Opinions wanted - PWE vs bubble mailers?

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Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

In my quest to start auctions vintage cards on Ebay for a penny, I have came across this dilemma. I have noticed that while everyone wants to bid a penny, a lot of people have a problem with shipping a "penny" card in a bubble mailer with the proper tracking (around $3.50-$4.00 charge. There is no way around that charge to ship cards properly though. How do collectors here feel about receiving cards in a PWE vs a bubble mailer?

After almost 20+ years a card seller on ebay, I am still amazed by this debate.

I have heard from and dealt with plenty people and their range of opinions on this topic.

IMO, a (narrow?) majority of collectors of less expensive pre-1980 cards prefer the PWE option over the cost of a bubble mailer. I say this because I routinely receive messages from prospective buyers inquiring if I offer lower cost shipping options (PWE) versus the more expensive (bubble mailer) options. I have never had anyone ask if I could mail a $3 or less card via a bubble mailer versus a PWE.

As a collector myself, if I come across a low cost card I am seeking, but the seller has only more expensive s/h options, I pass....this happens frequently. On the receiving end, I have not encountered any problems with receiving properly prepared PWE mailed cards, and I have bought a lot of single cards that have been mailed this way over the years.

As Rick mentions, common sense is paramount when using PWE mailings....mention using PWE's in your listing, do not send more expensive cards (for me $3 or less) this way and do not overcharge for a PWE mailing (I charge $1). On my end, I do not ship more than one card in a PWE and I ensure that the one card is secured in the envelope (in a Card Saver wrapped with a regular sheet of paper). I use Card Saver IIs for post 56s and Card Saver Is for 56s and back.

As a seller I have followed these principles for years and have had 99.99% success rate when using PWE's. I have had what seems to be three times as many damaged /lost mailings when shipping with bubble mailers versus what I have had with PWEs. I have nearly an equal amount of mailings in PWEs as I do in bubblemailers

A few times a year, I encounter some unreasonable troll who "claims" he did not receive his $1 card and ONLY wants a refund and not a replacement. A quick check of the troll's feedback left for sellers usually reveals where the problem lies, as they have a long history of not receiving items and announce it time and time again via the feedback they leave. I refund and block...not worth the hassle.


In reading in other forums, the dislike of PWE's seems to come from collectors of newer cards who object to cards of any value being mailed in a PWE. I have read posts over the years where these collectors will only buy cards (no matter their value) if mailed in a bubble mailer. When buying single, less expensive cards, I prefer to buy more cards (for my money) with less expensive s/h versus buying fewer cards due to more expensive s/h. IMO, vintage card collectors are generally more open to the proper use of PWEs than the collectors of newer cards are. Obviously, there are exceptions both ways.

However, I understand the complaints from the anti-PWE crowd that stem from when a seller charges $3 for PWE mailings , sends more expensive cards in a PWE, does not secure the card in the envelope, does not mention the use of PWEs in their listing, etc.

Ultimately though, my goal is to sell as many cards to a buyer on each purchase. To stimulate buyers to buy more, I use a s/h cap on smaller orders and offer free s/h on larger orders. I avoid using a s/h policy of each additional card mails for $x.xx amount. As a collector I avoid sellers who have such "combined" s/h polices and use those sellers that "cap" their s/h. While around 50% of my mailings are PWEs, over 95% of my cards mail in bubble mailers as all multi item orders mail out via bubble mailers. As a seller I sell an average of 7-8 cards on each order....likely due to collectors who recognize the value of s/h caps.

Finally, through ebay and the use of the 15% off coupons when they show up, I can usually pick up several hundred forever stamps for between 35-40 cents per stamp. This is quite a savings over the course of a year.