Gemini Comic Slab mailers.. good? Or what do you use to ship slabs? 1 1

[TheAvenger80]

Hey guys, I’m getting ready to sell a fair amount of slabs for the first time ever and exploring options to make the shipping as painless as possible.

Has anyone used the Gemini brand slab mailers? Are they good enough on their own to prevent damage? They seem to be, based on the claims by the manufacturer, but I am skeptical.

if you just use boxes and such, are there specific boxes you buy? Specific padding and such? Direct links are much appreciated!!

[Lightning55]

The best method I have found is this:

Order boxes 1095 and 1097 from usps.com. They're free. Get packs of 10 or 25.

Wrap slab in a layer or two of bubble wrap. Put it in a 1097 with some padding, usually more bubble wrap, or crumpled newspaper. Put that into a 1095 box with a bit more padding. 

Ship with whoever gives you Cubic Priority rates for lowest cost. I use PirateShip.com, no fixed cost to use, just pay discounted shipping rate. A local slab will cost as little as $7, opposite coast will be more like $13.

Insurance is only 80 cents per $100, if you need it. If you only need to cover $100 or less, that's included free with Priority or Ground Advantage. 

[Stefan_W]

I order boxes from U-Line, and use packing paper from Dymon Storage (3 pieces on the bottom, 2 pieces on the top). You can take one of my boxes and throw it down a set of stairs and the slab inside will be perfectly safe, which is handy because I'm pretty convinced that is exactly how it will be handled by postal services. Anyway, shipped many hundred (1k+) slabs and have had zero breakages or damage to slabs in transit. 

[Chip Cataldo]

I'd only use Gemini mailers for raw books. They're perfect for that but not big enough to allow extra protection for slabs.

I second the double Priority Mail box method outlined above, or even a single 1095 with bubble wrap for cheaper slabs. I've shipped a couple hundred and never had an issue.

[TheAvenger80]

Oh! Gemini make a specific version for slabs!…

https://a.co/d/hwcbTeN

On 3/4/2024 at 10:28 AM, Chip Cataldo said:

I'd only use Gemini mailers for raw books. They're perfect for that but not big enough to allow extra protection for slabs.

I second the double Priority Mail box method outlined above, or even a single 1095 with bubble wrap for cheaper slabs. I've shipped a couple hundred and never had an issue.

 

[Chip Cataldo]

On 3/4/2024 at 10:33 AM, TheAvenger80 said:

Oh! Gemini make a specific version for slabs!…

https://a.co/d/hwcbTeN

Interesting. I wasn't aware of these but without much room (it seems) to put bubble wrap around the slab itself it still seems "naked" as far as protection.

[F For Fake]

I use the raw mailers all of the time, and love them, but I would hesitate to ship a slab in a mailer without further protection. I DO think these would be nice for packing and protecting a slab, but I would still put that inside of a proper box. MCS has similar mailers for their slabs, and when I've ordered several slabs they've had their mailers, plus the added protection of another box.

So, I do believe a slab mailer can be a handy piece of a proper slab shipment, but I wouldn't depend upon it to be the sole protection.

[SpineTic]

You could use some overly expensive Styrofoam packing.

https://www.slabshipper.com/shop

Edited March 4 by SpineTic

[TheAvenger80]

On 3/4/2024 at 3:47 AM, Lightning55 said:

The best method I have found is this:

Order boxes 1095 and 1097 from usps.com. They're free. Get packs of 10 or 25.

Wrap slab in a layer or two of bubble wrap. Put it in a 1097 with some padding, usually more bubble wrap, or crumpled newspaper. Put that into a 1095 box with a bit more padding. 

Ship with whoever gives you Cubic Priority rates for lowest cost. I use PirateShip.com, no fixed cost to use, just pay discounted shipping rate. A local slab will cost as little as $7, opposite coast will be more like $13.

Insurance is only 80 cents per $100, if you need it. If you only need to cover $100 or less, that's included free with Priority or Ground Advantage. 

Hey, thanks for this! So when I go to Pirate Ship it doesn't list any NON-flat rate Priority Boxes as an option. Do you just select "Box or Rigid Packaging" and then just ship using Priority?

[Lightning55]

Yes, you just enter the dimensions and weight, any added services, and see the best rate available. The cubic rate is based on the dimensions. You can click on the suggested rate to see the full range of rates from each carrier.

You can create your own presets so you don't have to keep entering the specs over and over. Or use your closest saved preset and make small modifications.