Shipping Overseas

[wrcomics]

Hi All,

 

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here and thought I would consult you. I have a buyer in the UK who spends a little money with me. Last time he ordered 14 ASMs and had requested I ship them in a global priority mailer. I refused and told him I could not see how to safely pack so many books into a flimsy cardboard envelope. He has recently ordered 10 more books and requested that I bag and board them two to a bag and place them in a global priority mailer (flat rate $9). Most of these books are FN to VF condition and are bronze age books. Normally I would bag and board these books individually, band them in a stack with two thick pieces of corrugated cardboard, then provide lots of packing material (shredded paper or styrofoam peanuts) in a corrugated cardboard box. The buyer is obviously interested in saving money on shipping, but at the same time I would be concerned about him wanting a refund or returning the books if they did not arrive in the condition they were advertised. Should I tell him that he is fully responsible for the condition the books arrive in, or is that being too harsh?

[Darthdiesel]

express your concerns to the buyer and let him know that if he is insisting on the lower rate then that would free you from any subsequent reparations necessary if damaged in transit.

 

I have shipped books to the UK and Belgium using the GP flat rate mailer for $9 (or was it $11) - there is a variable size global priority BOX that you can also use for a few bucks more that would provide the sufficient protection you are seeking.

[chrisco37]

It's $9.

 

I'd say your question depends on the collector in question. I would send him an email outlining your dilemma. Let him decide if he wants you to try and stuff them all in the envelope or pay a little extra for the box.

 

I've been able to fit up to 10 comics between a cardboard sandwich in a Global Envelope. However, the books are not bagged and boarded individually. If he's just looking for reader copies, you should be fine.

 

Maybe Chrom could post a link (I don't have it anymore) of the proper packaging of books in the GPE.

[FFB]

Not too harsh at all. (I wish all sellers cared as much as you do.) That's exactly what I would do. Just tell him that you would prefer to send the books in a box, but that if he really only wants an envelope, then he has to take the risk of damage during shipping.

 

Hi All,

 

I'm in a bit of a dilemma here and thought I would consult you. I have a buyer in the UK who spends a little money with me. Last time he ordered 14 ASMs and had requested I ship them in a global priority mailer. I refused and told him I could not see how to safely pack so many books into a flimsy cardboard envelope. He has recently ordered 10 more books and requested that I bag and board them two to a bag and place them in a global priority mailer (flat rate $9). Most of these books are FN to VF condition and are bronze age books. Normally I would bag and board these books individually, band them in a stack with two thick pieces of corrugated cardboard, then provide lots of packing material (shredded paper or styrofoam peanuts) in a corrugated cardboard box. The buyer is obviously interested in saving money on shipping, but at the same time I would be concerned about him wanting a refund or returning the books if they did not arrive in the condition they were advertised. Should I tell him that he is fully responsible for the condition the books arrive in, or is that being too harsh?

[chromium]

here ya go....

 

Global Prio Envelop

[wrcomics]

Thanks for all your assistance and I will use the technique recommended by Chrom in packing the books. I still think it's only fair that since this is not the standard way I ship books overseas, that I email my customer and tell him I feel he should be willing to assume all risk of damage during shipment.

[musicmeta]

I mailed some CGC books to the UK but it costs be $18.00 for Global Priority and I used my own boxes. The buyers pretty much knew it was going to cost me around $18.00 so there were no complaints, but I will have to take a look at this $9.00 shipping method to the UK. I don't remember seeing it. Thanks for the shipping tip.

 

 

[lighthouse]

CGC books don't fit in the GPM envelopes...

 

So the $9 approach is out on those...

 

Mylites2 don't fit either.. And Archives only fit one package of 50... (although you can fit 3 packages in two envelopes if you are willing to open one of them and split it)

 

On the plus side, two of DC's Archives fit nicely. So do two of the Marvel Masterworks. And other than Essentials, you can usually fit $75 worth of cover price of any mainstream TPB's in one GPM envelope...

 

If you're worried about protection (and who isn't except maybe greggy), you can fit a Size 2 bubble envelope inside of a GPM and still have room for 8-10 books depending on how they are packed.

 

In your case, I would bag the 10 comics in one Golden Age bag with two boards on each side of the stack of books. Tape that package shut. Put it and a piece of 8" by 10 1/2" cardboard inside of a magazine bag and tape that shut. That will fit nicely in the Size 2 bubble envelope, which will fit nicely in a GPM. The books will get there just fine...

 

'House

[blowout]

From your shipping experiences, how many books would you say it is safe to ship in a priority envelope?

[lighthouse]

From your shipping experiences, how many books would you say it is safe to ship in a priority envelope?

 

It depends on the paper stock. The paper used in Spawn you can probably send as many as 15-16 and still be very safe. Older newsprint books 10-12 is really as high as I would go, and you're at about the same thickness as the Spawns. Books that are naturally stiff (like Prestige Format issues and heavy cardstock covers) you can go a little thicker because they don't need as much packaging to stay solid. A Golden Age bag with 8 copies of The Killing Joke in it is not going to bend, it just won't, even with no boards. But you fill a Golden Age bag with Avengers West Coast and it still needs boards...

 

Get that interior package to where you could bang it against the edge of a table without damaging the books, and then use the priority envelope strictly as corner protection...

 

At some point I may post a little photo essay of how I pack my books to submit to CGC.

[blowout]

Thanks 'house. Very useful info.