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How to Pack Trading Cards for Shipping

You may have just sold your childhood card collection and now have to ship it, but you do not have professional card packing materials.

This page will show you how to pack trading cards for shipping using standard household items. If you have professional trading card supplies then use those, if not, this will be just as good.

Note: The key is to protect those corners, so while following these instructions be careful not to ding or bang them into anything.

What you will need for this is:

  1. Scotch Tape (not magic tape, make sure to get the stickier stuff)
  2. A piece of standard size 8.5 x 11.5 paper
  3. Cardboard
  4. Plastic sandwich bags
  5. Scissors
  6. A box

Step One

Make a stack of cards about this high.

Step Two

Cut two strips of paper, the long way, like this

Step Three

Put a piece of tape on the end of one strip, like this

Step Four

Lay the strip on a flat surface and place the stack of cards on it like this (the strip is parallel to the long edge of the cards)

Step Five

Fold the strip over and tamp down the tape, like this. Make it as taut as you can without damaging the cards. Be careful not to touch the tape to the cards.

Step Six

Sharpen the edges between your thumb and forefinger, all edges top and bottom, like this

Step Seven

Now we'll do the short side. Cut a couple inches off the second strip, like this:

Step Eight

Put tape on the short strip and place the cards on it like this

Step Nine

Fold the strip around the short side of the cards and sharpen its four edges

Step Ten

Take the piece of cardboard

Step Eleven

Place the card stack in the corner, making sure there's a bit of overhang, like this

Step Twelve

Cut around the cards, leaving a bit of overhang on all four sides

Step Thirteen

Cut a second piece of cardboard the same size as the first

Step Fourteen

Tape the stack to the first piece of cardboard, like this. Be very careful not to touch the tape to the cards.

Step Fifteen

Tape also the other direction. Make it tight enough so there's no play, but not so tight that it damages the cards.

Step Sixteen

Place the second piece of cardboard on the stack, like this

Step Seventeen

Tape up the cardboard in both directions, like this

Step Eighteen

Place the stack in a sandwich bag and seal (if it's not a ziplock then seal with tape)

Step Nineteen

Place carefully in a box. If you have multiple stacks, place them in the box carefully so they don't crash into each other.

And that's all there is to it. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions feel free to write greg@wackypackages.org or call 267-243-6111. Happy shipping!