Just watched! I'll trade you some cool tips that you provided here for my tip. Personally, in this example (35 cards), I would have split the order into two packages (normal #10 mailers, with two stacks of cards in them), which at 2oz each is $0.88 = $1.76 total. I write very clearly on the front of the shipment "ORDER1/2 or 2/2, or 2/3 etc.", have been doing this for years and never had any issues/complaints, so maybe this can be another solution! Cheers!
Definitely a workable solution. I didn't like the risk of potentially one half of the order but making it or being damaged, but it sounds like your experience is that that risk is pretty low
@@TCGBulkKings im not really prepared to print directly onto envelopes, its there a way to use this without having to invenst in a new printer or something of that nature?
I've had mixed results with this over the years. A lot of postal employees automatically kicked them back even if they fit the "flat" requirements to a tee because they (wrongfully) associate bubble mailers with package rates.
@@MrFfffd Same here. Bubble mailers = parcel rate for many USPS employees. If I have to use "flats" I use stay-flat rigid mailers and spread out the cards evenly to ensure it is evenly distributed
There's not really a perfect solution, probably as many solutions as there are businesses that need to ship these orders. There's a lot of great advice elsewhere in the comments - take what works best for you for sure
I've had issues shipping orders in a large envelope. USPS says the envelope isn't "flexible." I've tried spacing the cards out in sleeves (5 cards per sleeve) and spacing them out. Put apparently, it's still not flexible. Anything I can do?
Honestly, it sounds like you are conforming to the Large Envelope requirements. I would double check that you aren't doing something outside their bounds, and would drop the mail pieces into a dropbox rather than to the counterperson. Most of the time, unless the mail piece jams the machines, the people doing that process won't care about the flexibility of your mail. But the counterpeople are supposed to be pushing back on "inflexible" or otherwise out of bounds mail pieces.
I have the opposite issues. I charge $5 for shipping to discourage orders. I prefer to ship only TCG direct. The number of orders for 10 cents or less plus $5 shipping is staggering. Margins very nice, I still ship with a letter and stamp. This happens way more with MTG orders then other tcgs.
@@GripsCardMarket We had raised ours to $3.75 and got around 3 orders per day at that shipping rate. 37,000 cards in inventory. We now brought it down to $1.87 because that covers any realistic shipping cost we may incur. Selling cards for full value (non direct) when they are under $3 is worth it
I completely understand when brick and mortar stores can’t afford the loss of shipping some lower cost orders, so I’m not calling them out. But the volume in orders one encourages by having low cost low margin orders is incredibly valuable. Sure, you may lose a dollar here and there, but a good experience quick and safe delivery to a buyer can lead to that buyer being a repeat customer for more, it increases brand visibility on a platform like TCG player, and just makes sense to my business. Yeah I lose money on a lot of small orders of small cost cards, the non monetary benefits of doing so has proven extremely valuable to me.
Hey chase what I’ve been doing with larger orders that works well is cutting a 9 pocket binder page into thirds and spreading the card’s across the three pockets in the envelope. The pages if you buy in bulk come out to the same price as a toploader. I do however still use stamps and using the windowed envelopes really sped up my packing!
@@JustinFontanazza the cards are in sleeves and no tape at all. The pocket binder page fits snuggly in an envelope. Sometimes you just have to tape the flaps of the envelope.
Hey boss! Just a heads-up, from 8:35 - 8:38, the customer's information is visible. Just looking out! I always appreciate the little optimizations like this!
We're literally in the business of selling things damaged by the counterfeit market. I can't believe the cognitive dissonance sometimes Unless they are proxy stamps, those are okay 👍😜
@@LanceKovacic yeah, I sell trading cards. If people are faking cards, then bad actors are receiving the funds that should be going to legitimate dealers. Oftentimes they trick people by setting prices lower yes, but they are also just extracting money from the market. Also, those who get tricked are usually just out that money if they become successfully tricked. All bad things
I use two Laser printers for PWE orders. Inkjet printers are not great for this business because ink is too expensive. I use one to print the packing slip and one to print the address on to the #10 envelope. Saves me lots of time. Brother printers are awesome. Get one with duplex printing so you can print the packing slip on both sides, use less paper.
@@TheGrimKeeper Thanks for the advice. What model brother printers are you using? I'd exspeciaally like to know what model you use for printing onto a PWE?
@@Crocodonk The Brother printer I’m using is the HL-L2400D. D is for duplex. It’s a common feature on Brother printers (look for the D in the name). This one does not come with wifi or a printer cable, but a full cartridge of toner is included. It prints good on to envelopes, but because my older printer does not have duplex, I’m using it for packing slips. The current printer I’m using for envelopes is from the Pantum P2500 series. It has some issues. The toner it came with did not last very long. Also, depending on the height of the stack, it has some trouble feeding the envelope. I may just replace it with another Brother printer in the future. If you are searching for a special envelope printer I could not find one online. In any case most household printers will print on to most envelopes, you just have to adjust the paper feeder and select the size of envelope in the settings. The standard envelope is the #10.
@@TheGrimKeeper Thanks! I will look into both those printers you mentioned. I have been using a Brother HL series for my labels. The high yield name brand Brother toner cartridge I bought didn't print that many labels before it said the cartridge was empty and needed to be replaced. Found out you can bypass that using the menu on the printer and I got probably another 2K labels out that cartridge.
Yo! I had a couple returns due to my packages be non machinable so i use all non machinable stamps but they cost quite a bit more. Do you do non machinable on all packages or do you just judge that from order to order?
@@TCGBulkKings i figured but i had to bring a big package in one time and the worker told me they had been having trouble with some of my envelopes so i just started doing non machinable but they are almost double the price especially with the increase on postage on monday it’s gonna suck
I know this is off topic but hope you have some feedback for me. What have you been doing with PriceMass for cards >$5?? I have been doing average of TCG low and Market Price but find that My prices can really be lower than I would like with this. I have been debating going market price >$5 and using average TCG low and Market Price for cards 0.20 (floor) to 4.99. Curious what you have been doing!
There isn't a way that I know of to select only cards in a certain price category. If you're wanting to have different pricing strategies for different price categories, you'll have to either do it manually or have multiple stores or something =[
Hey Chase I went looking in TCG player's shipping guidelines and help articles and didn't see anything about including promotional materials in with orders. Is this an upcoming change or was I just not able to find it?
This is a recent change, already effective. It's buried in the terms of service, and when they made the change explicit, they acted like it had always been the case
@@TCGBulkKings Ok I took another look and found it. I guess I can include a business card just not with any external links. Definitely wish they made this more clear! You may not attempt to circumvent the marketplace sales process or divert marketplace customers to another website. This includes but is not limited to marketing materials included in shipped orders, custom packing slips, links, and/or messages that prompt users to visit any external website or complete a transaction elsewhere. Orders originated from Pro web stores are eligible to include marketing materials in shipped orders. 4/25/24 - Updated information about seller marketing materials.
@@Omar_GnomeBoisTCG- I’m about to start selling and thought I was cool by putting my logo on the labels. It doesn’t have website or other info, but I guess that isn’t ok 🤷🏻♂️
Great video, question - how exactly do you deal with the shipping prices when someone orders 15+ cards? I sent out an order for 15 cards, in a PWE, put 4 in a shipping shield then the rest in a team bag - it got sent back to me by the post office stating it needed to be a "parcel" - so I put it in a bubble mailer which I had to get a shipping label for obviously and it was $5 at the post office. I signed up for ShippingEasy and it's still like $4. Example, someone bought 26 cards from me, total was $8.79 after the $1.27 shipping cost - the net amount after TCG takes their fee is $7.35 but then it cost me $4 for the label so I only make $3 instead of $7
Up to 16 cards I do two shipping shields side by side in a #10 envelope, with an additional ounce of postage. Above 16 cards, I use the method in the video up to about 50 cards
My local po got on me for flexibility issues and i had to start sending things out as non machinable which adds like 40 cents Do you do the same? Or do you have some tips around that
Mine is the same way, I switched to semi-rigid card holders like team savers for orders of 4 or less cards worth $10 or less. My PO is fine sending these with a regular stamp, For anything with more cards or packaging I use the non-machineable.
I place the cards to one side of the envelope if possible, so it ships like a credit card. If those aren't too rigid then neither are our orders. I also don't drop them off with the humans at the post office, but rather in a blue box or some other kind of bulk drop off. This way they aren't stopping you at the desk with bs flexibility issues. Non-machineable envelopes get run through the machines too, despite the name
Im sure ive asked this before or you have answered it at some point, but where do you source your newer sets of bulk? I remember at one point you said you get cards from people who professionally play magic and discard their bulk to you, but are there other sources? Im really curious in growing my tcgplayer store. Thanks!
Eeeeeebaaaayyyy lots of bulk can have them but there's a bit of luck. I have had bulk sellers sell me a couple thousand otj but then another send me mostly vintage-end of the old modern border it's all still gambling!
Mostly at this point I either want to try opening the newest set or else I get it in bulk submissions. People turn that stuff over surprisingly quickly
Good timing w/ this video. I'm nearing my 500th order since I started at the end of May. and I got over 10k cards listed, so the possibility I get low value large quantity orders is increasing. I actually just had a 47 card order last night which came to $5 after tcgplayers cut. I used pirate ship w/ a bubble mailer so I made almost nothing on it. I'll definitely try out these top shields and the large envelopes. What size are those "half-letters"? And do pen and gear make them like the self-sticking #10 envelopes?
Sure they are A9 envelopes, or greeting card envelopes. You can get them at most places that sell envelopes, or if you want to order them, here is a link to walmart: sovrn.co/1pazfyw I'll go ahead and drop that in the description as well
Have you ever got in the situation when the buyer told you he/she didn't received his/her order on or after Estimated Delivery Date? If yes, how often does that happen? What do you do when it happens?
@@rogueinvestor2375 It hasn't happened to me yet (cross my fingers, knock on wood), but if it happened I'd probably just refund and move on. The Estimated Delivery is quite generous from order date, that either something must of happened to it in Postal Service and went missing, is on its way back to sender or the customer is scamming you. I've only had one return to sender so far and it was because customer has issue w/ his mail in general w/ his PO and his mailbox and I just sent it back out.
I use a similar method as described in the video i just use a bubble mailer instead of an a9 and bubble mailers you can use the first class parcel/flat up to the 4 ounces haven't looked to see if it is as cost effective as a a9 but I have shipped 20-30 cards like that for about $2.10 might start doing it this way as the labels are kinda pricey and it would be nice to just print the postage directly on.
Totally unrelated question, but I couldn't find a video where you talked about this. I've just started my journey and I've gotten my store to Level 4 and I'm ready to start posting some bulk I already owned and start sourcing. My question is at wont point would you consider creating an LLC? I've already made $700 and I'm worried about how taxes are going to go if I keep up this pace.
If you're reporting your income correctly it should be fine at a number like that. I'd say at your current point it falls under hobby income and I wouldn't worry about it if you are at or below the 1099 reporting threshold. Of course, check with someone registered to do taxes in your state.
I can't really give tax advice, but I can say that I had a Sole Proprietorship for a couple years, but went ahead and set up a new LLC when I moved last year. The taxes aren't significantly different for me yet, but I wanted to have things in place for when it /did/ become necessary
I solved this issue. My box scale was not being precise enough for letter mail so I purchased a gram scale on amazon. 17oz max weight and accurate to 0.000 when using the oz feature. When my box scale says 1.1oz my gram scale says .9ish oz. I was able to get an extra 2 cards in the 1oz rate.
Lol side notE when is TCG gona get ebay pwe system???...tracked pwe with easy thermal lable for the price of a stamp...its been what 2yrs since the buyout 😅
The chaos that is shipping. I just received a fairly large order from a seller on TCGplayer. They shipped the order in two separate stamped envelopes. >_>
@@BladeGamester Did I say there's a problem? It's a video talking about how to ship cards and how people do it. But yes, there are many problems that can also come with doing that.
I do this as well as a seller. While I'm packing orders I write down the names of each buyer who is going to receive 2 envelopes, and notify them about it once packing is done. For larger orders I use the method of placing a strip of a binder sheet into a snug poly bag, wrapped in a packing slip. I do wish there was a better (more visually appealing) alternative, but I've received next to no complaints about the condition the cards arrive in, other than those that immediately leave negative reviews about how the cards "could have been damaged," but weren't. It's very possible some people received damaged cards, and simply decided not to inform me (or buy from me again. :( ) But I have many repeat customers, including those who I send cards to this way. I've shipped cards this way to peers to have them verify the condition that they arrive in, and everything seems good so far. When I pack this way, Higher value cards will be separated into the second envelope w/ card savers in team bags. TCGPlayer recently advertised an alternative to this, a more rigid plastic insert that fills the same role as the 1/3rd binder sheet, but they're so pricey it's not realistic to use them for their intended purpose, not when binder sheets seem to be working fine. I really tried to find alternatives to separate envelopes. For a long time I did large envelopes, or "flats." However, the packaging on those was awkward, and they were often returned or billed for additional postage anyway. Two envelopes is my limit, I won't separate into three, I can accept losing money on that threshold of cards, but that volume usually contains a single that makes up for the cost by that threshold. Honestly, if you order ~40 cards for like $5 on TCGPlayer, the seller's option is to split into two envelopes, gamble with their post office on mailing an ugly "flat," or just accept working to lose money by mailing as a package. I understand that stuff like this can look cheap from a buyer's perspective, but the infrastructure for shipping cards of different quantities at these price points is not as developed as many people would think; it's very DIY. Hope this helps. :)
Yeah, and I was definitely in the "eat the cost of a parcel" camp for a long time, but I feel like this method I've settled on is clean enough to not be off putting, looks professional enough, and still saves quite a bit from parcel cost
This seems like a lot of packaging for $5 worth of cards. Couldn't you have put these in a third of a binder page in a regular #10 PWE with a non-machineable stamp and a couple of additional ounce stamps? That would be like a $1.60 in shipping plus ten cents of packaging. This is almost $3 with shipping and packaging. I won't even get out the top loaders for anything under $10 since I'm shipping those with a non-machineable stamp as well and I don't want to pay that extra 50 cents or more for orders under $10. I think you still have some cash to save here! 😅💸
There's saving money and there's cutting corners. I don't like the binder page method because it's a big difference from my usual process of order packing, I feel like it looks cheap, and I don't feel like it protects as well. Also, don't use non-machineable stamps - they still send those through the machines almost every time. This is the process that's working for me and that makes me feel confident that the cards are going to arrive in the condition I packed them into the envelope. Also also, this order was 4 oz, and 35 cards. I wouldn't have been able to get it light enough or thin enough to qualify for regular PWE shipping anyway. Just some thoughts =]
@@TCGBulkKings I agree that they don't look as nice. I will definitely spend a bit more to protect orders, but not a dollar more. If I get an order for 30 or less cards that will get split into 2 penny sleeves in 2 regular shipping shields because that feels nicer. Still in a #10 with a non-machineable stamp. They may or may not be machined, but my local post office won't ship them without it, and I've had a few customers shaken down by their post office for 44 cents so I just do that for all shipping shield and top loader orders. Anything over 50 cards is probably getting nicer packaging and a bubble mailer, but the 30-50 card orders are tough. I don't know about Flesh & Blood, but 35 Magic cards weighs just over 2 ounces, so a lot of that weight is packaging. Even spiltting them amongst 3 shipping shields would probably fit under 3 ounces. My biggest shipping problem is cheaper packaging for 4 cards or less under a dollar where I need to use flexible packaging for a regular forever stamp, but I don't want to use a team saver, even those cardboard vending sleeves are too expensive. Any ideas for something nicer under 5 cents?
@@CrypticMonolith Sorry, I don't have any suggestions really for that particular area. Because I just use Shipping Shields for those. You should be allowed to send those orders via normal postage, millions of cards are sent every month that way. Best of luck though!
@@TCGBulkKings I really should, but I live in a small town with picky postal workers, maybe I need to start driving my mail two towns over! Shipping Shield should think about an even thinner shipping sleeve or something. 🤔
Anytime i'm struggling with how to ship something, or what to do to improve my business, I come to your videos. Thank you for what you do!
That means a lot to me, I'm so glad I've been able to help =]
Just watched! I'll trade you some cool tips that you provided here for my tip. Personally, in this example (35 cards), I would have split the order into two packages (normal #10 mailers, with two stacks of cards in them), which at 2oz each is $0.88 = $1.76 total. I write very clearly on the front of the shipment "ORDER1/2 or 2/2, or 2/3 etc.", have been doing this for years and never had any issues/complaints, so maybe this can be another solution! Cheers!
Definitely a workable solution. I didn't like the risk of potentially one half of the order but making it or being damaged, but it sounds like your experience is that that risk is pretty low
what stamps are you using to make 2oz be worth .88 cents? Ive had issue with mailing anything over an oz with forever stamps
@@DeathgripsCards you can use add'l oz stamps, but also with the stamps.com program, a 2oz envelope costs $.88
@@TCGBulkKings im not really prepared to print directly onto envelopes, its there a way to use this without having to invenst in a new printer or something of that nature?
@@DeathgripsCards I think you could print onto labels, or you can use their netstamps and put them onto your envelopes otherwise addressed
Nice tips! I don't typically get larger orders like that, but it's good to know how to handle what would otherwise be an awkward order size👍
I get a couple every day it seems, glad to have something that works for me
I love your transparency and honesty.
I don't know of another way to be, but thanks, that's very kind
Bubble mailers can be used as large envelopes rates as long as they fit through the 3/4 or something thickness and evenly distributed in the mailer
Comic book boards work well also to tape the cards to and hold in place while in mailer
Yep I've used the bubble mailers too when testing things out, but I like the feel of this a bit better. Certainly doable though
@@TCGBulkKings hell yeah. I just broke 1000 orders on tcgplayer, started in November last year.
I've had mixed results with this over the years. A lot of postal employees automatically kicked them back even if they fit the "flat" requirements to a tee because they (wrongfully) associate bubble mailers with package rates.
@@MrFfffd Same here. Bubble mailers = parcel rate for many USPS employees.
If I have to use "flats" I use stay-flat rigid mailers and spread out the cards evenly to ensure it is evenly distributed
Thanks! We struggle with this also, very insightful!
There's not really a perfect solution, probably as many solutions as there are businesses that need to ship these orders. There's a lot of great advice elsewhere in the comments - take what works best for you for sure
I've had issues shipping orders in a large envelope. USPS says the envelope isn't "flexible." I've tried spacing the cards out in sleeves (5 cards per sleeve) and spacing them out. Put apparently, it's still not flexible. Anything I can do?
Honestly, it sounds like you are conforming to the Large Envelope requirements. I would double check that you aren't doing something outside their bounds, and would drop the mail pieces into a dropbox rather than to the counterperson. Most of the time, unless the mail piece jams the machines, the people doing that process won't care about the flexibility of your mail. But the counterpeople are supposed to be pushing back on "inflexible" or otherwise out of bounds mail pieces.
The bulk KING, killin' it again :D
Love this! Real industry advice from the Bulk GOAT!
I have the opposite issues. I charge $5 for shipping to discourage orders. I prefer to ship only TCG direct. The number of orders for 10 cents or less plus $5 shipping is staggering. Margins very nice, I still ship with a letter and stamp. This happens way more with MTG orders then other tcgs.
The demand is real, and it seems TCGplayer's Direct warehouse isn't super well stocked, so I can see where this is coming from for sure
For real?? what size is your inventory for magic?
@@GripsCardMarket We had raised ours to $3.75 and got around 3 orders per day at that shipping rate. 37,000 cards in inventory. We now brought it down to $1.87 because that covers any realistic shipping cost we may incur. Selling cards for full value (non direct) when they are under $3 is worth it
I completely understand when brick and mortar stores can’t afford the loss of shipping some lower cost orders, so I’m not calling them out.
But the volume in orders one encourages by having low cost low margin orders is incredibly valuable. Sure, you may lose a dollar here and there, but a good experience quick and safe delivery to a buyer can lead to that buyer being a repeat customer for more, it increases brand visibility on a platform like TCG player, and just makes sense to my business. Yeah I lose money on a lot of small orders of small cost cards, the non monetary benefits of doing so has proven extremely valuable to me.
Hey chase what I’ve been doing with larger orders that works well is cutting a 9 pocket binder page into thirds and spreading the card’s across the three pockets in the envelope. The pages if you buy in bulk come out to the same price as a toploader. I do however still use stamps and using the windowed envelopes really sped up my packing!
Certainly a good solution for many
That's brilliant, thanks for the idea!
What do you use as protection on the cards? Nothing? Just taped in the envelope??
@@JustinFontanazza the cards are in sleeves and no tape at all. The pocket binder page fits snuggly in an envelope. Sometimes you just have to tape the flaps of the envelope.
Hey boss! Just a heads-up, from 8:35 - 8:38, the customer's information is visible. Just looking out!
I always appreciate the little optimizations like this!
Thanks, I didn't think it was readable, I'll try to put in a blur or something
@@TCGBulkKings No problem! The YT vid editor has definitely gotten more useable in recent years. 😆
Ayeee what up Sage, good to see another WN brother in the wild 🫡
@@KrakenPacksOFFICIAL Ayyyyyyye. What's good, Kraken! 🤝💚 Much love, boss.
I really appreciate that You're not using plagiarized stamps off of eBay. As most RUclipsrs tell people to do.
We're literally in the business of selling things damaged by the counterfeit market. I can't believe the cognitive dissonance sometimes
Unless they are proxy stamps, those are okay 👍😜
@@TCGBulkKings How is the product you sell damaged by a counterfeit market? Does it cause the floor prices to be artificially low?
@@LanceKovacic yeah, I sell trading cards. If people are faking cards, then bad actors are receiving the funds that should be going to legitimate dealers. Oftentimes they trick people by setting prices lower yes, but they are also just extracting money from the market. Also, those who get tricked are usually just out that money if they become successfully tricked. All bad things
@@TCGBulkKings ok thank you
I dont think im ready to give up the windowed envelopes with the packing slip. If i have to send two envelopes i will. No issues so far
Hi Chase, do you need a special/certain kind of printer in order to print postage onto an envelope?
No a regular printer will do it, but it's more efficient with the tank ink style printers. Cheaper on ink 👍
I use two Laser printers for PWE orders. Inkjet printers are not great for this business because ink is too expensive. I use one to print the packing slip and one to print the address on to the #10 envelope. Saves me lots of time. Brother printers are awesome. Get one with duplex printing so you can print the packing slip on both sides, use less paper.
@@TheGrimKeeper Thanks for the advice. What model brother printers are you using? I'd exspeciaally like to know what model you use for printing onto a PWE?
@@Crocodonk The Brother printer I’m using is the HL-L2400D. D is for duplex. It’s a common feature on Brother printers (look for the D in the name). This one does not come with wifi or a printer cable, but a full cartridge of toner is included. It prints good on to envelopes, but because my older printer does not have duplex, I’m using it for packing slips.
The current printer I’m using for envelopes is from the Pantum P2500 series. It has some issues. The toner it came with did not last very long. Also, depending on the height of the stack, it has some trouble feeding the envelope. I may just replace it with another Brother printer in the future. If you are searching for a special envelope printer I could not find one online. In any case most household printers will print on to most envelopes, you just have to adjust the paper feeder and select the size of envelope in the settings. The standard envelope is the #10.
@@TheGrimKeeper Thanks! I will look into both those printers you mentioned. I have been using a Brother HL series for my labels. The high yield name brand Brother toner cartridge I bought didn't print that many labels before it said the cartridge was empty and needed to be replaced. Found out you can bypass that using the menu on the printer and I got probably another 2K labels out that cartridge.
Yo! I had a couple returns due to my packages be non machinable so i use all non machinable stamps but they cost quite a bit more. Do you do non machinable on all packages or do you just judge that from order to order?
I do non machinable on all envelopes. My experience tells me the ones with non machinable postage get run through machines anyway
@@TCGBulkKings i figured but i had to bring a big package in one time and the worker told me they had been having trouble with some of my envelopes so i just started doing non machinable but they are almost double the price especially with the increase on postage on monday it’s gonna suck
I know this is off topic but hope you have some feedback for me. What have you been doing with PriceMass for cards >$5?? I have been doing average of TCG low and Market Price but find that My prices can really be lower than I would like with this. I have been debating going market price >$5 and using average TCG low and Market Price for cards 0.20 (floor) to 4.99. Curious what you have been doing!
There isn't a way that I know of to select only cards in a certain price category. If you're wanting to have different pricing strategies for different price categories, you'll have to either do it manually or have multiple stores or something =[
Hey Chase I went looking in TCG player's shipping guidelines and help articles and didn't see anything about including promotional materials in with orders. Is this an upcoming change or was I just not able to find it?
This is a recent change, already effective. It's buried in the terms of service, and when they made the change explicit, they acted like it had always been the case
@@TCGBulkKings Ok I took another look and found it. I guess I can include a business card just not with any external links. Definitely wish they made this more clear!
You may not attempt to circumvent the marketplace sales process or divert marketplace customers to another website. This includes but is not limited to marketing materials included in shipped orders, custom packing slips, links, and/or messages that prompt users to visit any external website or complete a transaction elsewhere.
Orders originated from Pro web stores are eligible to include marketing materials in shipped orders.
4/25/24 - Updated information about seller marketing materials.
@@Omar_GnomeBoisTCG- I’m about to start selling and thought I was cool by putting my logo on the labels. It doesn’t have website or other info, but I guess that isn’t ok 🤷🏻♂️
Great video, question - how exactly do you deal with the shipping prices when someone orders 15+ cards? I sent out an order for 15 cards, in a PWE, put 4 in a shipping shield then the rest in a team bag - it got sent back to me by the post office stating it needed to be a "parcel" - so I put it in a bubble mailer which I had to get a shipping label for obviously and it was $5 at the post office. I signed up for ShippingEasy and it's still like $4. Example, someone bought 26 cards from me, total was $8.79 after the $1.27 shipping cost - the net amount after TCG takes their fee is $7.35 but then it cost me $4 for the label so I only make $3 instead of $7
Up to 16 cards I do two shipping shields side by side in a #10 envelope, with an additional ounce of postage. Above 16 cards, I use the method in the video up to about 50 cards
My local po got on me for flexibility issues and i had to start sending things out as non machinable which adds like 40 cents Do you do the same? Or do you have some tips around that
Mine is the same way, I switched to semi-rigid card holders like team savers for orders of 4 or less cards worth $10 or less. My PO is fine sending these with a regular stamp, For anything with more cards or packaging I use the non-machineable.
I place the cards to one side of the envelope if possible, so it ships like a credit card. If those aren't too rigid then neither are our orders. I also don't drop them off with the humans at the post office, but rather in a blue box or some other kind of bulk drop off. This way they aren't stopping you at the desk with bs flexibility issues. Non-machineable envelopes get run through the machines too, despite the name
Im sure ive asked this before or you have answered it at some point, but where do you source your newer sets of bulk? I remember at one point you said you get cards from people who professionally play magic and discard their bulk to you, but are there other sources? Im really curious in growing my tcgplayer store. Thanks!
Eeeeeebaaaayyyy lots of bulk can have them but there's a bit of luck. I have had bulk sellers sell me a couple thousand otj but then another send me mostly vintage-end of the old modern border it's all still gambling!
@Packsopendaily kinda what I figured. I was hoping there was a less risky option, but I guess not. 😅 Thanks!
Mostly at this point I either want to try opening the newest set or else I get it in bulk submissions. People turn that stuff over surprisingly quickly
@@TCGBulkKings so you open a booster box? A case? And then sell the singles?
@@shiningfates5261 sometimes, though not often. Mostly it comes in bulk submissions and I'm just not selling from the newest set right at release
can you add a link to what printer you recommend, the ecotank you keep talking about
It was in the description, but kind of toward the bottom, so here you go:
Epson Eco-Tank ET-2803: sovrn.co/138fwfs
@@TCGBulkKings dang its only $200.....
does it have different trays for envelopes and paper, or do you have 2 printers
@@gregesparza5857 only one tray, but it's adjustable. I just switch them out as needed
@@TCGBulkKings i guess if you are only printing order lists once a day then you only have to switch the tray out once
@@gregesparza5857 oh you don't have to change the tray, it just has an adjuster that holds whatever size paper you put in it, it's really nice
You bought the shipping directly through USPS for this, instead of pirate ship? Never mind I read the description lol
Lol yeah pirate ship doesn't offer the large envelope shipping because it isn't tracked
Do you at any dollar amount add signature or insurance?
ground advantage has a built insurance, but I will add additional insurance and/or signature confirmation at $100. Honestly rarely comes up for me =]
Good timing w/ this video. I'm nearing my 500th order since I started at the end of May. and I got over 10k cards listed, so the possibility I get low value large quantity orders is increasing. I actually just had a 47 card order last night which came to $5 after tcgplayers cut. I used pirate ship w/ a bubble mailer so I made almost nothing on it. I'll definitely try out these top shields and the large envelopes. What size are those "half-letters"? And do pen and gear make them like the self-sticking #10 envelopes?
Sure they are A9 envelopes, or greeting card envelopes. You can get them at most places that sell envelopes, or if you want to order them, here is a link to walmart: sovrn.co/1pazfyw
I'll go ahead and drop that in the description as well
@@TCGBulkKings Thanks, man. You've been a valuable resource.
Have you ever got in the situation when the buyer told you he/she didn't received his/her order on or after Estimated Delivery Date? If yes, how often does that happen? What do you do when it happens?
@@rogueinvestor2375 It hasn't happened to me yet (cross my fingers, knock on wood), but if it happened I'd probably just refund and move on. The Estimated Delivery is quite generous from order date, that either something must of happened to it in Postal Service and went missing, is on its way back to sender or the customer is scamming you. I've only had one return to sender so far and it was because customer has issue w/ his mail in general w/ his PO and his mailbox and I just sent it back out.
I use a similar method as described in the video i just use a bubble mailer instead of an a9 and bubble mailers you can use the first class parcel/flat up to the 4 ounces haven't looked to see if it is as cost effective as a a9 but I have shipped 20-30 cards like that for about $2.10 might start doing it this way as the labels are kinda pricey and it would be nice to just print the postage directly on.
Totally unrelated question, but I couldn't find a video where you talked about this. I've just started my journey and I've gotten my store to Level 4 and I'm ready to start posting some bulk I already owned and start sourcing. My question is at wont point would you consider creating an LLC? I've already made $700 and I'm worried about how taxes are going to go if I keep up this pace.
If you're reporting your income correctly it should be fine at a number like that. I'd say at your current point it falls under hobby income and I wouldn't worry about it if you are at or below the 1099 reporting threshold. Of course, check with someone registered to do taxes in your state.
For an LLC, maybe if you have 100k in sales in a year, you're getting too big for your own good.
I can't really give tax advice, but I can say that I had a Sole Proprietorship for a couple years, but went ahead and set up a new LLC when I moved last year. The taxes aren't significantly different for me yet, but I wanted to have things in place for when it /did/ become necessary
Have you had issues shipping a 1.1 oz order with only 1 forever stamp?
I haven't purposefully tried 😂
@@TCGBulkKings I will let you know what happens when I do that soon. 😅
I solved this issue. My box scale was not being precise enough for letter mail so I purchased a gram scale on amazon. 17oz max weight and accurate to 0.000 when using the oz feature. When my box scale says 1.1oz my gram scale says .9ish oz. I was able to get an extra 2 cards in the 1oz rate.
Are those envelopes the A9?
Yep 👍 I didn't know at the time of filming, but I found out after and put a link to them in the description
is there a preffered form of contact if i had a few questions for you, i think your business practices are top notch!!
You can email me at tcgbulkkings@gmail.com
Lol side notE when is TCG gona get ebay pwe system???...tracked pwe with easy thermal lable for the price of a stamp...its been what 2yrs since the buyout 😅
Someone between tomorrow and 2036
Hey Chase! Sent an email about a package of yugioh rares I sent your way a couple weeks back, thanks!
Thanks!
Oh my goodness thank *you*!
thank you for this video
@@H1GHSOLXAR thank you for watching 😂
More videos man!
I'm trying, it's hard out here sometimes
@@TCGBulkKings you can do it king. You must belieeevee.
The chaos that is shipping. I just received a fairly large order from a seller on TCGplayer. They shipped the order in two separate stamped envelopes. >_>
What’s the problem with that? Would you rather not have the order at all?
@@BladeGamester Did I say there's a problem? It's a video talking about how to ship cards and how people do it. But yes, there are many problems that can also come with doing that.
I have done that a few times. I always wrote 1 of 2 2 of 2 on them. then printed out 2 invoices, and marked out which cards were not in that envelope.
I do this as well as a seller. While I'm packing orders I write down the names of each buyer who is going to receive 2 envelopes, and notify them about it once packing is done. For larger orders I use the method of placing a strip of a binder sheet into a snug poly bag, wrapped in a packing slip. I do wish there was a better (more visually appealing) alternative, but I've received next to no complaints about the condition the cards arrive in, other than those that immediately leave negative reviews about how the cards "could have been damaged," but weren't. It's very possible some people received damaged cards, and simply decided not to inform me (or buy from me again. :( ) But I have many repeat customers, including those who I send cards to this way. I've shipped cards this way to peers to have them verify the condition that they arrive in, and everything seems good so far.
When I pack this way, Higher value cards will be separated into the second envelope w/ card savers in team bags. TCGPlayer recently advertised an alternative to this, a more rigid plastic insert that fills the same role as the 1/3rd binder sheet, but they're so pricey it's not realistic to use them for their intended purpose, not when binder sheets seem to be working fine.
I really tried to find alternatives to separate envelopes. For a long time I did large envelopes, or "flats." However, the packaging on those was awkward, and they were often returned or billed for additional postage anyway. Two envelopes is my limit, I won't separate into three, I can accept losing money on that threshold of cards, but that volume usually contains a single that makes up for the cost by that threshold. Honestly, if you order ~40 cards for like $5 on TCGPlayer, the seller's option is to split into two envelopes, gamble with their post office on mailing an ugly "flat," or just accept working to lose money by mailing as a package. I understand that stuff like this can look cheap from a buyer's perspective, but the infrastructure for shipping cards of different quantities at these price points is not as developed as many people would think; it's very DIY. Hope this helps. :)
Yeah, and I was definitely in the "eat the cost of a parcel" camp for a long time, but I feel like this method I've settled on is clean enough to not be off putting, looks professional enough, and still saves quite a bit from parcel cost
This seems like a lot of packaging for $5 worth of cards. Couldn't you have put these in a third of a binder page in a regular #10 PWE with a non-machineable stamp and a couple of additional ounce stamps? That would be like a $1.60 in shipping plus ten cents of packaging. This is almost $3 with shipping and packaging.
I won't even get out the top loaders for anything under $10 since I'm shipping those with a non-machineable stamp as well and I don't want to pay that extra 50 cents or more for orders under $10. I think you still have some cash to save here! 😅💸
There's saving money and there's cutting corners. I don't like the binder page method because it's a big difference from my usual process of order packing, I feel like it looks cheap, and I don't feel like it protects as well. Also, don't use non-machineable stamps - they still send those through the machines almost every time. This is the process that's working for me and that makes me feel confident that the cards are going to arrive in the condition I packed them into the envelope. Also also, this order was 4 oz, and 35 cards. I wouldn't have been able to get it light enough or thin enough to qualify for regular PWE shipping anyway.
Just some thoughts =]
@@TCGBulkKings I agree that they don't look as nice. I will definitely spend a bit more to protect orders, but not a dollar more.
If I get an order for 30 or less cards that will get split into 2 penny sleeves in 2 regular shipping shields because that feels nicer. Still in a #10 with a non-machineable stamp. They may or may not be machined, but my local post office won't ship them without it, and I've had a few customers shaken down by their post office for 44 cents so I just do that for all shipping shield and top loader orders.
Anything over 50 cards is probably getting nicer packaging and a bubble mailer, but the 30-50 card orders are tough. I don't know about Flesh & Blood, but 35 Magic cards weighs just over 2 ounces, so a lot of that weight is packaging. Even spiltting them amongst 3 shipping shields would probably fit under 3 ounces.
My biggest shipping problem is cheaper packaging for 4 cards or less under a dollar where I need to use flexible packaging for a regular forever stamp, but I don't want to use a team saver, even those cardboard vending sleeves are too expensive. Any ideas for something nicer under 5 cents?
@@CrypticMonolith Sorry, I don't have any suggestions really for that particular area. Because I just use Shipping Shields for those. You should be allowed to send those orders via normal postage, millions of cards are sent every month that way. Best of luck though!
@@TCGBulkKings I really should, but I live in a small town with picky postal workers, maybe I need to start driving my mail two towns over! Shipping Shield should think about an even thinner shipping sleeve or something. 🤔
@@CrypticMonolithdo you drop them off into the drop box or hand them over to a postal worker?