Shipping Trading Cards in 2024 with TCGplayer's Credit Increase
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- #tradingcards #shipping #tcgplayer
A lot has changed in the last year and half, but a lot has stayed the same. Customer experience is still the king that I bow to. If I truly believe that Every Card Has Value, then a corollary to that is that Every Customer Has Value. It's my responsibility to make sure that I can provide those customers with all the experience they could hope for while still being able to continue the business as a going concern. I hope my processes either help you to do your own shipping, or else they inspire you not to be afraid to start selling cards online. Cheers!
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You make the customer the goal."
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Chase showing us why he is the King. Thanks for the breakdown. I was telling everyone around me this was the best news and no one else was getting as excited for the $0.23 as me. 😀
It really is exciting, makes a lot more of a difference than it would seem
I too flipped out over the increase 😂
Long live the King
Thank you for the video! Your videos inspired me to start selling through TCGPlayer over a year ago. I am a Direct seller now and things are going great.
I'm humbled that you think I had much to do with it. That's all you brother
The increased shipping is actually insanely huge for small sellers like me. Before I opted out of listing anything below 50 cents because it just didn't make sense for me to spend the time giving cards out almost for free. And that heavily limited my cards available for sale so people would often buy one single card for 50 cents. Now I can list things comfortably at a 15 cent minimum and I have more inventory so I'm not losing money that often
Thank you as always for the wonderful video. I enjoy using the window mailer envelope. The TCG packing slip is really well designed to show the buyer address.
I love repeat buyers as well. I prioritize getting my orders out the next day and I think that helps. If a buyer gets an order quickly they are more likely to be understanding as well if there are any issues.
I hear about the windowed envelope a lot, I might use them if they were similar in cost, but I personally just can't deal with paying nearly double for the envelope with the only benefit to me being I don't have to print onto the envelope. But again, I respect what works for you =]
@@TCGBulkKings yeah I do pay a bit more. I like the speed at which I can get orders out. I think it helps me push the volume I can when working a full-time job and trying to grow the business.
You can send those larger order as flats (large envelopes 9x12). I have nearly a 100% success rate with thousands of orders shipping up to 70 cards in one flat.
Yeah, I'm working up a solution for this as well, will be a video about it coming soon
@@TCGBulkKings It’s tough to do it with shipping by sheilds or cardsavers or whatever, I have some thick cardstock that I get cut down to size so that the front and back are both completely covered, use a glue runner to hold the sleeved cards in place and put them in a large self sealing bag. Tape three of those together vertically and they’ll fit into a 9x12! Not beautiful but it gets the job done and I haven’t had any complaints. You may have a better way of doing it, i’m looking forward to seeing how you’ll go about it.
Packing orders as i watch 🎉 thanks for the longform content chase!
Hope you enjoy, and I'm glad at least that I'm helping you get some work done =]
33:16 - The total fee should be the percentage plus the flat amount (0.1395% + $0.30). However, I think you did this in the actual calculation since I also got about $0.10 for the breakeven point based on these numbers.
Thanks for the video! I really enjoy seeing these details.
Yeah, you're right, and this is why I got a degree in philosophy and not physics.
Magic Scotch tape works great. I have tested it by putting some on a card and pulling it off and it leaves no residue if it does manage to get on the cards, which is hard to do. Another inexpensive solution in place of the Card Shield is half of a folded vending machine cardboard sleeve. They are less than a penny if you buy them in bulk. They don't look as good but get the job done.
Thank you for the content! Can't wait to watch this one. I have been selling some singles on TCG Player using your tips. I was gifted a decent collection to start with a ton of older cards. Looking forward to selling them knowing that every card has value!
Hope you liked it, and I'm glad you've got the spirit!
Love this whole vid! Great tips! I should note mercari also offers a tracked envelope. I have been able to make a few sales there too. Only downside of mercari of course is that you cannot withdraw your payment until delivery and there is a fee if you withdraw less than $10 so depends on what you sell over there
Yeah, Mercari just doesn't seem set up to do the kind of volume I'm interested in doing, but that's awesome that it's working for you. Glad you liked the video!
So psyched for the shipping charge update! When I first started (and didnt have things more fleshed out) I had to resort to weird shipping alternatives to actually profit on cards under about $0.20 due to the rising stamp prices.
Yeah it helps out a lot
Great video - good food for thought and will revise my process a bit. Appreciate you taking the time to explain everything thoroughly!
I'm humbled you found it helpful, thanks for your kind words
Love the videos brotha!
Started making my own shipping shields.
Hey, good for you man, but remember if you are trying to sell them, I think ShippingShield is almost done obtaining the patent on their design
I like using packing slips to make sure I know it’s the correct item for the order.
Great video! Super informative!
Thanks for watching!
You could try shipping cards as a large envelope. It's possible to ship up to 90 cards (maybe more, but i never mailed more than that). You can ship cards in stacks of 10's in a 9 pocket binder page. 10 cards in each pocket.
I haven't liked trying to use card pages in the past, hasn't worked like I wanted. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I couldn't figure out anything better for how to do it
The greatest of all time at work!
Amazing video. I spend all of my profits on fuel going to the post office living in California. 😢
Hey Chase,
two things:
Since you use Open Office have you thought about using a mail merge for the envelopes to just instead load a csv or spreadsheet and have it print the envelopes instead of copy and pasting them one by one. (you can also have it do your return address with logo)
and on the topic of what the change of shipping costs and buyers response to possibly hitting the 5 dollar mark more often. Could you do a breakdown of a bigger order say 50-75 cards hitting the 5 dollar mark, because while I see these as loss leader orders for the same reason you do they are some of my biggest losses, both in terms of card quality and cost.
Thanks, you have helped me so much over the years and provided me with some great insight
I was not aware that that was a thing someone could do o.O
I can do a breakdown of a parcel order, I'll do it the next time I get one for an example 👍
Mail merge makes the whole process so much easier. It's a life changer. Print directly on the envelope.
My god it does! I got a trial for a month, with Avery. Just select fields you want and click go! All envelopes pop up iun either pdf/google docs and ready to be printed!
@@PandaPhooj GREAT ADVICE
I do mail merge. It's SUCH a time saver and saves costs
Really glad I saw this today; I'm getting ready to start my journey selling on TCGplayer this week, so now I'm double excited! Do you have any advice for the best/most cost-effective way to apply an address label until I can get a better printer? Thanks!
Honestly, when first getting started, hand-writing them is okay. A thermal label printer like the Dymo can help a lot, but I like having a regular printer I can use for that because it's useful for a lot of other things too. Since I print a LOT, the Eco-tank made the most sense after my last printer *checks notes* ate itself
@@TCGBulkKings Awesome thanks for the reply!
I used to sell on eBay, a while back and what got me so damn depressed about it was, figured out how much I was earning an hour. Needless to say that was the end of eBay for me.
I really like your videos; thank you for putting them together. I am very interested in the scanner setup. Will it distinguish foils from regular cards?
Generally no, but there's an option to choose which you are scanning in the software. I separate them anyway for listing purposes, so didn't take affect my workflow
I definitely think it's a great change, but I feel like it's just going to lead to an even bigger race to the bottom for card prices. There were already listings for $.01-$.05. Anything that was remotely above that can now just be lowered even more. Hopefully it doesn't just end up with even more stagnant prices that are all forced to stay down.
I'll be surprised if it affects prices much, honestly, though we'll see what happens
I hope so! I mostly sell on eBay, but it might be time to use TCGPlayer for the bulkier cards!
So much great info here!! Use a lot of the same methods, I do not do an invoice but use a plain piece of paper for that extra protection. Spot on with the short envelopes, had to switch to #10 and no issues with tracking or return to sender. I have had so many orders of 30+ cards I get on TCG show up in a PWE... almost always have damage. Thanks for the updated video man, wish you the best and look forward to upcoming content!
Thank you for your kind words, I'm glad the video was so helpful for you. Sounds like you've settled into a pretty good process yourself there
Your videos have been instrumental for me!
Out of curiosity, for that Pokémon order, why not send the bubble mailer as a flat? You should be able to stay under 3/4” thickness requirement for a flat and use standard envelopes to hit 3oz of shipping with it. Costs $1.50+$0.28/oz over the first to send. Just stick stamps on until you hit that value.
Just thought I’d ask as I’ve seen people recommend that. Thanks!
At the time of making this video I hadn't come up with a practice for shipping flats that I thought was consistent and also protected the cards. Check out my newest long video about shipping with flats
@@TCGBulkKings will do! Thank you for the response, I’ve been watching your content nonstop. You’re doing amazing work putting all this info out in the open. Appreciate you!
@@HardAnswers thanks for your kind words, and I'm glad to be helpful ☺️
Awesome video and seeing the evolution of your processes over time. Your initial "how to ship" video was the first video I came across when I started.
Looking to make some upgrades to my own processes as well:
thoughts on ecotank vs laser?
might switch over to shipping shields thanks to you, saw that it was cheaper at volume.
Rollo is the way, best label printer on the market IMO
funny enough got a negative feedback on eBay because I shipped a pokemon card out in a etb sleeve...did not expect someone else to have a similar experience lol
Agree, TCGP needs to integrate that stamped pwe from eBay, I was hoping the acquisition was going to lead to it.
My body is ready, Ebay/TCGplayer 😂
I very much prefer the eco tank, much longer times between refills, and the ink is only like $15 for a bottle that is more than enough to fill it
1. you should calculate how much it cost you to get the card in your possession. Even if it is 1 penny.
2. you went into 2.5 minutes of some algebra math, you could have saved time by this one simple rule. Whatever the negative profit is, add that to the initial card price and you get .10. Initial card cost was .05 and the lost profit of .05 add together to get .10 that the card needs to be to breakeven.
3. also, have you though about how much time it takes to list a card and then the time it takes to package the card? Your time is valuable as well and you should be compensated for your time.
How would you suggest shipping an order where its only say - 1 10cent card? Do you think penny sleeve, team bag and some form of cardboard is a bad shipping practice? ( sometimes use like 2 old hockey cards or something as the protection, cheap!)
Something plastic touching the card. Something rigid to keep it from bending or getting indentations. Something around the outside to keep it from moving and keep moisture off. I don't really like just using bits of cardboard taped together, because the tape is either hard to get through or can stick on the card. I *especially* don't like using other cards as sacrificial lambs, because I think those cards have valuable as well. Old hockey cards can be quite valuable T.T Somebody will want them
People who don't include packing slips irk me. Like I guess you don't value my time or ability to leave you feedback, guess I'm just gonna go on a hunt looking at every seller that I bought X card from until I find the 1 dude from the correct state and qty, then leave feedback...
Thanks Chase!! Appreciate these vids!!
Good, I like making them!
Thanks for the video Chase! I was wondering about this shipping credit you mention. Ive been reading through TCGplayers information on selling and haven't seen it anywhere yet.
Is it locked behind a certain seller level by chance?
I don't see how the info would be locked, no. Essentially, TCGplayer allows you the seller to set your shipping price. The current minimum they allow you to set it at is $1.22. This price will be charged to the customer on your behalf and passed along to you, minus the fees on the order total. Once you reach Lvl 4, you have the option to enable what they call Dynamic Shipping. This is the famous 'free above $5' shipping. Your listings are sorted on the product pages as if they had free shipping, but it still charges that for you on orders below $5, and that minimum charge is still $1.22 unless the order goes above $5. That's pretty much it - your cards get to be sorted without accounting for shipping costs, but you still get credit on orders for which that is really necessary. Hope that makes sense for you!
@@TCGBulkKings thanks Chase! I believe you, I just cant find where tcgplayer spells out this info. Ill take another look later today when i get home
I had a couple thoughts. I like to print my return address onto my envelopes 100-200 at a time. (Then I use Avery 8160 address labels. I may need to revisit that after hearing your OpenOffice template idea.) I was wondering if, once your rubber stamp runs out of ink, could you print your return address and logo on the #10 ahead of time? I guess you'd still need blank ones for ESE...
The tcgplayer shipping change is a sight for sore eyes. That 59c figure for a 5c card under the old system is wild when stamps are 68c. Doing some napkin math, the change to $1.22 means sellers receive 20c more per order than they used to. I made around 2,000 sales last year. That's a $400 delta. Talk about pennies adding up, that's massive!
I'm wondering if the shipping change could increase competition. As you were saying about break even prices... There could be people who would never post below, say, 30c. After the change, maybe listing 20c cards will start to sound pretty attractive.
Thanks for the long video. There's good stuff here I hadn't explored yet.
On the whole, I don't expect much will change as far as either buyer or seller behavior. And I could print my return address on the envelope too, but I like the little crown I got designed on my stamp and I can always refill the ink, it's really really cheap and easy. Basically it will never run out of ink
Really glad you've enjoyed the video! It was a lot of work, this one
Hey Chase, great video, very helpful!
Question: You mentioned you have an inventory system you use. Would you be able to explain it? Im struggling to figure out a spreadsheet method that works and includes incoming inventory and tracking items from big lots. i keep making it more and more complex and then redoing it to simplify. :-/
Help please? :-)
ua-cam.com/video/df0wfc-nH0w/v-deo.html is a video explaining most of my current inventory setup. I don't try to keep track of it all in a spreadsheet, I just use the various inventory management tools available in the different marketplaces I'm in, including my own website. Not one big inventory spreadsheet, that would be too much I think for anyone to try to keep up with. It rapidly grows too big to manually enter things, so would need something akin to a retail store's inventory management, which naturally is too much for a from-home individual seller.
ua-cam.com/video/22a8kwO7wtw/v-deo.html and ua-cam.com/video/Z0PVZ2jDUqw/v-deo.html detail recent refinements that help prevent ghost inventory specifically on TCGplayer =]
great video thank you, i thought my were way off cause i was hitting about or just under .90 an order in supplies.
Not bad, honestly, but if you can save $.05 per order shipped, that will start to add up in the long run
Great update to the process! I did notice that you don't add any tape to the adhesive flaps of the envelopes. I had recommendations from family that work at the postal service to put tape on the corners of the flaps, as they claim the most common cause of PWE getting damaged is the flaps getting caught in the sorter machines. Have you had any instances that support this? I am currently much smaller in volume; therefore the extra cent in cost and 7ish seconds of time aren't currently an issue. As I scale, I am looking for acceptable ways to improve efficiency and keep cost down to provide competitive pricing.
I can tell you I have very few orders that don't reach the buyers, and almost all that don't reach them are returned because they gave a poor address or else USPS decided I hadn't paid enough for some reason. Maybe 2 per thousand orders I ship are damaged
Literally was watching that video last night
I promise it's the algorithm spying on you, not me =]
@TCG Bulk Kings
17:45 Hey Chase great video you mention a big Pokémon order going through Pirate Ship and packaged up in a bubble mailer. I’d be interested to know the cost breakdown for that order, since I have shipped orders with 50 cheap cards
Pirate Ship can get you a good discount on shipping. Some of those orders if the cards are really cheap the margins do get eaten up by the shipping, but they are usually still in the same ballpark if you were selling the cards individually. 50 cards at $.20 each is $10, so $4-5 shipping leaves you at least $5 or $.10 margin per card, which is pretty good
I tried printing on envelopes with our brother lazer jet but the damn toner would not stick and you could rub it off with your thumb. I might consider that eco-tank because I am tried of wasting labels with my 4x6 thermal printer. Where did you get your custom return label stamp?
Weird, I haven't seen that happen in a modern printer. But I love the Eco-tank!
I left links to both the printer and the self-inking stamp I use in the description. They are affiliate links, so if you purchase through them, I do get a kickback, so feel free not to purchase that way if you'd like. But any support I receive goes directly toward making MOAR VIDEOS lol
Yeah I can't explain it either. I messed with about every setting I can see and it still rubs off. I am getting low on envelopes so I was going to try a different brand and see if it was just those envelopes from officemax. If it still rubs off then it has to be that brother laser printer. @@TCGBulkKings
I re-use team bags all the time. Not sure how you justify the cardboard shipping shields due to 'eliminating plastic' but then you basically render the team bag unusable with residue.
Recommendations on how frequently to buy stamps? Knowing the USPS will eventually raise prices again should we just go hard and get $2K+ in stamps now in one hit or spread it out?
I personally prefer a "just in time" style for buying stamps, or most supplies. I don't want to tie up too much capital in not-inventory. I try to buy enough to cover a couple days to a week's worth of orders at a time, no more.
Thank you appreciate it very informative video.
How do you handle the costs of shipping that larger brick? What shipping tiers do you setup in TCG player?
stay tuned - video coming soon
I do the free over $5 shipping in TCGplayer
I'm right around the .84 cent range myself, but send under dollar orders taped to cardboard to save the 9 cents on the toploader. I thought the percent was 12.75% +.3?
I am a Pro seller and a Direct seller, so according to the chart (and the math matched up to my orders), my fees are:
8.95% Marketplace, 2.5% Pro seller fee, and 2.5%+.30 flat credit card or PayPal processing fee. For a total of 13.95%+.30. If you aren't either in Direct or a Pro seller, then your fees will be a little different.
@@TCGBulkKings as someone who ships out probably 70-80 orders a week would u recommend to upgrade to pro seller (not direct)? Still on the fence with the increased pro fee
@YourDaddyismydaddy I suspect the increase in volume from using MassPrice alone would more than offset the extra fees. Fees are the cost of doing business. Pay the fees - do the business
@@TCGBulkKings hey thank you so much. i truly appreciate you for spending your time to help a fellow bulk seller. Forever a subscriber.
Love the video!! I’m gonna revise some of my process because I found your method to be more efficient. I do have a question. Have you had any issues placing the shipping shield in the middle instead of one side? Or is it just preference?
So glad to have been helpful! I haven't tried putting the card in the middle rather than offset, but it just seems like the envelope would go through machines better if there isn't a hard barrier to folding down the middle, have an easier time going through a 90° angle change of direction .
Hi Chase, thank you so much for these videos! It’s been 3 weeks and I’m on the cusp of becoming seller lvl 4. One question, is it too costly to use my printer to print directly onto envelopes if I don’t have ecotank? I only have about $230 in sales so it is hard to justify purchasing the printer. However, it is starting to become a little time consuming to hand write the to address. Thanks!
Hey there, glad the videos are helpful! It's not too costly to use a regular printer, especially if the time saved will be better spent listing more cards. You will eventually want to upgrade to someone that costs less per page, but save the time now
I struggle with the large orders like that 50 card order you had, can you show me how that broke down? If it is a $7 order it just seems like when you can’t go PWE then your cooked
Stay tuned, a video about this very topic is coming out in a couple days =]
Is this increase in shipping from .99 to 1.22 only applied if you have your shipping set to free? I guess I didnt understand the email I received and was hoping this would be explained in this video.
Yes. If you have the Dynamic Shipping on (i.e., the free over $5 shipping option), then instead of the minimum shipping for under $5 orders being .99, it is now 1.22. This will be charged to the customer and added to your order total, just like the .99 (or whatever you have set if you don't have free shipping set) was. Then fees will be applied to the order total.
Thank you for the clarification. I thought thats what you were explaining but my brian works slowly sometimes haha.
Thanks for the great videos! Been watching for about a year now
Could you please elaborate on how do you print directly on the envelope?
stay tuned - video coming soon
Thank you for this! I've had issues with bigger card total orders now that I've moved into the bulk territory. Is there any money made when you are needing to use a pirate ship label? I know they can run around $4 or so. Or is it just kind of eat the loss type deal?
Also great to see you're located in AR! Me too lol
Some of those orders, if they consist solely of your lowest cost cards, yeah, you may lose a bit on. But usually, people who are ordering a lot of cards are at least aware of trying to get to a $5 threshold to get the free shipping. So if your order is over $5, and your shipping cost is around $4, you aren't really doing too bad, as compared with the margin on say a 2 card order that is just barely above your breakeven.
I hope you mean Arizona, not Arkansas. I escaped Arkansas a few years ago, and I'm not looking back lol
21:10 how are you making it under the .25" for first class mailing with that many cards+shipping sheet+envelope?
Not sure what to tell you, you can see how I packed it in the video. It just isn't greater than a quarter inch in thickness :shrug:
Did you stop using the envelope sleeves? I thought of using them but didn't think the added weight would be worth it considering the cards are already getting protection w/ team bags.
I did because they weren't consistently available to order. I wasn't using team bags at that time, but I am now, just more consistently available
@@TCGBulkKings Ahh, gotcha. I've seen them on wizardcoinsupply for pretty cheap and they always seem to be in stock but haven't ordered any.
Hey there King! I have a question in regards to ebay selling. How do you mass list product at once with a spreadsheet document? I have tried figuring it out but my brain can't make sense of the instructions I have seen. Maybe you could simplify it for me or know a good vid to recommend.
Not intuitive for sure. The Reports tab on your main seller page has a drop down menu, the top of which is "Uploads", that's where you want to go
Thanks for the information! Excellent Content! Where do you take into consideration cost of card for your calculations. I didn't see it applied, unless I missed something...or you have a distributor that offers free bulk in which case, hook me up :P .
It's not free, but it's really really cheap 😂. Add $.005 per card for bulk. I'm glad you've enjoyed the video =]
Thank you so much for this answer! Really helps me level with my own pricing. I also loved your thoughts around an operating business and how that's looked down on in this space. I always thought that was funny,. considering without it we wouldn't be able to buy singles for deck building competitively.
@@RogueCardVault-ty6dm I'm glad you saw it that way =] So many people good over the fact that this is a service provided to the market. Creating the ability for the market to move it's products more freely is (almost) always beneficial for all parties involved, in the long run. And most of the ones who feel a short term pain are just no longer able to exploit the inefficiencies artificially created. Putting forgotten collections back into the market gets more cards to people who want them
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
Thanks for the video! What do you do with those awkward 9-16 card orders? 16+ you mentioned you use bubble mailers. My penny sleeves and shipping shields hold about 8 cards. Every time someone orders 10-12 cards I don't really have a solution yet... or at least one that keeps the cards safe AND is cost effective. Do you think it's okay to split them up into penny sleeves and throw them in a team bag without the shield?
9-16 cards I put in 2 shipping shields and place them side by side in the envelope. Taped to the invoice so they don't move in the envelope. Then pay the slightly increased shipping for 2 or 3 oz instead of regular priced shipping
@@TCGBulkKings Thanks for the insight!
@@TCGBulkKings Follow up question.. how are you paying for postage for the 000 mailers? I shipped 28 cards today and was told there isn't anything in between first class and ground advantage . It cost me $5.35 to ship ground so I ended up losing around $2.50 for that order.
@@better2bsaif stay tuned - video coming 😜
do people buying your sports cards not mind not getting the card in a top loader since sports cards are for display? what price would u consider using a top loader for sports cards over a shipping shield?
I've had literally 3 complaints over the last 2 years I've been using Shipping Shields, that were specifically about the Shipping Shield itself. 2 of them were complaints of damage that would have hurt the cards if they were in *steel* sleeves let alone toploaders. And one was simply "5 stars, should have been in a toploader" :shrug:
@@TCGBulkKings that's good to know. i won't feel bad using my shipping shields then! thanks!!
May you give a list and links to buy everything you use? If it is also an amazon link you get a kickback on I would be happy to use that as well. Thank you for this!
Almost all of my supplies I get from BCW Supplies - penny sleeves, team bags, toploaders if you use them, storage boxes, dividers, &c. I have a promo code with them for 10% off. Follow this link and use code 'tcgbulkkings' : www.bcwsupplies.com/?acc=tcgbulkkings
If you want to use the Shipping Shields, I think there's a link for them in the description of this video =]
@@TCGBulkKings what about the printing stuff and ink thing for your address?
@@Kodywit-AK ahhh, there are also links in the description for the return address stamp and the Epson Eco tank printer. The envelopes I get from Walmart typically. Thanks for wanting to support me, I'm honestly humbled and just glad to be helpful
@@TCGBulkKings Thank you for answering my questions! One more for you, I have a ton of cards I need to sort through, but I don't know where to start! There are sets where I may only have 1-100 cards for, so if I sort by set I don't know how to make that good. Do I sort by rarity, then color, then set if I see I have enough cards to actually catagorize them by set? Want to be as efficient as possible. Thanks!
@@Kodywit-AK Are you looking to sell them? I would I guess in your situation do a set sort first, maybe have a pile for each of those few sets your cards primarily come from, and then a single pile for the sets with few cards. Then I would alphabetize them within the set. Don't sort by color or casting cost or card type, you'll only have to undo it later. Obviously, this is just whatever works best for you - if color is best for you, don't let me stop you. "Run what you brung" as they say in the racing world, and for this, what you brung is your brain.
If you're looking to organize for the purpose of playing/deckbuilding/&c., then really it's whatever works best with how you like to deckbuild. I don't really do a lot of that, so I can't really advise on a "best" way to do it. But I know there's lots of info out there about it =] Hope that helps Kody
How do you figure the cost of shipping if someone orders 50+ cards? And how do you calculate how much to charge to offer free shipping at x amount
I mean, I have my cards priced such that even if they order 50 cards, I'm still going to make a little profit on the order. I will have to ship with a bubble mailer which will cost about $4. Rarely will such an order of that many cards be below $5, and hopefully the customer will be pleased enough with their order once they receive it to have a look at us again.
As far as the free shipping over a certain amount, that is TCGplayer's deal, not mine. Though, I do have it set up to emulate TCGplayer's "free over $5" option on my own website.
@@TCGBulkKings do you use stamps for bubble mailer?
@@knucklesando3433 no I use Pirate Ship for parcel shipping, gets big discounts from the USPS retail pricing, and then I schedule a pickup for any large items, or just take the smaller ones with me when I drop off my envelopes
your shirt is inside out!
Actually how this shirt is made lol, it was given to me, so I don't know if it was a mistake found at an outlet store or some brand's interpretation of high fashion for the masses, but it's really comfy
thanks this is helpful. Just out of curiosity what does the team bag accomplish?
It protects the card from moisture;
It looks more professional, gives a premium feel to the customer experience;
It helps to smooth out the transition from the card to just the paper in the envelope, so that it's less likely to get kicked out by USPS;
And all at very little cost =]
what is the breakeven if they order so many cards you have to parcel ship it? I ordered 200 cards from someone and they wouldn’t fulfill the order since he couldn’t ship in a plain white envelope.
I just ship it in a bubble mailer, or a small box if necessary. Pirate Ship gets you amazing rates on parcel shipping, usually it's no more than $5 to ship a card package even to the remotest corners of the US. And again, usually, orders of that size still get me a better per-card profit margin than small PWE orders. People who are upset by fees and shipping costs just don't want to serve their customers, and so they get their feelings hurt when something like that happens and they didn't plan for it. They see the big fee or shipping charge and just feel the pain of losing that money, rather than the pleasure of gaining the entire sale. It's not an intuitive mindset to a lot of people unfortunately
Hey man I have a good inventory of RL list stuff and vintage. could you help me get direct?
I mean, I have a bunch of videos out there that, if you follow what I'm saying, it is likely that being approved for Direct is a natural consequence. If you want coaching services, I suppose you can reach out to me at tcgbulkkings@gmail.com, and we can work something out =]
Do we need to change our shipping rate from .99c to 1.22c now or how should I go about it ?
I wonder if it hasn't automatically been reset to 1.22, or if it doesn't get affected by the change since you aren't using the Dynamic Shipping option that this refers to. Hmmm.....
very nice
Curious what the point of the team bag is? the card shield is being taped closed then down against paper so it cant open.
Generally it’s to protect against moisture
Yep to protect against moisture, helps smooth out the transition some more between the empty and full parts of the envelope. And it just looks like I give a bull crap, so customers will notice us and maybe scan that QR code
Hey i was wondering if you have ever run into an issue with usps clainimg that the shipping shields with 8 cards are "too rigid" and trying to get you to use a non-machinable stamp? I've had nearly 60 orders in the past month come back with this problem just for me to change the envelope and have it go out fine and i was looking for some insight on how to avoid this thanks!
Two things could be happening here. You could be packaging them in a way that makes them not able to go through their machines for some reason. This seems to be countered by your repacking them and them working just fine. The second thing is some human decides that they won't go through, though they will obviously work just fine. You can mitigate some of this by dropping in a drop box rather than taking them to the desk at the post office, but they will be handled by humans who sometimes will think that your orders are too rigid. To help prevent this, I make sure to use #10 envelopes, and I wrap the card+protection in a paper invoice to help ease the transition from the thinner to the thicker section of the envelope. I also make sure to have the card sitting as far to the right side of the envelope as possible, just as when you get sent a credit/debit card in the mail. If those will go through, so will my Pillarfield Ox, right?
Hope that helps you out, and the ultimate solution may be to just take them to a different Post Office, I hate to say. When properly packaged, there should be no problem sending cards in PWE. Cheers!
I tried a different smaller post office that was closer to my house once and ran into this issue, I fully believe it’s just employees making their judgement call when it happens. There were even single cards orders they bounced back to me.
I always go to the bigger post office that’s a little further away now and never have the issue.
What shipping method do you use with orders over 16 cards? Do you lose money on orders that size of 16 cards assuming shipping costs are higher in this situation. Thanks 😊
Over 16 cards currently I'm shipping in a bubble mailer with tracking. Occasionally, though not most of the time, I lose a little on those orders. Rarely do I get an order of someone wanting 17 five cent cards. It's in principle possible, and happens rarely, but it really is quite rare. If someone is ordering that many cards, usually they are getting at least a couple more valuable ones and throwing in a bunch of cheap ones to pad the order, or else they are getting a lot more cards. Either way, it's rare I have a BMWT order that doesn't net me at least a little.
Do you ship as usps ground advantage? What service do you generally use? Thank you 😊
@@ttylertexas860 yeah, ground advantage 👍
You said your orders from the past two days were comprised of 170 something cards, how many cards do you think you are shipping out per month? And how many total cards are in your inventory? Also, could you guesstimate an average profit per card?
Let's see. In January I sold about 3k cards. Current inventory is 18k TCGplayer, 11k BSC, 1.5k Ebay, and like 300 on my website. Profit per card is pretty difficult to calculate, because you have to make a lot of assumptions and choices in making that kind of calculation. Multi-card transactions, inventory that hasn't sold yet, do you wrap in office equipment, &c., &c. Outside the scope of this comment I'm afraid
@@TCGBulkKings Thanks! What is BSC btw, and how do you decide which cards go on which site?
@@SumnerSaLT BSC = BuySportsCards.com. it's kind of like a TCGplayer but for sports cards. As far as what gets sold where, for sports, anything of higher value goes to eBay, to get it in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Bulk goes to BSC. For TCGs, most of it will go to TCGplayer, but I only sell Near Mint there due to not wanting to manage multiple degrees of condition. The rest goes to eBay or my website, where some of the sports cards go also
@@TCGBulkKings so if you have high value TCG cards that aren’t near mint, do you sell them on eBay instead?
@@SumnerSaLT eBay and/or the Shop on my website =]
I've only had ~350 order since starting 6 months ago, but I figured I would share my experience here.
My breakdown goes like this:
.05 envelope
.03 UltraPRO one-touch resealable bags (these are bigger than "team bags" and will fit more cards while also protecting them water damage)
.01 penny sleeve
.08 rigid sleeves/toploaders
.02 paper (I include ink in this cost breakdown because at some point I will need to buy toner for my printer)
.01 return address label (gonna switch to self inking stamps in the future)
.xx stamps (see below)
- - I can usually get away with 7 cards in an envelope before I need another stamp. Your second stamp will also help if you envelope ends up being non-machinable.
**Forever Stamps can be bought in large quantities for cheaper than .68 cents. I know it's a bit scary from getting stamps from ebay, but recent policy changes have made it so only verified sellers can list forever stamps, and there are even times you can get them for >$20 a roll. Just make sure you order them in large quantities and long enough in advance.
You don't have to go this route, but it's another cost-saving measure for the smaller guys still trying to get their feet off the ground. Use whatever method works for your own cardboard chaotic madness.
Add all of this together, I typically profit from every order that leaves my place. The only time I lose money is if cards are lost in the mail, and that's maybe 1%-2% of the time.
Some other tips for people who check the comments section:
Don't cheap out on envelopes. If they're poorly made, then cards are more likely to fall out when the glue doesn't hold.
Semi-rigids: I don't even puts cards in them. They work as cheap backers to keep your envelope stiff.
#10 envelopes are your best friend.
If you get the #10 with a window, your TCG Player packing slip can be folded to use as your shipping address label.
Laser printers are awesome. Spend the money and get a decent one with a flattop scanner. I use the Brother dcp-l2550dw. It's got wifi printing, and you can also print return address labels with it.
A lot of great tips in here, thanks for sharing. But I have to address the discounted ebay stamps. 99% of these severely discounted Forever stamps are counterfeit. It's possible some are legit, but in the quantities that create the market for them on places like ebay, or when ebay cracks down on them that create their own websites and run ads (I've been through a few cycles of this now), there is no way that almost all of them aren't counterfeits. Stamp collectors back this up, there is a constant arms race between legitimate US stamps and Chinese-printed counterfeits. And there just aren't licensed sellers of 70% off Forever stamps, that's not a thing. They aren't raising postage rates every 3-6 months and then letting people sell the stamps for pennies
You mentioned that 16 is the maximum number of cards you will put in a PWE, but only 8 cards fit into a single shipping shield. What do you do for orders of more than 8 cards, but less than 16 cards? I have a lot of orders like that and I never know what the best way to ship them is. It seems like it is too few for a bubble mailer. Do you split the order into two different shipping shields in one envelope?
That's exactly what I do, I lay them side-by-side on the invoice. I've received orders from TCGplayer that have cardboard holders with 3 pockets oriented vertically so that three stacks can fit in a standard #10 envelope, but I can't easily duplicate that without the 3 pocket mailers. So I do maximum 2 stacks of up to 8 cards. Notably, I always try to split the stacks evenly, so if it's 9 cards, one stack will have 4 and one will have 5, rather than 8 and 1.
@@TCGBulkKings Thanks! I have gotten those three column envelopes from TCGplayer as well and I would love to replicate it. Hopefully that options becomes available to us in the future
Get some team bags and just put them in there. Ive sent 48 cards in 1 pwe before. By having so many cards they don't move
@@YourDaddyismydaddy any time I've tried to go more than 8 in a stack, the orders have either been sent back to me, or else the customer has been charged extra shipping and then messages me angry. I'm not about that
@@TCGBulkKings that's really odd and might be the usps near you screwing up. Ive easily sent over 100 orders with 40+ cards. As long as the stack doesn't exceed 16 it will work. I just tape the stacks to the sales paper and slide into the envelope. But i get it do what fits your style
What website did you use to generate your QR code? There’s a lot to choose from, just was curious what you went with!
Probably whatever was top of a Google search approximately 2 years ago. I don't have a clue to be honest
@@TCGBulkKings thanks I ended up finding a good one. There’s a bunch that try to charge a fee lol
Loge the math breakdown!
How do you ship orders that have more than 6 cards? Im trying to keep my shipping cost low but a few orders lately have 10+ cards and shipping was $1.49.
7-8 cards I will do the same, but use an Add'l Oz stamp ($.24). 9-16 cards will get a second stack in the envelope, and the Add'l Oz. stamp. Beyond that I use a bubble mailer with tracking
@@TCGBulkKings ok but what is your shipping price on the platform?it seems if I price the shipping low I get sales but 20-30 cards. I have no choice but to use a bubblemailer which is fine since the order is $25+. I was thinking of pricing my shipping around $$2
@@donte415 I do the free shipping over $5, $1.22 for orders under $5
@@TCGBulkKings I have to see how to do that in the settings. Thanks!
really who buys 10 cents of cards at a time? I really never buy less than 5$ at a time on TCGP
Empirically, lots of people
How do you check repeat buyer rate?
You can go to your Orders tab and click the Name column header, and it will group all your orders together by the buyer's name alphabetically. I filtered results only to non-Direct orders and only the last 3 months to get my rate, but it might be a bit higher if I did a longer time scale, or added in Direct orders
"Great minds think alike." Or was it, "Mediocre minds rarely differ"? =p
Keep it up!
Whichever it is, we're in it together, aren't we? Lol
Scotch tape 🤢