Best way to ship 5,000 ct box of cards?

The Accountant · 02-25-2025, 10:43 PM

Hey all. I don't have experience, but wanted to see if there are any insider tips on shipping a 5k card ct box.

Is there an easy way or am I better off throwing them into a medium/large priority mail and boxing with smaller count boxes (200, 400, etc)?

Thanks!

prospectorgems · 02-26-2025, 10:20 AM

I haven't shipped a box like this in a long time but I do remember that when I did i Just put bubble wrap on top (under the lid/cover) to cover all the cards from shifting up and of course make sure each row is tight to disallow any shifting.

Biggest issue overall is the price. I think you may be better off shipping through FedEx or UPS because I think the post office will nail you pretty hard on size/weight.

Hopefully others can chime in with any experiences they had lately.

Cactuspies · 02-26-2025, 11:35 AM

I did about 2500 cards sometime last year. I ended up putting into smaller 100-300 card boxes that I had on hand and into a larger box. I ended up using USPS Ground Advantage (I believe using cubic sizing/weight) and my receipt shows it cost $17.30 at the time. It might have been around 18-25 pounds (basically 2 cases worth of cards)

I remember testing the different sizing and weights to get the best. 5k cards would weight about double. My brother did ship a huge box to me one time with a monster box in it of old cards I had left at home. nothing bad happened to that box while packed with other stuff inside a larger box.

It's all going to be about size and weight. I'd expect $25-$50 depending how you want to do it. Move up to priority/overnight and it's going to be closer to $100 and more. Fedex/UPS are going to hit you on weight and size and gas price they build in and might cost you around $60-$80 or more.

DynaEtch · 02-26-2025, 11:54 AM

The answer to whether flat rate priority boxes beats it may depend on exactly how far the buyer is. Coast to coast? Flat rate multiple boxes might be preferable. Close by state? Probably just ship it in a large normal box.

What helped for this was back when they had those boardgame-length large flat rate boxes at USPS, but they are discontinued. If you can get it into cubic rate pricing that’ll probably beat flat rate priority.

02-25-2025, 10:43 PM	#1
The Accountant Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 12,988	Best way to ship 5,000 ct box of cards? Hey all. I don't have experience, but wanted to see if there are any insider tips on shipping a 5k card ct box. Is there an easy way or am I better off throwing them into a medium/large priority mail and boxing with smaller count boxes (200, 400, etc)? Thanks! __________________ Buying: Cole Hamels 1/1s

02-26-2025, 11:35 AM	#3
Cactuspies Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: meepos Posts: 9,884 azcentral_sports	I did about 2500 cards sometime last year. I ended up putting into smaller 100-300 card boxes that I had on hand and into a larger box. I ended up using USPS Ground Advantage (I believe using cubic sizing/weight) and my receipt shows it cost $17.30 at the time. It might have been around 18-25 pounds (basically 2 cases worth of cards) I remember testing the different sizing and weights to get the best. 5k cards would weight about double. My brother did ship a huge box to me one time with a monster box in it of old cards I had left at home. nothing bad happened to that box while packed with other stuff inside a larger box. It's all going to be about size and weight. I'd expect $25-$50 depending how you want to do it. Move up to priority/overnight and it's going to be closer to $100 and more. Fedex/UPS are going to hit you on weight and size and gas price they build in and might cost you around $60-$80 or more. __________________ SUPPORT #BostonStrong The One Fund & Parkinson's Research http://sportlots.com/dealers/?dealer=AzPats10 RIP Mom-2009, Dad-2021, Grandma-2018, PAPAJIM 11/22/10 Patriots 6 time Champs catching up to johnmabry47: are you on my ignore list too? 76 and counting

02-26-2025, 11:54 AM	#4
DynaEtch Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 10,001	Best way to ship 5,000 ct box of cards? The answer to whether flat rate priority boxes beats it may depend on exactly how far the buyer is. Coast to coast? Flat rate multiple boxes might be preferable. Close by state? Probably just ship it in a large normal box. What helped for this was back when they had those boardgame-length large flat rate boxes at USPS, but they are discontinued. If you can get it into cubic rate pricing that’ll probably beat flat rate priority. __________________ ~~~ '90s trading cards === Golden Era ~~~

02-26-2025, 10:20 AM	#2
prospectorgems Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 3,299 hobbygems	I haven't shipped a box like this in a long time but I do remember that when I did i Just put bubble wrap on top (under the lid/cover) to cover all the cards from shifting up and of course make sure each row is tight to disallow any shifting. Biggest issue overall is the price. I think you may be better off shipping through FedEx or UPS because I think the post office will nail you pretty hard on size/weight. Hopefully others can chime in with any experiences they had lately.