How to ship sports cards is a hot topic in the hobby. Everything is highly debated whether you’re talking about what supplies to use, how to pack the cards, or anything in between. Which shipping envelope to ship your cards in is no exception.
I have formed some opinions based my own experience buying and selling cards on eBay and other similar marketplaces. Based on my experiences, I prefer size #000 bubble mailers. If you don’t already know, size #000 equates to 4″x8″ in size. I don’t have a real preference between poly and regular. Both have the bubbles on the inside but the outside poly material is a little more durable than your traditional paper envelope. But like I said before, the difference is negligible as far as I’m concerned.
Why I Prefer Size #000 (4″x8″) Bubble Mailers
- Near perfect fit for graded/slabbed cards
- As lightweight as possible
- Not much room for cards to shake around and get damaged
I’ve found the the size #000 is the perfect size envelope to fit both cards that are in toploaders/one touches as well as graded/slabbed cards. Not only that, but you can easily fit 2 graded cards in one envelope (3 might be pushing it). The size makes it so that cards are packed tight enough that they will not be able to shake around much and get damaged. The envelope is light weight but still provides optimal protection for the cards.
Best Spot To Buy Size #000 (4″x8″) Bubble Mailers
The best spot to buy depends on how long you are willing to wait to receive them. The two places I’d recommend to buy from are eBay and Amazon. Ebay excels if you are searching for the dirt cheap lowest prices but don’t mind waiting for longer shipping.
Amazon is the better choice if you need the envelopes fast (use Amazon Prime shipping) but still want to get a reasonable price on them. Amazon pricing isn’t as good as eBay but does typically beat out all your big box supply chains like Staples, Office Depot, etc.
What envelopes do you like to ship or receive cards in? What packing methods have you found works best? Leave a comment below!
