staro wrote:Couldn't figure out where to ask this, so here it went. I am a casual collector of mostly vintage D&D and AD&D materials, and in my forays to the local bookstores and thrift stores, I have picked up a few items that have turned out to be quite collectible/rare, and I am thinking about selling them. I have been reading some of the posts on Acaeum about bad sellers, in regards to shipping, bad ebay ratings, etc. I am not a seller on ebay, and from what I have read, my lack of history there if I were to start would not be in my favor. I have sold a few things on Dragonsfoot, and I believe the people who received them were pleased with my shipping methods. I would like to offer some of these items I have on DF or here, and I would like to know how some of you prefer to have collectible items packaged so I can get a sense for shipping costs. I have mostly module-type materials, but hearing about how you like boxed sets packaged would also be good to know. THanks!
Boxed sets or modules.
USE A BOX!
There are ways to package modules in a kind of flat box, but if you ship anything that is simply in soft or bendable packaging you run the great risk with the
USPS of that item having bent or dinged corners, crushing, folding, and general mutilation.
If you ship in a flat box make sure that the cardboard extends beyond the edges and corners of the module. Put the module in a plastic bag. Tape plastic bag to center of cardboard. Sandwhich another piece of cardboard on top. Tape together. Make sure you do not use cardboard with bends and folds or fold lines through the area where the module is held or the post office will fold the package along those lines. Make sure the cardboard in a flat box is not bendable or the mailcarrier may very likely bend it to fit in a mailbox. But as a buyer I'd much rather see a module sent in a normal, non-flat box.
When you use a box make sure you use padding. Boxes are often dropped so if you can, center the item in the box. Use some padding underneath, crushed newspaper works fine, pad the corners , make sure the item is in a sealed plastic bag (such as a plastic shopping bag taped shut) because mail carriers will leave packages out on rainy days. Put another layer of packing over the item. Tape the box shut with more than a single strip of tape. I like to tape the edges down, but the important thing is to provide more than a single seal. If you use a priority self-sealing box, make sure to add a strip of Free Priority tape (you can order it from the post office, with free labels and free priority boxes) all around the edge of the priority box because the self -seal can and does pop open from time to time.
You don't have to waste packing tape by running it over long areas of box, just enough to seal edges and secure the ends. But if you want to put tape over cardboard then tape the corners of the box, which can split open with heavy packages.
Newspaper is the cheapest and the most versatile packing material I've come across, but make sure the item is in plastic. Wet or dry, newspaper can leave ink stains.
Make sure that an item is packed tight enough not to rattle. For boxed sets you can open them up and add some packing so the lid isn't caved in during shipping. Some idiot will certainly pile heavy objects on top of your box during shipping. They may even stand on them (I've seen enough shoe-prints on packages).
There is no way to guarantee safe delivery, but a Box and decent packing material works almost all the time.
