Shipping is where seller reputations are made or broken. A perfect Near Mint card that arrives bent in a flimsy envelope is a refund waiting to happen. Here’s the protocol most experienced sellers use.
Materials checklist
For any single card under $20
- Penny sleeve (soft plastic): the card goes here first
- Top loader (rigid plastic): the penny-sleeved card slides in
- Team bag or painters tape across the top loader opening: keeps the card from sliding out
- Plain white envelope + first-class postage. A stamp is fine here; a tracked letter is optional.
For cards $20 and up
- All of the above, plus
- Bubble mailer instead of plain envelope
- Cardboard sandwich: two pieces of cardboard taped around the top loader so it can’t bend in transit
For cards $100+
- Bubble mailer with cardboard sandwich
- Signature confirmation added at checkout
- Insurance on the package
Step-by-step
- Lay the penny sleeve flat. Slide the card in with the artwork facing the open side, so it goes in open-side first.
- Slide the sleeved card into the top loader sealed-side first (the open end of the penny sleeve ends up inside the top loader, not exposed).
- Tape or team-bag the top of the top loader.
- Wrap in cardboard if the card’s value warrants it.
- Insert into envelope or mailer with the rigid side flat against the long wall of the envelope.
Tracking matters (from $20 up)
For orders under $20, a stamped plain envelope is the standard and tracking is optional. Just know the tradeoff: without tracking you have no proof of shipment, so if a buyer reports the card missing, the refund comes out of your payout. From $20 up, tracking is required: USPS Ground Advantage (formerly First-Class Package) includes it and is the cheapest reliable option. Add the tracking number to your EvoMarket order so it reaches the buyer.
High-value caveat
For anything over $250, use USPS Priority Mail with insurance and signature confirmation. The extra five dollars is cheap insurance against a $250 loss.