Today’s Post Is Brought To You By…
(little yellow bubble mailers–especially size #000)
Plain white envelopes, or PWEs, can be a great way to save some money when shipping out single cards. That’s my preferred method of mailing when I send out TTMs. I’ve not once had an incident with any of the PWEs that I have sent out. Well, until today, anyway.
WHO’S TO BLAME?
While this is the first time I’ve had an incident with one of my PWE SASEs coming back damaged, this is not the first time I’ve bore witness to the nightmare of a mangled mess of shredded envelope and baseball cards staring back from within my mailbox. I had completed a trade not too long ago with a fellow trader on a message board for some, you guessed it, Twins cards. If I remember correctly, we both agreed on PWEs as the medium of delivery. My end was sent out and received without incident. The trader’s end, however, came back looking like this…
I sent the pictures along with an e-mail describing the mess to the trader. He blamed the Post Office’s incompetence in the matter. I’m pretty sure it had more to do with the hard plastic case holding the 3 or 4 cards that was contained within the PWE. However, had a bubble mailer been used, this tragedy would likely have been averted. So, who is to blame? Me for suggesting PWE? The trader for packing the PWE with a hard case? The Post Office for allowing a PWE that size to go through its automation? Justin Morneau and his Harry Potter "wingardium leviosa!" home run swing?
That brings us to the current mess that ended up in my mailbox today. This time it wasn’t a PWE provided by the sender. This time it was a SASE provided by me. I’ve sent a PWE SASE to the sender before and have never had any problems. I certainly didn’t expect any this time around. Oops! The cause of this particular effect was similar to the previous delivery. The envelope was too thick to make it through the Post Office’s sorting machines. Was a hard case once again the culprit?
This particular sender had carefully and expertly secured the cards within a team bag flap-taped between two top loaders. Genius! Unlike a hard plastic case, the top loaders weren’t going to crack and bust due to pressure, and the cards weren’t going anywhere. Even though the envelope ended up a complete wreck, the cards were still in perfect shape.
IN CONCLUSION LADIES AND JELLYSPOONS
There are so many factors going into determining wether your cards will end up safely in your possession. There’s no telling if the sender will properly secure your cards. There’s no telling if the Post Office will inadvertently destroy your cards in a mechanical accident. There’s no telling if the corners of your cards simply won’t get dinged without the padding or protection you won’t get in a PWE. If you care anything about the cards you are sending and/or receiving, do yourself a favor and don’t skimp out on the packaging and shipping. While sticking a Forever Stamp on a PWE and dropping it into your nearest mailbox may seem like a good idea, will the money you saved make any difference if your cards arrive ruined?
Do you use PWEs? Have your PWEs arrived in poor condition? Have you received cards that were damaged because of a PWE? Should PWEs ever be used in the delivery of trading cards?
REMINDER
Tomorrow night (Sunday April 5 2009) at 7pm Central, it’s another session of The Cardboard Corner! Please stop on by back here at Crackin Wax and check it out!
