Sleeves and holders
Penny sleeves in packs of 100, standard-size top loaders (3x4 in, thick loaders for jumbo or thick cards), team bags to seal the loader closed, and painter's tape (not clear tape, which lifts card surfaces when a buyer peels it).
Card sellers
TCG shipping supplies: the working kit
Trading-card shipments come in four sizes, and one drawer of supplies handles all of them. This is the kit a seller assembles once and refills for a year: top loaders and team bags for singles, bubble and rigid mailers for the flat stuff, small boxes for sealed product and slabs. Where the packing choice moves the postage, the numbers are broken out.
Kit itemizedBy parcel sizeWhere it changes the label
One drawer, four shipment types
Singles, decks, sealed boxes, slabs. Same shelf, different mailer.
The four shipment types and what each one needs
A card seller's inventory is not four hundred products; it is four packaging patterns. Match the right pattern to the order and the postage takes care of itself.
| Shipment | Sleeving | Rigidity | Mailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single card, low value | Penny sleeve + top loader | Top loader taped closed | Plain white PWE, or small bubble mailer |
| Single card, over $50 | Penny sleeve + top loader + team bag | Top loader + two pieces of cardboard | Small bubble mailer with tracking |
| Deck of 60 cards | Sleeved deck in a plastic deck box | Deck box already rigid | Small bubble mailer or 6x9 poly mailer |
| Sealed booster box | None (already sealed) | Original packaging | Small corrugated box, 1 inch clearance |
| Graded slab (PSA, BGS, CGC) | Slab in a slab-sized bubble bag | Two cardboard sheets flanking the slab | Rigid mailer or small box |
The rigidity choice is what stops the whole pattern from failing. A single in a top loader with no cardboard reinforcement bends around the loader's edge when the mailer flexes through a sortation belt.
The kit on the desk
Rigid backers
Cut-to-size cardboard sheets, or precut cardboard sandwich pieces sold by the pack. Two per shipment for singles; one flanking each face of a slab.
Mailers
4x8 bubble mailers for singles, 6x9 for decks, 8.5x11 rigid mailers for slabs and thick sealed items. Poly mailers if the weather along the lane is dry; bubble mailers otherwise, because a soaked poly with a top loader inside eventually delaminates.
Boxes for sealed and slabs
Small corrugated boxes in three sizes: booster-box (about 6x4x4 in), booster-box (about 8x6x4 in for double or triple orders), and slab (about 6x4x2 in). Buying flat-packed in cases of 25 to 50 is cheaper than piecing them together at the post office counter.
The scale
A postal scale that reads to 0.1 oz. Cards under one ounce open Ground Advantage's cheapest tier, and the scale is what proves the parcel qualifies before the label gets bought.
The printer
A 4x6 thermal label printer runs a dozen labels an hour without touching an inkjet. Rollo, Munbyn and Zebra all pair with the standard marketplace flows and eliminate a step every shipment.
The kit above fits in a small parts organizer and moves with you when the packing station moves. Reorder timing: sleeves and top loaders bulk-buy every three to six months; mailers monthly.
Where the supplies move the label price
Under an ounce vs over
A single card in a PWE with a top loader can slip under one ounce and price as first-class mail. Add a second loader or thick cardboard and the weight steps into the parcel tier. The line moves as soon as the padding stops fitting the letter dimensions.
Bubble mailer vs small box
Once the shipment includes a bubble mailer plus a thick loader plus two cardboards, a small padded box is often within a dollar and takes an adult signature and shipping protection more comfortably. Slabs and $250-plus orders almost always run in a box for that reason.
Signature confirmation on high-value orders
USPS lists signature confirmation as a separate fee added to the label. TCGplayer requires it above $250 (per help.tcgplayer.com, read 2026-08-11), and the extra can equal a low-single-digit percentage of the item price on the way through.
Common questions
What is the minimum kit for shipping a single card?
A penny sleeve, a 3x4 top loader, a team bag around the loader, two pieces of cardboard, and a plain white envelope or small bubble mailer. Anything less and the card bends on the first sortation belt.
Do I need a rigid mailer for a slab?
For graded slabs (PSA, BGS, CGC), a rigid mailer or a small box with two cardboard sheets flanking the slab is what keeps the plastic case from cracking in transit. A soft bubble mailer alone is not enough for a slab.
How do I know if my PWE (plain white envelope) will make weight?
Weigh the sealed envelope on a 0.1 oz scale. If it reads under one ounce, it can ride first-class mail; over that, it needs a parcel label. Two loaders or thick cardboard usually push it over.
Bubble mailer or poly mailer?
Bubble mailer for anything that includes a rigid insert (loader, slab). Poly mailers work for sleeved deck orders where the deck box is already rigid, and are cheaper to buy in bulk.
Can I reuse mailers from things I ordered?
For low-value singles, sure — buyers do not mind a covered marking and a fresh label. For higher-value orders and slabs, a fresh mailer keeps disputes off the table.