My hard lesson learned today
 

A few days ago, I had purchased a raw W514 Schalk card on eBay that I was going to get graded for my White Sox type set.

The bubble mailer arrived today, and I cut open the top 1/4" of the envelope to retrieve the card (like I have done a hundred times before with no issues). Unfortunately this time, the result was less than desirable...


<a href="http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u169/toppsopcfan/raw%20prewar%20cards/?action=view&amp;current=img235.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u169/toppsopcfan/raw%20prewar%20cards/img235.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The card was just packed in a top loader, and had obviously slipped out during shipping. It would have been nice if the seller had sandwiched the card between some cardboard...I would have been happy if he had even put a piece of tape over the opening of the top loader to keep the card from moving.

I'm more pissed at myself for doing this than with the seller's poor packaging. :mad:

From now on, I will be sure to use a different method whenever I open another bubble mailer.

Anyone else have any similar stories that they would care to share (so I don't feel like a total schmuck)... :(

did the same thing...it was only a Tiki Barber card, but a nice one I would have rather not destroyed.

same thing happened on a raw e90-1 plank. card went from G to a psa 4.

that sucks! I also did the same thing with a rare, ex-mt caramel card of jack johnson...I sliced the edge of the envelope with a scissor...and I cut off a corner of my "scissor" backed Jack Johnson card...I wanted to cry!!!! I still do!!!

i think it's trimmed. LOL

So I should stop stabbing the packages I get with a knife and sawing them open? :)

Thanks for the warning. I'm gonna start using a different method immediately.

jeff

I've never had it happen, but I think about it every time I cut open a bubble mailer. I bet we see more pictures in this thread.

Ouch! :eek:

Send it to PSA, they might not recognize it. Gorilla glue works wonders. Sorry to hear about the card.

T205
 

I've done worse....bought a nice T205 Cy Young from a board member and somehow managed to throw it away with the packing material. Wow.

ZWheat

lol :d.

Same thing happened to me with a 1933 Goudey Ruth. Wow, that would have been a bad day if that really would have happened. :p

Honestly, I think the dumbest thing I've done to a card was when I was removing a T201 Johnson/Street card from a screw down holder and I didn't completely let one of the screws loose. I pulled on the card and guess what didn't come out of the holder with the card - yup, the corner... went from about a "5" to a "1" in a split second. :eek:

I've never had that happen to me but I am conscious of it every time I open a package. When it's something like a card, I always tap the package on its end to get stuff to slide to the other side. When it's a box, I'm always careful to cut only the tape and not push the blade in too far.

Sucks this happened to you.

Tabe

That aint so bad,

I went to medi-center a few months ago, old steak knife to the thumb opening up a well taped box, card survived, but my thumb got glued and my wallet was less the $75 co-pay.

Ralph got off worse. The original card was only $31. Too bad, was a nice looking example.

LOL Sad part was it was only a $20+ dollar card off e-bay. That cost me $100 :o

Steve F

Hate to see MD stories like that

Youch! I have yet to do that, but anymore I try to open the envelope from the sealed flap to avoid just this kind of situation. Or make sure all the contents are the end opposite of which I am cutting.

I learned you have to ship glass photos in boxes not bubble envelopes. The buyer was not pleased.

Had a nice Zeenut several years back (from a highly respected seller) arrive in a semi rigid with a small piece of tape. The card had slid up under the tape & now I have a nice Z with a small bit of paperloss. :(

I did the EXACT same thing with a ROGER MARIS funeral brochure. Used a pair of scissors to open the bubble mailer and choped the brochure in half almost :o:o:o

Anytime I ship a card that is not slabbed I fold a small piece of paper over the top opening of a semi rigid or rigid holder and then tape that to the holder; the tape cannot stick to the card that way. The paper needs to be wider than the tape obviously but this works great.

shipping
 

Hi,
I feel the best way to ship a single card is this:

• Put the card in a sleeve
• Put the sleeved card in a topload
• Put the topload in a "team bag"
• Put another topload on each side of the original topload
• Seal the bag and put a piece of tape along the seal
• Put the whole works in a small bubble mailer

Works well for me. BTW the seller should reimburse the OP for the cost of the card plus shipping.

I think we all have made a shipping mistake at one point. Mine was when I auctioned off a rare book collection. I mailed a thick hardback, mint book in a bubble-mailer. Yes, it was stupid. After receiving the book with four bend corners, the buyer emailed back: "Don't they have boxes in Georgia?"

I used to sell rare lp's (records to you younguns) I always sent VERY DETAILED instructions how to open the package, it wasn't rocket science but it worked everyone got their record opened ok with no damage, my boss says a happy client pays with happy dollars

+1 :)