In all seriousness, what do bubble mailers actually do?

[Cartophilium]

Bubble Mailers

Bubble mailers resist the kind of incidental damage that white paper envelopes don't.
Being torn or dropped, having something dropped on them, etc..

No, bubble mailers aren't perfect. Excessive pressure or a bad angle will break the wrapper, case, and card in almost any package. But the bubble mailers do provide somewhat better protection, even if it is marginal.

That said, I don't think it should be some kind of standard or anything, where people are looked down upon for using envelopes instead.

Take your mailings to a post office. Avoid the temptation to simply apply proper postage and dropping the bubble mailer into the nearest red mailbox.
At the post office the small bubble mailers are kept apart from the parcels. In the red mailbox someone can drop a heavy parcel on your small bubble mailer piercing the outer paper layer, resulting in a snag in the machines later if not detected.

 

[Brave]

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

I prefer the big brown enlevope. Please send my cards in them, they make me happy.

Eric

 

[langway05]

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

I prefer the big brown envelope. Please send my cards in them, they make me happy.

Eric

Now this is the most interestin' reply bar none....

For sheer enjoyment factor, I'd have to agree.. Cracking open the mailbox and spying out a mailer instead of PWE's.. :dance:

 

[PickyCollector]

I am known in this hobby for my excellent shipping practices. I do not & will not use bubble mailers. See picture above for reason why. My shipping method is as follows & my customers & fellow traders love it.

1. Place card in penny sleeve.
2. Into toploader.
3. Team bag it!! (This is crucial because any card can always slip right out of your toploader)
4. Tape the team bag to a piece of sturdy cardboard on both sides of the card so that it is surrounded by the sturdy cardboard.
5. Wrap cardboard in foam or bubble wrap.
6. Take a manilla envelope & stamp or write "FRAGILE DO NOT BEND". (My friend works at a post office & he says adding this will have them think its pictures & they take extra care with the package in order to not bend it & will not stuff into PO Box)
7. Put into manilla envelope. (Same as a bubble mailer but as stated in step 5 I add my own bubbles, its lesser expensive both on weight to ship it & for the envelope)

Never had a complaint, & more often than not get a big compliment in the care I took.

To be honest with you though I think the bubbles or foam is overkill. Once wrapped in cardboard this should suffice but we are in the "must use bubbles" era.

 

[allstarcollectors]

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

I prefer the big brown enlevope. Please send my cards in them, they make me happy.

Eric

I agree with this one wholeheartedly. The second I open my mailbox I know how many cards I have that day. Then, later I find this PWE, and it is a bonus, but sometimes I miss them completely til I decide to go through the bills.

 

[sholi2000]

I am known in this hobby for my excellent shipping practices. I do not & will not use bubble mailers. See picture above for reason why. My shipping method is as follows & my customers & fellow traders love it.

1. Place card in penny sleeve.
2. Into toploader.
3. Team bag it!! (This is crucial because any card can always slip right out of your toploader)
4. Tape the team bag to a piece of sturdy cardboard on both sides of the card so that it is surrounded by the sturdy cardboard.
5. Wrap cardboard in foam or bubble wrap.
6. Take a manilla envelope & stamp or write "FRAGILE DO NOT BEND". (My friend works at a post office & he says adding this will have them think its pictures & they take extra care with the package in order to not bend it & will not stuff into PO Box)
7. Put into manilla envelope. (Same as a bubble mailer but as stated in step 5 I add my own bubbles, its lesser expensive both on weight to ship it & for the envelope)

Never had a complaint, & more often than not get a big compliment in the care I took.

To be honest with you though I think the bubbles or foam is overkill. Once wrapped in cardboard this should suffice but we are in the "must use bubbles" era.

So you make your own bubble mailer.:dance: It must take a lot of time to ship multiple items (5-10).

I use bubbles, and I also use decoy cards on the front and back of ea card. That's the way to go.

I have received cards in PWE, but when shipping is a dollar, that's what I expect.

 

[Cartophilium]

Logical Conclusion

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

I prefer the big brown enlevope. Please send my cards in them, they make me happy.

Eric

So if bills could be eliminated we could return to the PWE.

 

[bto3105]

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

I prefer the big brown enlevope. Please send my cards in them, they make me happy.

Eric

What a great answer. That is so true !!!!

I will say that the chances are better with Bubbles. I haven't had many white ones show up compared to the amount of bubbles but the ratio for damage I received was way higher in the white than the bubble.

 

[GoCanGo]

So you make your own bubble mailer.:dance: It must take a lot of time to ship multiple items (5-10).

I use bubbles, and I also use decoy cards on the front and back of ea card. That's the way to go.

I have received cards in PWE, but when shipping is a dollar, that's what I expect.

I actually once received a 2$ card on eBay with free shipping in a bubble envelope. But I guess that's not the standard.

 

[quincy]

Andrew - Didn't know that. Still, I would hypothesize that you could still send in the ol' tighty whitey - packaging appropriately as you describe - and still encounter very few problems.


I think we need a study.

 

[quincy]

It's all a big conspiracy from the Big Bubble Industrial Complex while in conjunction with the Reverse Vampires and of course, the Gaborik Mafia

FREE YOUR MIND PEOPLE! wned:

There is no bubble?

 

[Triple B]

I love "the simpler answer". I love seeing a bubble mailer amongst my bills. Makes the rectal pain much less.

I worked in a mailroom once upon a time and the treatment PWEs get vs bubble mailers is night and day. Bubble mailers may not add a hint of immortality to the card you're sending, but it does add a tad of respect to the way the envelope is handled.

Can you dig it?

 

[Cartophilium]

Efficiency

Andrew - Didn't know that. Still, I would hypothesize that you could still send in the ol' tighty whitey - packaging appropriately as you describe - and still encounter very few problems.


I think we need a study.

The bubble envelopes are cost and time efficient.

As for a study I would not be prepared to assume truthfulness from the participants at the various post offices.

Also I would not use offshore white envelopes.

 

[stajan55]

You guys are missing the simple answer...

It is all about opening up your mailbox. You open it up and see a big brown envelope, you jump for joy. You open the mailbox and see white envelopes, you have to wait and make sure they aren't all bills...

Eric

This is so true..Everyone loves that feeling.

 

[will-411]

There is no bubble?

Oh great... everyone at the Expo will be walking around in long black leather overcoats with sunglasses and pretending they can act. Thanks Steve.

Though I blame The Architect for the whole thing.

Cory

 

[Jester240]

I really dont care how my cards get to me. As long as you get it to me in good shape. I am fine with it. If the card show up damaged expect to hear from me whether it was shipped by bubble mailer or PWE.

Also I dont care what you charge me for shipping. I look at the shipping cost as part of what I am paying for the card so I dont care if you charge me $30 shipping in a PWE for a $1 card as long as all I was will to pay $31 for the card.

Last is a request for people shipping cards that doesnt happen much in the hobby. When you are packaging the card add a slip of paper, business card or cut 3x5 card with the buyers name and address in the top loader between the penny sleeve and the card pointing out. If the PWE or Bubble get torn at the post office and the card falls out it will get sent to their lost prevention and they will ship it out to buyer. A nice little safety feature that cost a piece of paper and 30 seconds.

 

[Burner]

I am known in this hobby for my excellent shipping practices. I do not & will not use bubble mailers. See picture above for reason why. My shipping method is as follows & my customers & fellow traders love it.

1. Place card in penny sleeve.
2. Into toploader.
3. Team bag it!! (This is crucial because any card can always slip right out of your toploader)
4. Tape the team bag to a piece of sturdy cardboard on both sides of the card so that it is surrounded by the sturdy cardboard.
5. Wrap cardboard in foam or bubble wrap.
6. Take a manilla envelope & stamp or write "FRAGILE DO NOT BEND". (My friend works at a post office & he says adding this will have them think its pictures & they take extra care with the package in order to not bend it & will not stuff into PO Box)
7. Put into manilla envelope. (Same as a bubble mailer but as stated in step 5 I add my own bubbles, its lesser expensive both on weight to ship it & for the envelope)

Never had a complaint, & more often than not get a big compliment in the care I took.

To be honest with you though I think the bubbles or foam is overkill. Once wrapped in cardboard this should suffice but we are in the "must use bubbles" era.

I always ask the PO clerk if they have a "Do Not Bend" or "Fragile" stamp and if they can stamp my mailers if they do.

 

[jasonspezza19]

I guess it could be bend in the same way no matter the envelope. My theory is that bubblemailers are less often lost along the way since it's a bit thicker and bigger in volume, a second (third) is that it supports a bit in the edges of the envelope as a white or letter envelope are easier in theory be opened by mistake against a sharp object, toploader, other packages etc

 

[Reborn]

Have never understand why white envolopes are bad. All damaged cards i have recived (about 10) all has been in bubble and i recive about half of my cards in white ones.


Andreas

 

[alpinemedic]

I haven't yet had a card or bubble mailer damaged. On the other hand I can't say that about PWE, I can't count the number of them that have been destroyed and shipped to me with a letter of apology from the postal service.