk about and open up sealed trading card games. Today we will be talking about how I ship cards in a plain white envelope (PWE)!
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Shipping items:
Shipping Shields - shippingshieldus.com/
Envelopes - amzn.to/3s1Z0lM
Forever Stamps - amzn.to/47pLpVk
Extra Ounce Stamps - amzn.to/3Ou8U7h
Penny Sleeves - amzn.to/3qvcLc2
Masking Tape - amzn.to/3KvMkd8
Scale - amzn.to/44XIrGh
Laser Printer - amzn.to/3Kw0dIo
Printer Paper - amzn.to/3DKD3u0
RGB Snorlax Mousepad - Get yours today!
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Card Collecting Essentials:
Card Binder - amzn.to/3O4Hplv
Penny Sleeves - amzn.to/431JPpr
Top Loaders - amzn.to/3CKvxi6
Card Box - amzn.to/3CJqVsO
Channel Setup:
Capture Card - amzn.to/3NgoiTW
Face Camera - amzn.to/3pcwsoJ
Card Camera - amzn.to/46mXVEy
Microphone - amzn.to/3NLBn9y
Backup Microphone - amzn.to/3XDrPRn
Audio Interface - amzn.to/3r4g1Ln
Headphones - amzn.to/42VmUfA
#tcgplayer #pokemoncards #pokemontcg #lorcana #pokemoncommunity #fleshandbloodtcg #onepiecetcg #forceofwill #sportscards #sportscardflipping

[@magusofthebargain]

Thanks for making this video. Lots of sellers will benefit by watching this.

[@mikeyslots_]

watching this video now, seeing you talk about your subscribers and seeing where you are now, so cool man! Good for you, really appreciate this video, sold my first card today and needed this!

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thank you for the support. I'm having a tough time balancing selling cards and making youtube videos though. I might have bit off more than I could chew but I'm still working on it. What cards have you been selling?

[@mikeyslots_]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG after watching your video, I started selling some cards on TCG, but it quickly got overwhelming. I resulted to trading them at my LGS, they give 70% on the cards which isn't too bad, but obviously less than selling online, but it's much quicker with less hassle. I only give them cards that are like $2-$9. $10+ cards I keep listed on TCG

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

@@mikeyslots_ Understandable. I like that it takes up so much of my time because if I'm selling cards that means I'm not out there buying things. I have a bit of a shopping problem so I need to keep myself busy.

[@industrialkid4177]

We are kindred spirits. This is almost exactly how I’ve been shipping with 2 exceptions. As opposed to taping the shipping shield, I found 2000 “Thank you for supporting my small business” quarter sized stickers for 5.99 on Amazon and use those to seal my shield. Gratitude goes a long way in my book. The other exception is I do use a team bag to protect the shield as well. So I spend a few cents more, but gives me piece of mind and I’m still not losing money on shipping :-)

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

It's been working pretty well so far besides the few times I tried to push the limits and add too many cards to the envelope. Shipping shields say that they can hold 8 cards but I feel like that's too much. One time I put 2 shipping shields with 7 cards each in one PWE and the envelope busted open in transit. The customer said the cards arrived undamaged but the envelope was a mess. The stickers sound like a good idea. I'm going to look into that. In the beginning I was losing money because I was selling cards at a penny and shipping them was costly. Now I raised my minimum prices and I can spend a bit more on better shipping.

[@jetto__421]

what do you suggest sing top loaders for and when do you use a team bag? do you use team bag + pennny sleeve + shield?

[@jiraiYT]

Great vid. Nice breakdown

[@SpeerGaming]

I like how simplified you made this explanation. I started selling cards back in July. Mostly been doing sales on eBay but one of my goals this year is to hit lvl 4 for TCGPLAYER so appreciate it

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

How close are you to hitting your goal?

[@RyanMorgan89]

I loved the super detailed price breakdowns that was my most appreciated aspect of the video

[@RyanMorgan89]

I hope you keep the videos coming and let us know your journey positive or negative, most videos like this don’t actually get into the nitty gritty details and numbers like you so I hope you keep us aspirers informed and prepared lol there’s a need for more of the starting out videos like this.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thanks for the support. It's been turning into a full time job, when I'm not at my regular 9-5 I'm sorting, listing, and shipping cards. I did get my first Neutral feedback on TCGplayer though, so I'm not at 100% anymore. The issue I'm running into is the post office in general. Some of my PWE arrive flawless and others the envelope is ripped open before it arrives. I thought the issue was thickness, but it's been happening with single cards as well as larger orders. I'll be making more videos and doing a Q&A video soon.

[@averagejoegamerz7568]

Not a bad video man! Wish you the best on your journey!

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thank you! So far it's going really well. I might try making some business update videos showing my progress.

[@protograv]

great video, definitely helped

[@Jamesbonz_12]

NICE JOB!

[@zaidkhan-jc2ek]

❤❤❤ Good video🎉

[@benhorton8444]

The only thing we do different with our orders is we tape the shipping shield to the bottom right hand side of the packing slip. Then your able to fold it twice and then do the address fold. That way you shipping shield is completely covered by the packing slip for a little protection.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I'm trying to remember why I do it the way that I do. I think there was a reason, I'm not at my desk but it might be because I didn't want the cards to shift up and down as much. I also need to do a part 2 to this video about overstuffing cards into a PWE. I've had a few bust (the buyer said the cards came perfect but the shipping shield busted out of the side of the PWE). I was really pushing how many cards I could fit in it though, so completely my fault.

[@Phlegm187]

Damn 66 cent stamps. I just checked the stamps in my drawer and they are 29 cents guess I haven't mailed anything since the 90's lmao.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

The 66 cents really eat into your cost. More than I thought it would. When I first started I had cards listed for a penny, which landed me a lot of sales but I would lose money because of the stamp/shipping. Or people would buy 100 cards at a penny which wouldn't fit. So I used Pirateship.com to send a padded envelope at around $3.50...so that lost me even more money. Now I just list everything at .25 or higher and it's been working out. Less sales but I'm. not losing as much

[@jiraiYT]

Would you say the penny sales helped boost your shop? Initially? ​@@TheBearNecessiTCG

[@magusofthebargain]

@@TheBearNecessiTCGThat's why I buy Forever stamps. Their value appreciates with inflation.

[@magusofthebargain]

However, maybe a collector will buy your 0.29 cent stamps for $1 each

[@HarikaSingamsetti]

Nice video ❤

[@madakamrajasekhar8989]

Amazing video

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thanks!

[@JohnDoe-pb5cx]

Hey bro grate vid, you said the shipping shield was cheaper than a top loader, I’ve found toploaders at $0.08 a piece on eBay in case you were wanting those

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thanks for the info, I'll check out Ebay. I haven't checked prices in awhile since I have a stack of shipping shields left to go through.

[@rhydamtamang5965]

Nice

[@magusofthebargain]

Thanks for making this video. However, it is better to print out the postage from ebay, tcgplayer, etc, than to use regular stamps because: a: you save a few cents, and b: your plain white envelope actually does receive a tracking number for orders under $20, which can be helpful locating mail and resolving any disputes. I hope this comment has been helpful and look forward to seeing a new video about how you tried printing shipping directly from tcgplayer or ebay and what snags you ran into on the way.

[@filipealmeida7301]

TCGPlayer has their own stamps? I use it when i sell on ebay but have to use stamps on TCG since i have never seen where to print straight from them

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

When I sell on Ebay I used their shipping but for TCGplayer there's no similar option. I sell a lot of bulk also, so having tracking on small orders adds up.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

That's an ebay only thing, actually buysportscards.com also offers that feature. I wish tcgplayer would get with the times.

[@filipealmeida7301]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG tcgplayer does not deserve seller support if we're being straight up, all they have is volume. 30 cents mandatory on every card then another 13.5% is beyond predatory but u guys don't care so 🤷‍♂️

[@Rocco8907]

Hey man, nice job on this vid. A lot of good info. I suggest you rethink using top loaders. If you order straight from BCW they cost the same amount as those shipping shields but they are more versatile. Once you're TCGplayer store grows more, you might start to run into issues with using shipping shields for large orders. I've shipped multiple orders up to 25 cards using two top loaders and two team bags via PWE . Just wanted to pass on a tip I got from an established LGS. Good luck with your store!

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Thanks for the tip. Is it the Thick Card Top Holder you're talking about? They still look like they cost more than the shipping shields as I got them for .08 a piece (lowest .07 if you buy 9000) but I have run into issues shipping large amounts. Are you taking the savings cost of shipping into the equation? Battle Spirits Saga has been my best seller lately with people buying 50+ cards at a time, those end up going in a padded envelope and sent with tracking.

[@Rocco8907]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG Any order over about 36 I don't think there is any other solution but to ship using a padded envelope with tracking. I have only run into that problem a few times fortunately

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

@@Rocco8907 If it's a bunch of commons/uncommons I have split the order up into 2 PWE, so far it's working but not ideal.

[@Rocco8907]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG I think that is the only reasonable way I see to do it. RNG Gamez has a good video for how he ships a large orders in a single PWE, I'm not sure if you've seen it. He handles huge volume and said he's never had an issue. I've never had a problem using his method. I really hate adding tracking to orders under $25.

[@jetto__421]

@@Rocco8907 what do you use to ship? envelope, top loder, penny sleeve or do you replace top loader with the shield? what worked for you

[@user-cl7lx7kq7z]

❤

[@MrSteevo28]

Great video bro. Quick question. Do you leave the envelope in the mailbox or take it to the post office

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

My housing community has mailbox clusters. So I leave it in the outgoing mail there. So far I haven't had a problem.

[@MrSteevo28]

@TheBearNecessiTCG sounds good. Appreciate the reply bro. 🤘🏾

[@BuenasVibras420]

Timebucks👍

[@jacksonmiranda6584]

When shipping single cards does the envelope have to be able to bend 45 degrees ? Lady told me that when checking out a tried charging $5.. my envelope might be too small as I seen yours is longer ? Any tips thanks . Great vid !👍

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I've heard mixed things about this. I use the larger envelopes because I fold the packing slip and the address is visible in the window but I have shipped in smaller envelopes when I sell on ebay. I've had no problem with either, from my experience as long as it has a little bit of bend then it's fine.

[@joshuatienda3612]

Can you use any shipping company? Like UPS, or does it have to be with USPS?

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

Stamps are for USPS if you wanted to ship through UPS you can but it's going to cost a bit more and you would have to get the shipping label a different way. For example using Pirateship.com to print labels, you can select USPS or UPS but again UPS is expensive.

[@joshuatienda3612]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG you have to print a label? I just sent it as regular mail and put in TCGplayer that I shipped it without tracking

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

@@joshuatienda3612 That only applies to shipping through UPS or Fedex. Since I buy those online I need to print the shipping label and put it on the envelope. But for anything with stamps I do the same as you do. Send it out and "Ship Without Tracking"

[@joshuatienda3612]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG ohhhh okay thank you I almost panicked for a second 🙏

[@rickylesperance2125]

USPS made us upgrade to nonmachinable? I’m scared to chance it otherwise lol

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I've still been using regular stamps when the cards are under 1 ounce and the extra ounce stamps when needed. So far I've only had a problem with a few post offices. Everything else has gone through without a problem.

[@cloakedgerbil]

how do you deal with machineable vs non-machineable? Hypothetical is you get an order for 20 cards and you want to ship via PWE...i would have thought the machines in the post office wouldnt let your card sleeves through because they are too thick

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I haven't bothered with machineable vs non-machineable and so far nothing has been sent back to me. However, there have been a few shipments where the buyer messaged me saying that the envelope was ripped open when it arrived (the cards weren't damaged and the shipping shields protected them). Here is a link to my tcgplayer reviews that mention this: tcgplayer.pxf.io/nLvrbR Because of those few I've limited myself to sending a max of 12 cards in one PWE, so the orders I get that are 20 cards get sent in 2 separate PWEs. I price my cards at at least .25 cents, so I'm still profiting even if I have to split it up into 2 shipments.

[@whoever_you_want_me_to_be]

What does pwe mean?

[@Shawn942013]

Can I get the shipping shields on Amazon?

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

No, doesn't look like they are on amazon yet. I had to buy mine directly from their website. It's worth it though, so far none of the cards I've sent have arrived damaged using the shipping shields. Even when the envelope was abused, the cards were still in the same condition I sent them.

[@Shawn942013]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG are there any discounts for the website ?

[@BartVonDoom]

Why not put your 5 or 6 cards in a penny sleeve, then in a shipping shield? What's the point of having one card in a penny sleeve next to 5 other cards with no protection when they can all fit in a penny sleeve, and then slide into the shipping shield? Also, I would wrap the shipping shield in a team sleeve just to ensure sealed protection from rain. Since you're shipping this in a PWE, if the cards are just put in a cardboard shipping shield and then into a PWE, chances are they're going to get water damage if it rains. Food for thoughts!

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

It just depends on the cards I'm shipping out. If they are bulk then I will put multiple in a penny sleeve. Multiple penny sleeves really do add to the thickness. So far I haven't had any issues with the envelopes getting wet (or at least nobody mentioned it). The thought makes me want to dunk my setup into water to see how it does.

[@Littlebird-m9x]

Of all the damaged card I received, is all by those cheap cardboard shield by cheap seller

[@erics.4650]

Did the prices of shipping shields go up recently? Seems like the only way to get them for 8 cents is to buy in massive bulk.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I always buy the $88 dollar ones which puts them at 8 cents. It sounds like a massive amount, but I've gone through around 5000 of them for my business and it seems like I'm always running low. I might step up and buy the 9000 count for $694. I'm guaranteed to go through them all as long as I keep the business going.

[@erics.4650]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG Makes perfect sense. I want to start out but it's pretty daunting amount of purchases before you can even start selling. Thanks for the tips!

[@VictorErnesto-l6k]

How do u get the supplies?

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I purchase most of them on Amazon, I have links in the description of the stuff that I use. In the case of an emergency then I'll get supplies at Walmart.

[@Dwarven_Steel_Games]

The shipping shield adds a lot of weight. Index cards are just better.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I don't mind the added weight of the shipping shields because most of my orders are too big for a PWE or fit in the shipping shield without going over an ounce. If I used index cards around the same thickness as the shipping shield then the weight would be similar. How's the protection on the index cards?

[@Dwarven_Steel_Games]

@@TheBearNecessiTCG No issues with index cards yet. If it's 4 cards or less I generally use a top loader and that's obviously more than enough. With index cards you can fit up to 13 cards in a PWE without going over an ounce. I was not aware of the $.24 stamp and I picked up some of those after watching the video.

[@mitchellalexander1581]

What about tracking? Aren't you setting yourself up to get a med if you don't track the envelope?

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

That's just part of the business. It really depends on what they order, anything that goes in a padded envelope or above a certain dollar amount gets tracking. If I was to add tracking on all the orders then I would be running my business at a loss. Shipping adds up quick

[@devanshparekh2746]

my main question w this is how are you getting cards to ship? I can't find it reasonable that people rip packs to get hits then sell. That doesn't sound profitable.

[@TheBearNecessiTCG]

I'm going to make a video about this topic because I've tried multiple strategies. If I was to just buy booster boxes/sealed product at MSRP or as they release new sets then I lose money. Almost 100% of the time, it's like buying a lottery ticket to get the best hit out of the box and most of the time the big hit isn't even worth more than the box. I do a lot of bargain shopping to find boxes on clearance. For example, I bought booster boxes of Digimon: New Awakening at $28 each and in that set there are 20 cards selling for over $5, box toppers that go for $5, and some commons/uncommons over 50 cents. I also list all the bulk for .25 and people usually buy a rare card and add a few commons to fill out there decks. Plus Digimon has a lot of players looking for playsets, while Pokemon has more collectors that just buy single cards to fill out their collections. I have no advice if you're doing sports cards because I've lost money every time when I open NBA & NHL. and then there's grading to think about. You could turn at $10 card into a lot more if it comes back a 10.

[@devanshparekh2746]

that makes sense, yeah I am mostly in the one piece market rn since I play and collect. It's a bit easier to flip rn with the crazy and lack of supply but I know that won't last forever so I want to find a good business model that will actually sustain long term. Ripping and selling is just gambling but finding deals makes sense but is also hard in one piece due to the high demand on almost any relevanty card. @@TheBearNecessiTCG

[@sherazhussain8468]

Nice