3 Tips for Shipping Comics During the Holidays

     It's officially the holiday season this year.  What that means is that there will be an additional 8+ million packages going through the USPS daily during the week prior to Christmas.  The USPS says they start prepping for the holiday push back in January of the year.  But as consumers we all know that with excess packages the law of averages kick in.  Meaning that there will be more instances of things getting lost and damaged as they take in the holiday rush.  Here are 3 tips to help you make sure your books get to their destination safe and sound.

1. Add an additional layer of tape - I usually put tape on all seams of a box and or priority envelope.  Now would be a great time to put just a little more.  This would be greatly beneficial to add an extra layer on the top and bottom closures of a medium priority box. On the priority envelopes adding tape to all four sides to reinforce the seams will be your best bet.

2. Add an additional layer of bubble wrap - If you usually bubble wrap stacks of books and slabs.  This is the time to add one more layer on top of what you usually do.  Seasonal help probably won't care anymore about your packages than regular workers. The additional layer could be the difference maker in making sure that your books/slabs arrive safely vs damaged.

3. Consider double boxing - This is a tradition that several of those in the hobby have been doing for some time.  This additional layer of protection is one of the best ways to ensure the actual box your books/slab is in isn't damaged.  Because the outer box is intended to take any rough handling on it's way to it's destination.  Two boxes are always better than one in my opinion.  I learned this from a seller last year when I was pleasantly suprised to find the slab I bought enclosed in two boxes.  It's a great practice to keep doing year round if you ask me.

     It goes without saying but one last little tip.  Double check the address of wherever you're shipping to.  Recently I was shipping a book to find out the customer was out of town and preferred me to ship when he got back.  This saved the chances of the package sitting outside and getting taken.  One more last minute add from a Facebook friend.  He used to do shipping for a book company.  His recommendation is rounding the edges of medium boxes so they won't poke anyone.  Thanks for checking out this post and happy holidays!

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