How to pack an order ..

Michael Dodd · December 2022

Grrrgggghhhh I have had one too many orders which just annoy me. Lovely stamps packed by a tame cat perhaps......... :-)

Mint stamps should NOT be packed touching each other is the seller doesn't want to risk the gums sticking.

Stamps should not be sent without a stiffener unless the sender wishes to risk annoying the buyer when the stamps get bent in the mail handling process. - or perhaps the stamps had the minor bend in the first place and the seller is covering that up................

Please can sellers start to show some quality in their packing. PLEASE, If you are not a philatelic person at least show some common sense when packing stamps.

Scott Payton · December 2022

It wasn't me was it?

Phil Merrill_ · December 2022

Even my most trusted dealers stack mint stamps in a glassine. Which is fine. until it isn't. Water will find a way. My mail carrier drives miles and miles with the window open regardless of weather and all the mail is stacked right there with him. Twice I've lost good stamps because of this, so it is a pet peeve of mine.

Rene Bravo · December 2022

You know, I've noticed this about folks...there are some who do a meticulous job with packaging the stamps...cardboard, double plastic, sealing, stiffening, many layers. Other use a small number 9 envelope with a glassine inside taped shut. Some use that confounded scotch tape on EVERYTHING! I use a small surgical scalpel to remove these so as to not damage the stamp. There should be a "standard" somewhere, or does this need development? images

Scott Payton · December 2022

We use dealer cards for most stuff, but when we sell bigger lots of inexpensive material, we usually ship in a glassine. We did have one issue this year with that for the first time, so we went to putting glassine sheets between groups, and that seems to have resolved the issue.
We don't add stiffeners in this case either, because they add extra weight and that increases shipping fees, which everyone complains about without the added weight... and so when these are valued in the lower end, it's a cost vs benefit, and if 1 out of 100 is a "fail", we refund and move on. It's a difficult balance, and I could be persuaded that our approach is sub-optimal if there is a better idea.
So when I asked "Was it me?", there was an element of genuineness in that question.

Phil Merrill_ · December 2022

My other hobby is building plastic models, so I keep x-acto knives around anyway to deal with the tape nuts. Um, to deal with the tape, not the nuts....

Scott Payton · December 2022

You know, Rene brings up another great point, and one that I HATE is over packing, especially when they go psycho on the tape. What I hate more than lose stamps in a glassine is packing that has loads of sticky materials involved. One piece of tape to keep the flap closed on a glassine of not more than 1" (25mm) long is all that is needed. The glassine is not going to burst open in the envelope! And if you put your dealer card in a glassine, and just tape the glassine down, that works fine too. In fact, skip the tape all together! It's not going to come open INSIDE another envelope.
The risk of damage to stamps due to over packing is insane. There are a few items where I would take greater measures (including heave stiffeners) for things like a 630 (especially if it has weak perfs) or any large blocks or multiples. But we charge a higher shipping fee for those already to cover the greater costs.

Otherwise, we ship in a dealer card, if it's OG, then that goes in a glassine (if not, it just goes in the envelope). Dealer cards are resilient enough to protect single or multiples that will fit into them, they offer enough resistance that letter carriers don't try to force them past their natural bend radius, and if they will, they will try and fold anything, so stiffer backers don't really help. In near 25 years as a stamp dealer, we've never had an item returned as damaged when put into a dealer card. As mentioned, if it's OG stamp(s) then we put them into glassine same size and seal, if used/NG then we just close the dealer card with tape on 3 sides, but only about 1" long. This allows a tong to easily cut through the tape without risk to the stamp.

Michael Dodd · December 2022

good thoughts everyone. No it wasn't you Scott :-)

I am going to write some extra guidelines for the IPDA website (Internet Listing and Selling Guidelines) so all feedback has been useful. In one of my recent examples. 2 lovely MNH stamps, really nice but placed in what you might call a sort of dealer card but very "soft" so no stiffening at all and just lose in the "sleeve" and the envelope got a little bent - a long envelope far too big for the contents - travelled all the way from the US to the Philippines and yep one stamp got bent just enough to detract. no care or common sense on the part of the seller at all..... might get the iron out hahahahahahahahahaha just joking ... keep smiling :-) and enjoy your stamps.

john o'neil · December 2022

Forgive me father.....but...I have been using tape more than I used to. I try to minimize it. But, hypocrite that I am, I get peeved when on the receiving end and it takes several minutes to "free" my purchase carefully with an exacto knife. When I started, I bought a box of those manila file folders. I would cut them and tape the edges on three sides (or two if using the folder bend. I'd leave one end open for inserting the stamp(s), which were either in dealer cards or glassine. I would not tape this end. I would size the enclosure so that it was large enough to prevent the enclosed item from exiting while in the envelope. I used to prepare these by the dozen. I got way from it by deciding to reuse the stiffeners I was getting from my purchases, plus using plenty of such fodder in junk mail. I need to go back to my hand made manila enclosures. A very small added cost, and it looks a little more "professionally" packed.

berrien moore · December 2022

This is a very frustrating issue. Scott's packing approach is ideal; I also agree with him about too much tape. The biggest problem is too many stamps in too few packages. It is a real problem that has ruined some of my purchases--

George DeKornfeld · December 2022

I had to chuckle when I saw this thread as I had just received a stuffed full banker's box I recently picked up at a Canadian auction. I swear, the freight would have cost half as much if the auction house hadn't used all the packing tape available in their entire province! It took me a good 30-minutes just to dissect my way thru the wrapping paper and meters of tape just to get to the box, only to find the box had been wrapped in tape (think 'mummy') as well.
That said, once I got into the box, I felt like a kid collector again. Piles of covers and stamps as well as a bunch of old APS study guides. Many of the covers are US and Canada with the majority being 19th-century, and I just pulled out a large stack of 19th century China and Japan stamps all ID'd on cards (and these hardly put a dent into the contents). Mouse and I are now set for the winter and both of our tails are wagging. My collections will be happy and now all I have to worry about is if I'll live long enough to list all the stamps/covers I don't want into my store...

Bill O'Malley · December 2022

When I ship, as Rene knows, I always put the main contents in a glassine and then insert it into a plastic bag that I then tape to a piece of cardboard inside a number 9 or 12 envelope or for lots inside a padded envelope.
This is the best way that I have been using for years.