Vintage and PWE question

[mrmopar]

As mostly a buyer, I am in the camp that as long as I get my item as it was sold, I don't care how it is shipped. However, there are certain expectations about how something should be shipped and price paid for a certain shipping method is one of those.

Don't charge someone $4 shipping, then send the card in an PWE. I don't care if the card somehow improves magically in condition when sent in a PWE, if I paid you $4, I expect it to show up in a padded mailer. I would also not personally risk anything of value in a PWE. However, even cardboard mailers and padded envelopes are not guaranteed to save the item inside from a brutal trip through the USPS system.

[swarmee]

Oh, and if you're looking for a better way to sell than using PWEs, check out COMC.

[Promethius88]

Originally Posted by mrmopar

As mostly a buyer, I am in the camp that as long as I get my item as it was sold, I don't care how it is shipped. However, there are certain expectations about how something should be shipped and price paid for a certain shipping method is one of those.

Don't charge someone $4 shipping, then send the card in an PWE. I don't care if the card somehow improves magically in condition when sent in a PWE, if I paid you $4, I expect it to show up in a padded mailer. I would also not personally risk anything of value in a PWE. However, even cardboard mailers and padded envelopes are not guaranteed to save the item inside from a brutal trip through the USPS system.

This, 10000%. Nothing ticks me off more, as a buyer, than paying $3-4 for shipping on a card and it shows up in a PWE. As a seller, I charge $3 shipping for almost everything that is not BIN with shipping included. Doesn't matter if it is one card or 50 cards...same price. With the shipping charge plus the envelope I am paying $3-4 or even more for multiple cards. For anything over $100 I still charge the $3 if not included but I will ship priority mail in a small flat rate box or bigger. Shipping first class with tracking makes me feel better knowing I can watch it along the way and I think it gives confidence to the buyer as well. Best of luck....regardless if you are buying or selling!

[Johnny630]

If I sell and chard $1 shipping this is what I do.
Get a greeting card.....put the card in a card saver...tape it will on the inside...close card...take each side of greeting card then envelope it mail it .55 cent first class then a .20 Non machinable then put in mail box. Works like a charm try it guys.

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Johnny630

If I sell and chard $1 shipping this is what I do.
Get a greeting card.....put the card in a card saver...tape it will on the inside...close card...take each side of greeting card then envelope it mail it .55 cent first class then a .20 Non machinable then put in mail box. Works like a charm try it guys.

Johnny, the USPS non-machinable surcharge was fairly recently reduced to 15 cents.

I ship most cards that I sell for up to $20-25 on eBay via PWE. I use a couple of pieces of fairly thick stiffener. The key is to keep the PWE no thicker than 1/4 inch, which is the thickness limit for a First Class letter. If the PWE is greater than 1/4 inch thick, it is considered a First Class package. Also, I write "non-machinable" in red ink on both sides of the PWE. My PWEs end up weighing between 1 and 2 ounces, hence my USPS mailing cost is $.55 + $.15 + $.15 = $.85 total.

I don't sell a lot of cards on eBay, as I'm not a dealer. I just sell cards that no longer fit my collecting focuses. I guess I've been fortunate thus far, as I haven't suffered any losses from using PWEs.

[Johnny630]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Johnny, the USPS non-machinable surcharge was fairly recently reduced to 15 cents.

I ship most cards that I sell for up to $20-25 on eBay via PWE. I use a couple of pieces of fairly thick stiffener. The key is to keep the PWE no thicker than 1/4 inch, which is the thickness limit for a First Class letter. If the PWE is greater than 1/4 inch thick, it is considered a First Class package. Also, I write "non-machinable" in red ink on both sides of the PWE. My PWEs end up weighing between 1 and 2 ounces, hence my USPS mailing cost is $.55 + $.15 + $.15 = $.85 total.

I don't sell a lot of cards on eBay, as I'm not a dealer. I just sell cards that no longer fit my collecting focuses. I guess I've been fortunate thus far, as I haven't suffered any losses from using PWEs.

Reduced to .15 from .20 but first class increased .5 to .55 from .50
At least the non machinable has been reduced :-) thank you

[wdwfan]

I try to use bubble with tracking on everything. I'm going to pay $3+ for a PWE with toploader or a bubble with toploader, so I usually just do the extra.

I got 2 PWEs in the other day. Both were toploaders taped to a piece of paper, and both were fairly cheap cards (one was like $3 and one was like $8). But I had to pay $2.95 for each one just to get them because the 50 cents stamp wasn't enough. It really sucks.

That said, I had an ebay seller ship a $27 Mantle LL card I bought for my 62T set in a PWE. Of course, I had to pay the $3 extra to get it. But I could've just said I never got it and gotten both the money and the card.

[wdwfan]

How can you charge $3 and not lose money? There's the 10% fee ebay charges on shipping (30 cents) then the cost of the bubble mailer (48 cents) then the actual cost to ship (anywhere from $2.75-$3 depending on location for 4 ounce package). So it's $3.75 minimum to ship, and that's just for a couple of cards that get to 4 ounces. I can't imagine charging $3 for 100 cards, and it costs like $7.

Originally Posted by Promethius88

This, 10000%. Nothing ticks me off more, as a buyer, than paying $3-4 for shipping on a card and it shows up in a PWE. As a seller, I charge $3 shipping for almost everything that is not BIN with shipping included. Doesn't matter if it is one card or 50 cards...same price. With the shipping charge plus the envelope I am paying $3-4 or even more for multiple cards. For anything over $100 I still charge the $3 if not included but I will ship priority mail in a small flat rate box or bigger. Shipping first class with tracking makes me feel better knowing I can watch it along the way and I think it gives confidence to the buyer as well. Best of luck....regardless if you are buying or selling!

[jchcollins]

It's ok as long as you aren't mailing a card worth more than a few dollars, AND ONLY if you are super clear and disclose that the card will arrive in a PWE. Some sellers get confused because technically a PWE is First Class "Mail", but this is very different from a First Class PACKAGE which comes with a tracking number. I will agree as others have said, nothing angers me more to buy a $20 card or something and have it listed as First Class Package and then 10 days later a PWE shows up with the card poking halfway out of a toploader. I haven't actually done it I don't think, but I've been tempted to leave a seller negative feedback based on that fact alone even if the card somehow arrives unscathed.

[glynparson]

I'd prefer to not get a card in plain white envelope. especially if charged for shipping and or card is valued at more than 5-10 dollars. i would never send higher grade as this is just inviting it to not end up there in higher grade.