Help

[autograder79]

hello everyone....i'm looking for help on sending cards TTM.....i;m looking to send cards in good condition and more times than not the card comes back damaged, i know im expecting alot from TTM ....but i will ship card in Semi-Rigid....and for some reason no one knows how to put it back in ....its usually comes out of holder or half in or just dinged and creased from attempting it......i know alot of people on here send them loose because they are set builders ....but i;m an eye appeal guy.......any help would be appreciated

[OC22]

I send mine without any toploaders, and maybe one in 20 come back damaged. And I live in Chicago, so the USPS cares even less here than they usually do.

If you're dead set on having some sort of protection, I'd think your best bet would be sending a padded envelope as an SASE with a cardboard backer already in the SASE, but that would get expensive really quick.

If you don't want to go that route, I'd say just send without a toploader. It takes one possible point of damage out of the equation. If you don't like how the card turned out, you could always trade it for something in better shape.

[ClemD]

I take two pieces of cardboard cut to trading card size plus all sides (back of a writing pad cardboard thickness like). One piece eighth inch or so smaller than the other to make it easier to grab card out of. Get a one inch piece of paper a little smaller than width of cardboard pieces. Scotch tape on both wide ends to connect the outside bottoms of both pieces (so a card can go into and out of easily and not by itself -- also it can only bottom out to a piece of paper.) You've now got the guts of it.

Print out team logo, HOF logo, or some other achievement important to player on a piece of paper. Wrap the paper around the cardboard like you are wrapping a gift. I lay the cardboard guts over the centered logo, ex-acto it to size I want, and fold over excess paper (not too much excess) all sides (do sides first)- scotch tape to inside. No need to cover the entire inside with it. Relief cuts at center edges both sides where you have the paper hinge so it can fold-over close easily. You'll have to do the same on a diagonal when you fold over the tops or the paper fold will bunch.

Another one inch wide piece of paper to length. Scotch tape both ends to form a "belt" around the middle to secure both halves closed with the desired amount of tension.

It takes me less than a half-hour to make one of these.

A penny sleeve for the card to protect it inside the new paper-cardboard protector.

You'll see -- you can pry the two halves away from each other and grab the card out with ease.

It adds some thickness to a regular envelope -- but with one or two cards only -- you'll be fine with one first-class stamp. Haven't had one come back yet in need of additional postage.

I put in my letter - if I may ask for the player to please place inside the paper-cardboard protector for the return trip? So it isn't damaged by mail handling? Thanks!

Good luck.
Take a look at all the replies. There are a lot of other people that have been doing TTM a lot longer than me.

@OC22 has a good idea with the bubble-mailers. I usually use those with HOF requests. May be worth the extra expense to you.

If only the auto smudges weren't a problem. I think I just lost my Gaylord Perry in the mail. SASE came back unsealed and empty. Nice card, too. There are other forces at work beside USPS.

[camsue]

When i use a top loader i usually cut a v in the top loader and never have any issue. Believe it or not i had the opportunity to speak to a few retired orioles and the subject came up and they stated that the cards are hard for them to retrieve and return to the top loaders. The V cut allows them to access and return the cards easily.

[Rolltide]

I just send the cards loose and have only had two or three out of hundreds come back damaged at all. May be a regional PO thing.

[Dean28]

Players will usually not want to mess w/ holders. I just place a piece of cereal box cardboard (cut slightly smaller than the return envelope) into the SASE. The cards usually come back okay.

[autograder79]

Thank you guys , those tips def helped.....i bought some invitation cards that are slightly smaller than mailing envelope to reduced shifting....im also just going to put card in soft sleeve....in addition i spoke to post office and i guess they sell special stamps that make mail get hand sorted instead of being thru machine sorters....the stamps are 70 cents and allow 2 ounces of weight not bad since two 49 cents would allow 2 ounces normally........thank you again!!!!!