PSA packaging

[mantleman]

This is not a bashing thread. Just wanted to show how my one 1956 Topps Ted Williams card was shipped back to me in Canada from PSA. I think it was a little overkill and they could probably reduce thier shipping costs as it costs me $49 USD ($65CDN) for the one card, not including grading. I knew this in advance so I am not bitching about how much they charged me, rather making a point it could be reduced.

Here is the pic of the box (roughly 12" by 18" by 3.5") my one graded card came in. I am 6 foot four so I have a big hand.....lol all jokes aside. There was another box inside this one.

If anyone is wondering I was happy with the grade it received and the 5 day express cost was worth it.

Does anyone have similar shipping experience or outrageous shipping stories of items way over/under packed?

Andy

[vintagetoppsguy]

Yeah, that's an overkill.

Let's see the Williams card

[njdunkin1]

I got my recently graded Koufax the same way. A huge box on the exterior, with a tiny box containing the card on the inside. Yeah, I wasn't thrilled, but it got the card to my home safely.

[Jobu]

Do you have your own insurance/FedEx account? You can give PSA a FedEx account number and then they will ship it back to you on your account, which lets you use the insurance you are already paying for rather than having them charge you for insurance again. That said, I agree that the box is a bit much. My subs in the US usually come back to me in what looks like a 100-count box. Perhaps they use an extra box for extra protection in international shipping?

[steve B]

Those boxes are provided free from the post office. There's a few different ones, but not anywhere near the choice you'd get from a shipping supplies place. That one doesn't look like a flat rate box, but some of those can actually cost less in postage than a regular box depending on where it's going and the weight.

Persoanlly, having worked shipping a lot of stuff that was heavy for the size. Like 20+LBS in a box that was 10x10 x10. And knowing that with the PO, basically everything goes in a bin and you don't get to choose if the package on top of yours is a pillow or a lead brick I'd really prefer seeing stuff overpacked.

Steve B

[jfkheat]

The last time I received a package from PSA it was packaged like that. There were 2 cards in the box. In my case the shipping cost was all on PSA because the slabs were cracked when I received them on my prior submission.
James

[Leon]

Some overkill is good, no doubt. But too much just adds expense.

Originally Posted by steve B

Those boxes are provided free from the post office. There's a few different ones, but not anywhere near the choice you'd get from a shipping supplies place. That one doesn't look like a flat rate box, but some of those can actually cost less in postage than a regular box depending on where it's going and the weight.

Persoanlly, having worked shipping a lot of stuff that was heavy for the size. Like 20+LBS in a box that was 10x10 x10. And knowing that with the PO, basically everything goes in a bin and you don't get to choose if the package on top of yours is a pillow or a lead brick I'd really prefer seeing stuff overpacked.

Steve B

[BeanTown]

Originally Posted by Leon

Some overkill is good, no doubt. But too much just adds expense.

Some people use a big hand while others may use a dime for reference. It's nice to show something else to compare size to.

[GasHouseGang]

Based on what PSA charges for shipping, I'll take a little overkill.

[owen21]

We have the same issue with psa shipping to Australia


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[steve B]

Originally Posted by Leon

Some overkill is good, no doubt. But too much just adds expense.

The packing shown by the OP would add nearly no expense.
Small flat rate box from PO free
express box from PO free
Shipping info form whatever it costs to print one page on their printer. Usually under 10 cents.
Clear pouch for the form probably also free from the PO since it was presented at the counter.(otherwise it wouldn't have the $0.00 meter)
Extra reinforced tape for using a large box instead of a small one A few cents? depends on where they buy the tape and how much they buy.
Extra labor to put the small box into the big one ==? Don't know what their shipper gets hourly but an extra 60-90 seconds can't cost much.

Steve B