anyone else dislike 'magic' tape ??? Or other packaging dislikes??

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

I received 2 white border tobacco cards in today's mail. Both in sleeves, and in hard top loaders. They were taped to a piece of corrugated cardboard, with magic tape.

I hate magic tape when I'm trying to peel it off of something, such as a top loader. Anyone else annoyed with that? Regular glossy tape holds well and removes with ease. Magic tape is either as secure, or maybe less secure, but difficult to remove. I wish folks would use regular tape.


Over the years I've accumulated too many books. When my kids were younger they'd want to watch me open any package I'd received in the mail. They knew I'd received an 'old' book when I got down to brown paper tied with string. That is the way many antiquarian book dealers wrap their wares. You could sense the care they had for the book by the way the paper was folded, the neatness of the wrapping, the geometry of the string.

Sellers, please consider using glossy tape instead of the magic stuff. I'm not going to write on it when the cards arrive, I'm hoping to un-tape the wad of top loaders, and maybe reuse them.

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Posted By: D. Bergin

One of my biggest pet peeves is when shippers use too much packing tape inside a package. It seems odd because you want a package shipped securely and there's nothing better when a fragile items gets to you and you see it's well packaged.

My problem is when I open a box and then I have to burrow through 12 more layers of tape to get to the item. The item got to me safely but now I have to risk damaging the item getting it out of the packaging.

I appreciate a good packaging job but there is a such thing as going too far with it.

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Posted By: Laura

When I do use magic tape, I always fold the ends over to make a "tab" so it can be removed cleanly, fwiw. And if I tape over the open end of a toploader (so a small item won't fall out, if I'm out of smaller ones) I always leave enough of an opening to get a knife into so you can slit it open. But I understand your frustration.

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Posted By: Alan U

I hate the packing stryofoam peanuts, add a little static electricity and they're especially fun!

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Posted By: S Gross

Never, never, never place a piece of tape across the opening of a card holder. Sure it "could" slip out, but it is 100x more likely the card "will" catch on the tape.

I've said it before ........ I've received packages with enough tape that could have kept the Titanic afloat !!!

I once "turned" a $100 card into a $10 card trying to dislodge it from an entombed sleeve.

Just place the card holder between 2 pieces of card board, and wrap your invoice or payment receipt around this packet. Then one tiny piece of tape to hold packet together ........ easy, efficient, and potential-disaster-free.

Personal pet-peeve, although most would probably disagree: Once you have a secure packet, why use a bubble enevolpe -- to protect the shipping cardboard ???




(thanks, Frank, needed to vent )

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Posted By: dstudeba

Non-biodegradable packing peanuts. I have bags of them in my garage because I can't bring myself to send them to the landfill.

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Posted By: Laura

But if I close the top of the toploader firmly before I tape, so there's no way the tape can catch the card (which is first placed inside a plastic sleeve), why is it a problem? The pressure from the tape keeps the toploader shut, so if anything, the tape might catch on the plastic sleeve, not the item/card itself.

I then put the toploader into a rigid cardboard mailer (the bubble ones are useless) and send out with a "DO NOT BEND" stamp (which my local USPS employee buddy tells me is important.) Not a single complaint in over 10 years.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Peanuts are love/hate. They have their obvious messiness issues. Sweeping up static electrically charged peanuts from the floor can be be a comedy routine. But they're borderline essential for breakable items like vases or Spalding figural trophies.

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Posted By: Marty Ogelvie

I am glad to see that I am NOT alone on this soap box. I hate TAPE. HATE IT!

More than once I have cringed in fear of ruining a card simply by trying to free it from its packaging..ARGH..

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Duly note that most overzealous packaging is caused by previous customer complaints, comments and dictates about underpackaging. After complaints about underpackaging from the anal-retentive, the seller is damn well straight conditioned to fortify with two by fours and cover every bare spot with tape.

One example is the annoying tape over the top of the toploader. I know of eBay sellers who have received bad feedback because they didn't tape over the edge of a top loader, even though the cards didn't fall out. This is why they started putting tape over the edges of all the top loaders.

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Posted By: marshall barkman

The truth most folks do not know how to package a card. If you mention Card Saver 1 they think it is a computer program to remember storing of cards. If people would just place the card saver 1 inbetween two pieces of cardboard and then tape the ends of the cardboard then it is all set. One time i got a card that was double boxed and then had a pile of tape wrapped around the holder which was taped to pieces of plastic. I did not know if i was opening a bomb or a box with a card in it.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

The simple solution is to put a small piece of paper of the opening of the toploader and then tape it on there. The card cant come in contact with the tape and it won't slip out of the holder.

My biggest pet peeve is when someone uses a non rigid type holder or just a pvc sleeve and then tapes that onto a piece of cardboard.

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Posted By: PC

Excessive tape is annoying. Here are two ideas for sellers, based on well-packaged cards I've received in the past ...

(1) Instead of taping across the opening of a top loader, fold a post-it across the opening (make sure the sticky strip goes over and back) -- super easy to remove.

(2) Fold/wrap newspaper tightly around the top loaders or slabs FIRST, then TAPE the newspaper closed. This works beautifully to keep cards from sliding around and banging into each other.


Worst packaging ever -- I had a small stack of PSA slabbed 1954 Dan-Dee's arrive, with clear super-sticky packing tape wrapped directly around the slabs. Those slabs still have some residue on them.

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Posted By: Michael Steele

Cycleback,

"Sweeping up static electrically charged peanuts from the floor can be be a comedy routine."

I had a good laugh when I read your quote. I was wearing these peanuts opening a big box from a recent Lelands winning a couple of weeks back. It was -30 outside so these peanuts were of the static turbo charged variety and were on the attack!

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Posted By: Rob D.

Trying to pull magic tape off of a beautiful, new, pristine, shiny slab is indeed irritating.

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Posted By: boxingcardman

I absolutely HATE opening a box and catching the aroma of used ashtray or worse, mold. I actually had to return one lot of Exhibit cards I purchased because they were so stinky with mold that I started to sneeze when I opened them and did not stop until I put them in a plastic bag and took a benadryl. Too bad; there were some really tough cards in there.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Is there no way to "dehumidfy" a card to get rid of moldy smell?

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Posted By: Jim VB

About a year ago, I got a lot of T59's (non-sport) that had that "old basement smell." Not overpowering, but noticeable. I put them in a gallon size zip-loc bag with one of those Arm & Hammer deodorizers designed to stick in your refrigerator. Sealed it up and left them there for about a month and they were much better.

http://www.armhammer.com/basics/products/

It's called Fridge Fresh Air Filter.

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Posted By: dan mckee

Was that from me Frank? That is the only kind of tape we have here at the Government. I once had a guy return a nodder to me that was so well packaged I had to destroy it to get to it. He thought I was kidding when I told him it was packed too well. Some people just don't get it!

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Posted By: Laura

Gaylord makes a good document cleaning pad/powder that will remove mold and mildew. http://tinyurl.com/bj7s5u

I love their stuff, an archivists dream store.

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Posted By: dan mckee

Adam, call me next time that happens. I will buy them from you and suck up the mold just to get some tough exhibits!

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Posted By: Stephen

I hate the boxes that PSA sends there cards in...I know it well packaged but it takes me 20 mins just to get to my cards. I feel like the kid who gets a large box on Christmas and inside he has to open 10 other boxes before he get his present.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

anyone with an abundance of peanuts or bubble wrap can take them to their local UPS Store and they'll GLADLY take them off your hands. I used to have TONS of people bring them in to recycle them.

I concur with everyone here that tape will be the death of us all someday. Magic tape....taping the outside of the pacakge so much you can't even open it without a blade....too much tape inside.....tape across the toploader messing up top borders of the cards....etc.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey Dan... it wasn't you.

The package that got me stirred up was from a guy selling autographed minor league cards from this 21st century of ours. I bought 3. He put them in a legal envelope, taped to a piece of corrugated cardboard, with 3 home made COAs wrapped around them, and with 96 cents postage on it. USPS charged me 55 cents postage due, the sender had no idea about a different rate for a letter more than 1/4" thick. It took me 3 email exchanges to get him to refund anything, he'd charged $2.50 for postage. I thought I should get $1.25 or $1 back... he sent .55, but it cost me .32 in Paypal fees, 'cause he didn't "refund" it, he just sent it. A 4th email got him to "refund" 32 more cents.

Golly, they send stuff to space and back with less tape and sealing and all than I see on some cards.


Usually, I put a card in a sleeve, then turn it the opposite way and put the sleeve in a hard top loader. That way a piece of NORMAL tape will hold it all in the top loader, but the adhesive can't touch the card. I do like the idea of wrapping the top loaders in paper or a receipt, then taping that.


And I like to have a way to get into the package. Too much tape on the outside is a pain...

Thank you guys for posting, I'm comforted with the company. Glad to see other folks get annoyed with packaging.

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

If I tape a toploader, I first fold a small piece of paper that's wider than the tape over the lip, then the tape goes on top of that, secured to the front and back of the plastic holder. I always worry about the tape catching the card otherwise.

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Posted By: dan mckee

That is exactly what I do with my peanuts Tom. The lady there was nice enough to refund the full price of my destryoed box where UPS only sent her the value and not the cost I paid for insurance.

Technically, I could mail something from them and buy $10 worth of insurance, they destroy the package and I am out $10. Seems ridiculous to me, I think I should be refunded fully.

Anyway, she is happy as a clam everytime I bring her a few trash bags of peanuts for recycle.

dan