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Guide to Trading Online
By Dark Marik
February 27^th, 2009
 

Article #2: The Postal System

            Online Trading is obviously not going to be the same as trading with your friends down at your local card shop. There are two obvious factors that make them different. The first would be the fact that, you and your trading partner are not physically looking at each other’s cards (even if you are looking at a picture album online or watching on webcams), and the second is you aren’t standing side by side; you are in fact many miles apart. This is what makes the trading difficult, since you can’t just hand each other cards and be done with it, you have to send them through the mail so your partner can obtain their end of the trade.

            Sending through the mail is only as easy as you make it. Any new trader will be confused as to what to do, especially if they are unfamiliar with how the mail system works. Since I am from the United States, this will be written with the standards of the United States Postal Service, so I apologize if you are reading this from other countries, but most of the same rules should apply.

            Before you send cards out in the mail it is important to know a few things. The first is that when you send cards in the mail, the post office uses machinery to move letters and packages fast and efficiently to their destination. This can result in cards getting bent or damaged. No body wants damaged cards (or would prefer not to have them that way) so there is a way to prevent this. You can place your cards inside hard-plastic card holders, also known as Toploaders. Toploaders are hard cases meant to protect cards of all kinds from being damaged. Whether it is via the mail, stacking, or simply to keep a card safe in when you put it away. These protectors are very effective in keeping cards safe, and are also very inexpensive. My local card shop sells packages of thirty toploaders for the price of $2.50.

            For anyone who is not sure what a toploader is, here is an example I have found on Ultra Pro’s Website. (You can purchase them here too, but I recommend you buy them from your local card shop, or even department store because they are a lot cheaper.)

            But remember how I said that the post office uses machines to move packages around, this also means that the contents of your package will move back and forth, and can cause your card to slip out of the toploader. This can be prevented as well. First place your cards inside card sleeves (of any kind), with the top part facing the bottom of the top loader. Then with a piece of scotch tape, you can seal the top of the toploader so that your cards will not escape and get damaged. Here is an example of what I am talking about.

            To be sure that you do not damage cards from putting them inside the toploader, limit yourself to only two cards per one toploader. Do not try and fit three or more cards in, or you will end up causing damage to your cards, which could result in a negative reference. Another way to help you save on toploaders, is you can couple sleeve a card (place a card inside a Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/Small Gaming Card Sleeve, and then put a Magic The Gathering/Pokemon TCG Sized sleeve over top of it), and tape a card to the side of a toploader, as long as it does not flap over the edges, it will be perfectly fine. (This works best when it is between two toploaders).

            The next important thing to know is what to package your cards in. The most recommended packaging is the waterproof packaging sold at the Post Office, however this is expensive and really not worth the price. Really all you will need is a simply letter envelope to send cards in. These run about $1.99 for a box of 100 plus, and unless you are doing large trades, are all you really need. If you are sending more then one toploader in the envelope, it is best to use some kind of postal-approved packaging tape to strengthen the envelope, especially along the seal and the corners, so that it does not tear while being moved. (This happens as a result of it being well-packaged). For trades with more then two toploaders, (although I would recommend with even two) is to get a bubble envelope. These cost roughly fifty cents each at any department or drug store. (I personally buy mine at the book store at school). These will safely get your cards where they belong without tearing the envelope.  

            So far everything has been pretty basic, and not very confusing. This is where the confusing part takes effect. Postage. Postage is the cost to send your package/envelope through the mail system. It really don’t cost very much, but it is required, and can be paid for in two ways. The first, cheapest, and easiest way, is to buy stamps. Stamps are purchased at all post offices, and can be found at a few other places if you look hard enough. In the United States, the cost to mail a 9-once or less letter is 42 Cents, which is equivalent to one 42-Cent Stamp. You can buy stamps in all different amounts, but the way I find most effective (Both price and time wise) is to buy the 20-Count Stamp booklet for about $8:50. The other way is to directly pay for your postage at the counter in the post office, which works out if you are unsure how much you should charge.

            When pricing how much your trade will cost to send in the mail, the rule of thumb I use is one stamp per toploader being sent. If you are sending to Canada, it costs extra for boarder fees, which results in an extra stamp on top of that. (To send one toploader to Canada will take two stamps). If you are sending to Europe, or anywhere else in the world, it is best to take your envelope to the counter in the post office and directly pay for your postage.

            Do not forget to address the envelope to where you need to send it to. This should be pretty obvious, but there are some people who are not sure how to address envelopes out there, simply because mail has become very obsolete to email. In the center of the envelope you are to write the address of your trading partner. Be sure to write it clearly and legible so that the mail-carrier can read where he needs to send it to. One of the most important parts of the address is the Zip or Postal Code. This tells them where they need to send it to, so even if they cannot read it, the local post office of that area may have a good idea what it says since it is local to them. In the upper left hand corner, or on the flap of the seal on the back, write your address. This is in case they cannot find the location in which they need to send your envelope to, or you have provided insufficient postage, and they need to return your package to you so you can fix everything. Here is an example of how to format an address:

First Name Last Name

#### Street Name St.

City, State  Zip Code  

Country*

*Listing the country is only required when you send to another country.

            There are many other services in which the post office provides, which will be explained out more in detail in the future, but for now you know all of the basics of sending cards in the mail effectively and protectively. For now just take this check list and make your ready for your next trade:

ü  Toploaders (2 Cards Per Toploader)

ü  Toploader is sealed with tape.

ü  Envelope or Bubble Envelope

ü  Correct Postage

ü  Addresses Formatted Correctly

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have found this very helpful. I invite you all to read my next upcoming article which will cover what to do to prevent yourself from having your cards stolen, what to do if it happens, and what you can do about it.

If you have questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at mrh40@uakron.edu or contact Dark Marik 07 on the Pojo message boards.