What is the best way to ship a pennant?

[scooter729]

Probably a very simple question for any pennant collectors, but....

I've got a number of pennants I was looking to sell - nothing expensive - more like $20-$40 type items. (Actually many of them are 1980's pennants with autographs I got in person.) I've never bought / sold pennants online; they were all bought years ago in person. So I've never seen what is an acceptable manner of shipping them.

Do folks fold pennants to mail them? Is there a standard manner of packaging?

Any advice would be appreciated from those who have done this before!

Thanks!
Scott

[Duluth Eskimo]

I ship a lot of pennants, but they are better pennants where condition is a priority. I ship all of my pennants flat. What I do is combine two flat priority shipping boxes together by pushing the ends together and taping the seams. It is hard to explain and you also have to not use the "flat rate" boxes they have. The problem with pennants 70's and newer is that if you fold them over they show creases unlike the older ones. If you don't have too many you could probably just cut some cardboard pieces to fit. Hope that helps a little, Jason

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by Duluth Eskimo

I ship all of my pennants flat. What I do is combine two flat priority shipping boxes together by pushing the ends together and taping the seams. It is hard to explain and you also have to not use the "flat rate" boxes they have.

I do the same thing....but I notch out the ends of one of the boxes so that they fit in the middle more snugly. I also have Do Not Bend stickers that I put on the box.

BTW, I also ship newspapers the same way only you use 1 box instead.

Jeff

[thecatspajamas]

I might also add that writing "do not bend" on the package may or may not have any effect on whether the package is bent in shipping. I certainly wouldn't count on that warning saving an otherwise flimsy packing job. On big, flat items like that, I prefer to double up the layers of cardboard so that, if the postman wants to bend it, he's going to have to smash that thing over his knee to do so. Cardboard is light and super cheap, you can cut it to whatever shape you want, and if you tape solidly around all sides, it's basically like shipping a light board.

[Runscott]

I had 8 vintage ones. Shipped the first four folded in half over a big wad of bubble wrap. It worked fine, but when I asked the same question you are asking, I was told to ship flat...so I shipped the last 4 flat, and it was actually very easy - even easier than the careful fold job.

[perezfan]

Most collectors (myself included) prefer flat shipping. Most collectors are also willing to pay a bit extra for flat shipping.

Even the older soft felt pennants can incur damage, if folded or bent too severely. Although the felt can withstand being folded or bent, the painted graphics tend to crack and/or pucker when bent too far.

Lots of ebay sellers like to ship them "rolled" (often around a paper towell cardboard core). Usually this is ok, but I have had a few in which the paint cracked or even flaked off. Just something to look out for...

Hope this is helpful

[vintagesportflips]

I use the same 2 priority mail boxes placed end to end idea, slipped into eachother. I then also to give more support take a third priority box, cut one side of the tabs at the end off so that the sides with the adhesive are exposed, then place that box at the center of the 2 attached boxes, to provide extra support and to prevent it from being bent in half. Hope that makes sense, its easy to do but hard to descibe.

[brownscollector78]

I also use priority boxes slipped into each other. Then I cut them down to size, giving them a triangular shape and tape heavily all around the open seams.

It really is important to ship it flat.

[scooter729]

Thanks to all for the feedback - some good advice here!

Scott

[ibuysportsephemera]

One other thing...if you use the adhesive strips to seal the ends, make sure that the tip or end of the pennant does not get stuck to this. I ship everything in plastic anyway, but once a newspaper slipped out of the plastic and got stuck and I had to refund the customers money.

Jeff

[lefty147]

I use the priority 38" tube boxes (you can order free from PO). Two of them opposite and put together works great. They are thick and do not bend. Weight with 1 pennant is usually 1lb 3 or 4oz. Mike

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by ibuysportsephemera

One other thing...if you use the adhesive strips to seal the ends, make sure that the tip or end of the pennant does not get stuck to this. I ship everything in plastic anyway, but once a newspaper slipped out of the plastic and got stuck and I had to refund the customers money.

Jeff

This was a very important comment. Ive received many with tips damaged, due to either the following...

Tip was touching adhesive strip, and it took a portion of felt with it.

Tip was too close to the edge of the box, and got caught in the sealing tape.

By simply placing the pennant in a plastic sleeve, this can be avoided. The plastic also protects pennant from potentially getting wet (a recurring issue here in Seattle). I wish there was a way to make the plastic sleeves mandatory for ebay sellers. The major auction houses almost always use them.

[Hankphenom]

I've bought many pennants over the years, and always request this shipping method: place the pennant (in a plastic sleeve if possible) around the inside perimeter of a box the size of the deeper priority box. In other words, in a loose roll around the inside of the box. Then fill the middle of the box with enough paper (not newspaper if there's no plastic sleeve) that will keep the pennant firmly in place around the outside interior of the box. Similarly with posters and broadsides, I'd rather have them rolled up inside a tube than attempted to ship flat. No matter how strong the cardboard, a flat item of any size will have at least one amazing crease that it seems would have taken a man holding half of the package in place with his foot and bending up with the other half until the cardboard had been bent 90 degrees, with a similar crease now embedded in the piece. And writing "do not bend" anywhere on a package seems to pretty much guarantee this result. The loose roll in a large box method, on the other hand, eliminates the possibility of creasing a pennant and keeps the heavy paint on older ones from cracking. And it's certainly true that the incredibly strong glue USPS uses to seal their priority boxes can be a serious hazard to the contents.

[tony]

I guess thats why the post office is bankrupt. Everybody is using their priority mail boxes

[nameless]

Thanks Hank! Awesome idea!