TOPIC: Token Mailing Tip

Hi All,

I know there are a lot of newer players joining True Dungeon, which is wonderful! For those that might be doing your first token trade, I have a shipping tip. Never, ever ship tokens in a regular envelope. The mail sorting machines will slide those tokens around and often tear the envelopes, and the tokens can get lost in the mail. I just got an regular envelope in the mail with a high-value GP reserve bar sticking half-way out of the envelope through a tear (it's a miracle it was still in the envelope), and the Ultra-Rare token that was shipped with it was long gone. I had the same thing happen to me a year or two ago, when a Volunteer token that was mailed to me in a regular envelope was lost in shipping when the envelope tore open.

I recommend using bubble envelopes, like you can buy at Sam's Club. Even with those, I often use staples and/or tape to provide extra sealing at the top. And of course, larger token shipments can use Priority Mail boxes.

Thanks!!
Mike

If you haven't spent at least 5 minutes taping it up, you're shipping it wrong.

For low-value stuff I place tokens in taped top loaders, taped to the inside, in a business envelope with every seam taped.

Mid value goes in a taped top loader, in a manila bubble mailer.

High value goes in a taped top loader, in a manila bubble mailer, in a priority mail envelope. Usually with insurance.

For boxes if there is any empty space I stuff it with paper or plastic bags, and I still tape everything down and tape every seam. Eleven and a half grams per token adds up fast and when that weight shifts it can tear through the box over time.

TL;DR - use the right mailer for the job and use excessive amounts of tape.

I generally use bubble envelopes or if I am super busy I will grab one of the smaller priority letter envelope which is like $6.50. That is slightly more then the buy your own envelope for $1.25 and ship it for $3.75.

Joshua Baessler wrote: If you haven't spent at least 5 minutes taping it up, you're shipping it wrong.

For low-value stuff I place tokens in taped top loaders, taped to the inside, in a business envelope with every seam taped.

Mid value goes in a taped top loader, in a manila bubble mailer.

High value goes in a taped top loader, in a manila bubble mailer, in a priority mail envelope. Usually with insurance.

For boxes if there is any empty space I stuff it with paper or plastic bags, and I still tape everything down and tape every seam. Eleven and a half grams per token adds up fast and when that weight shifts it can tear through the box over time.

TL;DR - use the right mailer for the job and use excessive amounts of tape.

People always look at me weird at the post office when I grab a couple size medium priority boxes and a dozen small priority boxes. Best padding is using 6 small priority boxes in a medium. If I send to TD I lightly stuff the bags in each box so the weight doesn't cause the box undue stress but being self contained inside each box makes it work. If anyone every gotten a large order you know what I am talking about.

Mike Steele wrote: I recommend using bubble envelopes, like you can buy at Sam's Club. Even with those, I often use staples and/or tape to provide extra sealing at the top.

I have learned to tape my bubble envelopes, too.

After one shipment I sent to Mike had the tokens ?slide? right out of the gap at the top of the bubble mailer (where the adhesive didn't quite cover the opening of the envelope) I've diligently used packing tape over the flap every time.

Mike was very gracious about it, by the way, and allowed me to hand-deliver (most of) the missing tokens to him later. The ones I didn't have duplicates for, he waived off. Much appreciated!

and also this

Also, don't put a zip-lock bag with hundreds of tokens into a medium flat-rate box and no packing material. Preferably put them into one or more small flat-rate boxes and then put those into the bigger box, and with packing material.

You should never ship a box that isn't packed tightly. They will get squished and then lose their structural integrity.

As someone who gets the occasional order of custom challenge coins made for a group I'm a part of, resilient packaging is indeed important (though my largest order is probably still a tiny fraction of what some regulars here toss around).

You'd be surprised what damage a dense metal or plastic disk can do jostling around even within local mail, let alone across a continent.

Raven wrote:

Mike Steele wrote: I recommend using bubble envelopes, like you can buy at Sam's Club. Even with those, I often use staples and/or tape to provide extra sealing at the top.

I have learned to tape my bubble envelopes, too.

After one shipment I sent to Mike had the tokens ?slide? right out of the gap at the top of the bubble mailer (where the adhesive didn't quite cover the opening of the envelope) I've diligently used packing tape over the flap every time.

Mike was very gracious about it, by the way, and allowed me to hand-deliver (most of) the missing tokens to him later. The ones I didn't have duplicates for, he waived off. Much appreciated!

Raven, a GENCON never feels complete if you and I aren't making at least one trade.

I usually put the tokens in a bag, put the bag between pieces of cardboard, tape it up, put that in a bubble envelope.

for single or small token amounts I wrap the token in cling wrap, then get some cardboard, cut a token sized hole, duct tap the token in the middle and mail the cardboard in the envelope.

What is all this wrapping nonsense?

I just turn until I'm facing the direction of the state the token needs to arrive in, concentrate, and then throw it as hard as I can.