This article is written as a guide which compiles ideas and best practices for our collectible sellers on our website.
What does it take to be the best salesman? Having the Supply for the Demand at the best possible prices
What else? Accuracy! Keeping an accurate and up-to-date inventory of the cards and products.
Is that all? No! We are missing the key ingredient which embraces the whole process:
Speed!
Without Speed, there is no momentum; nothing is going forward.
Fast as possible shipping times are just as important as making sure the packaging is safe and secure.
But where do we differ from the rest?
Communication.
Honest, polite, and upfront communication. If you can do this, all the above buyers will be more than happy to deal with you, increasing orders and continually growing your reputation. Who doesn’t like that?
Let’s go through all the essential steps one by one.
Everyone has a different way of doing this when we talk about collection management. And it would help if you found a way which works best for you. The idea is to have an organised way which cuts down on finding a sold item, so you have time to enjoy as much of your free time as possible.
Some sellers prefer folders, some large storage boxes. The important thing here is that the cards are stored safely to avoid them getting damaged in storage. Every card damaged in the storage or during delivery makes you lose money directly through refunds and, if it often happens, through losing repeat customers.
Let’s see some storage examples:
Folders like these are a neat way to store cards, and they are also easy to look through and can happily live on your shelf until called into action. They are the weapon of choice for transporting a smaller number of cards. The issue with them is that after a while, when your collection grows, they might take up too much space in your living quarters. Much to the dismay of others you live with.
Card storage boxes like these are more efficient in storing and can pack up to 10 times more than those cool-looking folders. They fit nicely under your desktop table/sofa/kitchen sink (Although we don’t advise keeping your products close to water or humid places), so you don’t trip over them at nightly fridge raids. They are excellent at storing large quantities of bulk items (draft chaff, commons and such) but can be a pain to riffle through. Also, remember that they are made from cardboard, so if you want to store cards in them, it is advised to sleeve them to avoid minor scratches. This will also come in handy later when you sell cards. Having them pre-sleeved makes packaging quicker.
Once you have these organised, you also need a way to track what is where. You can use colour codes and numbers and categorise them by format or, even better, in an Excel sheet to keep the collection up to date. You can also use these codes in the comments section of your listings.
For higher-value items, we recommend making high-resolution scans, which you can attach to the listing to help you gather interest.
Now we have our collection organized and stored, let’s move on to making money off it.
Good job. We sold things and found them thanks to our perfectly organised collection. Now to the next step: getting it into the hands of the buyer quickly (royal mail strikes permitting).
Before we pack them up, there is one more thing we need to consider. We are double-checking the conditions. This is more important than it seems in the first place. If we made a mistake when listing cards, or if they got damaged in storage, it is good practice to notify your buyer before shipping the card, asking them if they want the order to be shipped and offering a refund. This might look counterproductive initially, but 95% of your buyers will appreciate the honesty and the proactive approach. Which means repeat customers and more money.
Packaging the orders is a crucial aspect, and we will also give some guidance here.
MOST IMPORTANT RULE: NEVER SEND YOUR CARDS IN A NORMAL ENVELOPE. This makes it easier to get your things damaged in transit.
Please keep in mind that your buyers are already charged for postage and packaging, which we calculated using the methods described here, so you, the seller, have nothing to worry about. As with everything, if there are any discrepancies in our system and the one they tell you at the post office (be that pricing, dimensions or restrictions), feel free to notify us at your earliest convenience. We also provide a way for sellers to request or refund money to the buyer to cover extra unforeseen expenses due to our calculations being incorrect.
The seller should refund the difference if the packaging and shipment value are less than the buyer paid. If its value exceeds what the buyer paid, the seller should request the buyer cover the difference.
All the recommended items are available in local stores/post offices or online at Amazon.co.uk. For envelopes, Amazon is much cheaper, so if you have many orders, buying them in bulk on Amazon is better.
The top loaders are a cheap, versatile method of creating a layer preventing the cards from bending even if the postman does their best.
What’s a top loader?
A top loader is a plastic trading card holder for protection and organization. Different from a regular sleeve – much softer and more bendable – a top loader is rigid and thus provides a more secure storage option. Many advise placing a card inside of a sleeve and then placing the sleeved card into a top loader. They are slightly bigger than the standard card size.
Top loaders also remove the point of contact between hands and cards and can be easily stacked on each other. Make sure to place the cards at the bottom of the top loader to allow all corners to be protected.
The first picture shows how to use them for a small order of just a few cards.
This would easily fit into any envelope and can be sent as a small letter. Nice and clean, it does the job without much effort.
The second set of pictures is when you have a bit more but can still squeeze into a large letter. The image is made with 25 cards, for example.
As you can see, this top loader has been cut into two bits, and once the cards are in place, we taped the top loader back together. If you don’t want to use your blade skills, you can also tape 2 top loaders together—your choice.
This third picture is for The Bulkier orders. This is a method for shipping orders as small parcels and sealed products in cardboard boxes.
As you can see, we just used any old bubble wrap (doesn’t even need to be new) taped it up, and the job is done.
We can also put rigid items like cardboard or top loaders on the sides to make a stable foundation for our items.
Be careful when ordering bubble wrap online, as some shops sell only industrial quantities. You don’t want to end up with 400 meters of it.
Rule of Thumb here: Always use the above-mentioned or similar methods to add an extra layer of protection. After all, the products you send are high-value items that can move around in the shipment during transit. This might damage them. We don’t want that.
Royal Mail uses strict measuring policies for dimensions, so to adhere to these (and not lose money on postage), you will need to find the right equipment.
Please be aware that as a buyer, you’re liable for making mistakes when packaging items and might incur further charges (higher than what the buyer has paid for shipping) from Royal Mail if you don’t adhere to their regulations.
For Small letters (orders up to 10 cards), the best thing to use is board-back envelopes. These are thinner than the bubble ones so that you can post them for a lower fee. Ensure that they are not overfilled, as this might upgrade the postage category to large letters. Also, it might damage the outside of it.
For Large letters, the recommended method is the bubble envelopes. Trusty old Bubble envelopes.
If you use a medium-sized one (C5), you can easily fit multiple top loaders next to each other.
We would not recommend putting more than 2 top loaders of products inside to avoid damage.
For Small Parcels, we use Poly mailing bags like these. They are durable, cheap, and can be folded into any shape you need. Cover the inside with bubble wrap as the top loaders’ sharp edges might pierce through the envelope.
Never send them in their packaging; use a cardboard/plastic box. Also, use an extra layer like bubble wrap. This might not seem important initially, but some buyers want to keep the sealed products as they are collector’s items. For them, it is crucial to have the factory seal remain intact.
If you need cardboard boxes, apart from the usual channels (post office, courier services, Amazon), you can also go down to your local supermarket and ask them for some used ones. They will more likely be happy to give you some as it saves them the hassle of storing it. Also, these boxes will already be flat-packed by them, making taking them home easy.
If you use these supermarket ones, cover them in some wrapping paper, as the boxes will have some form of advertisement or branding on them and check that the boxes don’t have humidity or dirt.
So, we sold, packed, and are ready to ship. Our next trip is to the post office. Here, there are only a couple more things to be mindful of, and then we are done.
We use tracked shipping on the website to avoid confusion and make the packages easily trackable on both sides. While this might be a bit expensive, it is also harder for shipments to disappear without a trace. Hopefully, this will not happen often, but you must remember situations like that.
Once you have shipped your orders, you have one more thing to do on the site: confirm your orders. (Always keep receipts until your order is confirmed as arrived by the buyer)
During shipment confirmation, the system will ask you to give the order the tracking number. Once you type this in, your only job is to wait for the buyer to verify the arrival.
If that doesn’t happen, you can use the tracking number to verify where your package is.
Signed for Royal Mail items and Parcels should take between 1 and 5 working days to be delivered. Special delivery Should be a maximum of 2 working days.
Remember that Royal Mail stops daily collection after 4 pm on weekdays and noon on Saturdays. If you get to the Post Office after these times, your shipment will only be picked up by the next working day (on Saturday, which means the following Monday).
This might not seem important to you initially, but it is valuable knowledge if your buyers ask questions. Being able to answer questions with uncommon knowledge will bring you much credibility.
Before asking questions, always double-check with the tracking first and then with your buyer to see if they received the shipment. When contacting each other, try to maintain a polite tone and inquire rather than accuse.
For example:
“Yo, where’s my confirmation at? What gives? Confirm or else”- will give you a less satisfactory answer than a:
“Sorry to bother you, but the services have delivered your order. Can you please confirm delivery when you have a chance? Thanks.”
The same goes for delivery services. Those guys handle thousands of shipments a day. We are all human; mistakes can happen. A few nice words will go further than a hundred angry ones.
In the rare cases of things going missing, you can contact the post office branch you made the shipment from, and they can help you fill in the complaint form. You can do this online as well. You will need the tracking number and the receipt to make a successful complaint.
Compensation for loss will not be considered for an item that Royal Mail has not delivered or attempted to deliver until after ten working days for regular items or five working days for Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm® have elapsed from the due date of delivery.
This is the form you are looking to fill in paper.
Your compensation will be based on the value of the shipment you submitted at posting, so make sure you declare the contents value accurately. If you don’t, it might save you some pennies at posting, but you will lose pounds if the shipment goes missing.
Once Royal Mail receives your complaint, they will answer in 5 working days. In some cases, it might be that your shipment just fell through the cracks, and they can redeliver it.
If they don’t, and your claim gets refused, if they say you are entitled to compensation, your refunds should be paid out in 21 days.
In the meantime, you must contact your buyer and explain the situation. If you follow the steps in this guide, you have nothing to worry about. Tell them that what happened is unfortunate, and the two of you can arrange a way to get a refund. As we have a system for that, follow the steps there, and you will be fine.
It is essential to keep a level head, even if your customers might not. The thing to keep in mind is the long-term applications. They might be out of order there, but they lost the money they worked for and have nothing to show. You can control the situation and keep everyone’s goodwill by staying composed.
We recommend refunding the total amount they paid for the shipment, including the postage fee. Your actual claim will cover all of it from the post office, so nothing stops you from giving your customers the same courtesy.
Also, we recommend doing this refund as soon as you can and don’t wait for the post office first. You might be out of pocket for a bit (until 21 days anyway). Still, your willingness to rectify some mistakes not made by you will only increase your reputation as a trustworthy person with integrity, which will make you a seller people will favour. This also comes in handy if things happen later, as your previous customers will be asked how you interact with them if things go sideways.
Everyone is happy and smiling when things are fine, but if you can do that when not, that will put you in a league of your own. A tier 0 seller. The Bret Hart of UK Sellers. (For the uninitiated, the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be). A voice people will listen to—a pinnacle of the community.
While we are on topic, let’s discuss the refund procedures more. We already discussed the case of your shipment going missing in the grim reality called post-Brexit Britain. The correct approach here is to issue a full refund.
But what to do if we make a mistake, and despite our best efforts, something goes wrong? After all, honest mistakes can happen even to the best (that’s us). Hopefully, we will have a steady number of orders to pack and ship daily; sometimes, we forget to double-check a condition, can’t find a card we had in the folder somewhere, or miss it in a rush to the post office.
If we notice our mistake after we sent the shipment, we should send a message to our buyer telling them a mistake happened, something along the lines of:
“Hello, I noticed I made a mistake with your order; I accidentally left out a card. Apologies for that, would you like to be sent separately or would a refund suffice?”
It is important to note that we should always be trying to offer solutions, not just presenting a problem. This will minimise the number of messages that need to be sent. If we do it professionally, the long-term results will be better for us than the short-term losses. You can refund any parts of the buyer’s order up to the total amount they paid (except for the Payment Service Provider’s and Very Friendly Sharks fees). It would help if you used this to your advantage.
We would instead refund a 10p part of the order than risk the loss of a potential £50 sale next time. But this also shows the importance of grading our cards accurately.
Grading might seem a bit subjective (some people are rather harsh when it comes to it, but if you use our general guidelines, you should have no problem making the most out of your collection. This also helps to minimise refunds based on improper grading (one of the most common disputes).
promptly as we can; as stated before, even if they might not use this handy little item seen in the picture, that does not give us the excuse to do the same.
Such is the life we signed up for when we decided to be the best. We are adults here; we should behave like as such. We should try to solve our disputes and mistakes before we involve the site admins.
Suppose it’s a simple mistake easier to own up to than start a lengthy argument. It is not ideal, but by posting a listing on our website, you enter a contractual sale agreement with your potential buyers. Hence, we ask both sides to try to maintain a civilized conversation. You would not return to a shop if they were not treating you right.
You shouldn’t look at refunds made by the devil but as a helpful tool to keep your reputation intact for a small price. Believe us, it will help you more in the long run. If, despite our best efforts, we can’t make an amicable outcome, as a last chance, you can always contact us via our support form here, and we can try to resolve the issue. This might take some time as we will be hearing out both parties involved. So be patient with us; we are just as interested in sorting out disputes as you are.
As we have seen, communication is essential in this business, but it is not limited to strictly business. We can’t know everyone who plays this fantastic game personally; there are too many of them, but as we learn each other’s names and addresses, we might find people we lost contact with, or by accident, they might live in the same area you are in. Please respect each other’s privacy and do not go out of your way to contact people further unless previously agreed upon. We cannot be responsible or help with any matters outside our platform; sharing private information is illegal. If you want to make friends and be part of a community, you can find our discord on our website navigation.
If we managed to get through this minefield with our sanity intact, our shipment was received, and our payment arrived, we have one last thing to do. As you have seen, your buyer can leave a review based on your “performance” in the transaction. We feel giving sellers an equal chance to share their experiences with buyers is fair. That way, you and the rest of the community can have an idea about the experience of dealing with that person. We highly encourage you to do so. If everything went well, what are you missing by leaving a pleasant evaluation? You could tell the world about your grievances if something went wrong. It’s a win-win situation.
This also helps the other users and us to look for warning signs. After all, we are not just building your business but trying to build a community where everyone is welcome but nobody is obliged.
Hopefully, this “little” guide has helped you understand the intricacies of sales, and don’t be intimidated by its length. We tried to cover every little detail from years of experience. 90% of your sales will go according to plan; don’t let the other 10% ruin your experience with us.
If you feel this guide is missing, let us know via our support form here.
