A request for anyone that ships cards

[brewing]

Please, please, please STOP wrapping the cards with clear tape.

Painters tape does the same task. It's easier to work with when securing the cards and easier to work with when opening the cards.

It works!

Imagine this scenario........

You are anxiously awaiting for a card to arrive. It finally arrives and you can't wait to see it, hold it, or do whatever you do with your cards.

You open the padded envelope or box.
And there it is, the card you've been waiting for. No, not yet. The seller took care and sandwiched it between some cardboard (that's a good thing). But it's wrapped with tape that can only be removed with a razor blade. So you cut open the cardboard sandwich taking great care to not damage the card.

And there it is. No, not yet. There is another layer of tape to get through. The card is in a sealable bag (that's a good thing). But the seller took extra caution and wrapped the sealable bag with tape that needs the a razor blade to get through. It helps if you have the hands of a surgeon at this point (this is overkill).

And there it is! No, not yet. Possibly there are some top loaders around the card which are covered with that damn tape that requires a razor blade. If the cards are in penny sleeves at this point, take extreme care with the razor. This is when those years at medical school and the years as an intern come in handy. One slip and you could cut something you didn't want to. Like your finger or worse! The card.
And there it is! No, not yet the seller used some tape to seal the top loader that holds the card. Reach for the razor blade AGAIN and make the incision. If it's a large card like a 52-56 Topps, take extreme care because there are millimeters between the card and the blade.

And there it is! Yes, 10 minutes later you have your card.

It doesn't have to be that way! PLEASE use some painters tape and we can leave the razor blades in the drawer.

[obcbobd]

Good point!

[conor912]

last I checked, painters tape is more expensive compared to packing tape. I agree with you 100%, but if my card arrives well packaged and undamaged, I guess I could't care less what type of tape a seller uses.

...and yes, I always have a box cutter around

[z28jd]

I have a box full of clear tape that politely declines your request

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by conor912

last I checked, painters tape is more expensive compared to packing tape. I agree with you 100%, but if my card arrives well packaged and undamaged, I guess I could't care less what type of tape a seller uses.

...and yes, I always have a box cutter around

+1, there are many things I could complain about how a seller ships a card, but as long as the card(s) arrive safe, I am satisfied as the seller has met a key obligation of safe delivery.

[Thromdog]

I wrap the card(s) in a sandwich baggie and tape it closed with clear tape. 2 pieces of cardboard held together with painters tape.....and that's it.

[pawpawdiv9]

Most times it is double sided cardboard, then wrapped with either bubble wrap or newspaper i have laying around to pad the box. Then maybe add a few peanut if necessary. But i do use clear tape (only) to tape the 2 cardboard pieces together. I know some guys use a rubberband and some use clear tape on the bubble wrap.

[irishdenny]

The clear I use pulls away from the bubble wrap very easily...

"I ALSO CREATE LITTLE PULL HANDLES
BY FOLDING OVER ABOUT 1/2 INCH OF THE END OF THE TAPE"

That is... when I wrap items in bubble wrap!

Cards, I NEVER send iN Just Bubble mailers...
ALWAYS iN a Bubble Mailer with some PoPCorN
& THeN iNta a USPS Priority BoX...

oH... I haven't seen a RaZoR Blade Since me Da was alive...
Some 50 Years Ago!

CaN Ya EveN Still buy thos?
Maybe ya using a Carpet CuttiN Blade?
& Thos Don't EveN BeLong iN the Same Room
As my E90-1's, BiG Ed's oR Matty's...

(*So... I NoW Invoke Rule #1 )

[Bocabirdman]

I hear that that Bocabirdman uses Blue Painter's Tape for his Top Loader Sandwiches. What a Guy!

[JoeDfan]

That is so true.

I can't even count the number of times I have had my entire surgical team standing by to extract my cards from the mailbox.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

I hear that that Bocabirdman uses Blue Painter's Tape for his Top Loader Sandwiches. What a Guy!

Painter's tape also works well on door and window frames and base boards when painting walls.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Painter's tape also works well on door and window frames and base boards when painting walls.

Frank, I suppose you use Duct Tape on Ducts, too.

[drmondobueno]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Painter's tape also works well on door and window frames and base boards when painting walls.

Painter's tape is perfect for taping up cane rod blanks prior to glue-up. Would not dream of using "scotch tape". In fact, I can never find the clear invisible stuff, except on the packing materials on cards I have bought!

[mybuddyinc]

Brent, I'm with you. I have had packages from well meaning sellers that had enough tape to have kept the Titanic afloat !!!!

My goal when shipping is to use as little tape as possible, and in most cases NO tape at all: Card between to pieces of cardboard, wrapped in sheet of paper (either correspondence or packing slip), then right into bubble mailer.

If you're afraid that a card might slip out of a card saver, then use a post-note folded around top opening.


Duct tape for Ducts ???????? Never heard of such a thing

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by brewing

Please, please, please STOP wrapping the cards with clear tape.

Painters tape does the same task. It's easier to work with when securing the cards and easier to work with when opening the cards.

It works!

Imagine this scenario........

You are anxiously awaiting for a card to arrive. It finally arrives and you can't wait to see it, hold it, or do whatever you do with your cards.

You open the padded envelope or box.
And there it is, the card you've been waiting for. No, not yet. The seller took care and sandwiched it between some cardboard (that's a good thing). But it's wrapped with tape that can only be removed with a razor blade. So you cut open the cardboard sandwich taking great care to not damage the card.

And there it is. No, not yet. There is another layer of tape to get through. The card is in a sealable bag (that's a good thing). But the seller took extra caution and wrapped the sealable bag with tape that needs the a razor blade to get through. It helps if you have the hands of a surgeon at this point (this is overkill).

And there it is! No, not yet. Possibly there are some top loaders around the card which are covered with that damn tape that requires a razor blade. If the cards are in penny sleeves at this point, take extreme care with the razor. This is when those years at medical school and the years as an intern come in handy. One slip and you could cut something you didn't want to. Like your finger or worse! The card.
And there it is! No, not yet the seller used some tape to seal the top loader that holds the card. Reach for the razor blade AGAIN and make the incision. If it's a large card like a 52-56 Topps, take extreme care because there are millimeters between the card and the blade.

And there it is! Yes, 10 minutes later you have your card.

It doesn't have to be that way! PLEASE use some painters tape and we can leave the razor blades in the drawer.

You had me at clear tape

[iowadoc77]

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

That is so true.

I can't even count the number of times I have had my entire surgical team standing by to extract my cards from the mailbox.

Sometimes I have to call in an extra assistant to wipe the sweat off my forehead and then, lo and behold, the toploader itself is wrapped in clear tape. #@$%! Now I have to surgically excise the card from the toploader and find a new toploader. Yes, it gets a bit excessive, but I guess it beats a damaged card by a few thousand light years. And fortunately I have a great team

[EvilKing00]

Agree!

[mmier118]

Ha ha, I just received a card that was pretty much just a ball of tape and it made me think of this thread. I honestly wonder what people are thinking when they pack cards this way? They pretty much just packed it in bubble wrap and then wound tape around it in every direction until it was covering every inch of the bubble wrap.

[ATP]

Here is my latest shipping chuckle. Last week I received an autographed baseball in the mail, it was a $450 ball. It was in a cube, however this is the box it was thrown in. A huge box, with an unused role of bubble wrap inside. No packing peanuts, nothing else. The cube was just bouncing around in it. No idea what they were thinking. To top it off, they sent it express mail, which was $46, and not necessary at all.

[toledo_mudhen]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

Frank, I suppose you use Duct Tape on Ducts, too.

Duck tape is for your Ducks

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by conor912

last I checked, painters tape is more expensive compared to packing tape. I agree with you 100%, but if my card arrives well packaged and undamaged, I guess I could't care less what type of tape a seller uses.

...and yes, I always have a box cutter around

+1

When I receive a flat item between cardboard, carefully taped around the edges, I am very happy. I get out my box cutter and remove it. Very simple.

If you don't have a box cutter, get one - they come in very handy for lots of things around the house. Given that the entire world is not going to move to painters tape, even if your campaign is 99% successful (which it won't be), they will continue to come in handy for the rest of your life.

[David W]

My guess is some of these shippers must have a lot of stock in 3M and figure if they wrap each card in 3 feet of tape the price of 3M stock might go up?

I really hate the less than $10 kind of cards that take 5 minutes to get out of the tape tomb they are in.