Poker Chip Shipping Tips and Tricks (4 Viewers)

Yes and if you sing up with USPS to ship you get the same online discounts as eBay

It's mostly the same. If you're an eBay powerseller, there are some extra discounts over USPS.com rates, not much, but it's there.

The issue with the USPS acct is that it doesn't allow you to print domestic first class package labels, a major bummer. I think this is due to agreements with stamps.com, endicia, Pitney Bowes, etc.
 
USPS acct is that it doesn't allow you to print domestic first class package labels

I thought something was wrong with my account. lol I been using PayPal's multi-shipping tool for 1st class with tracking and just my Dymo Stamps for non-tracking 1st class.
 
This one is probably obvious to the expert shippers but for a novice like me...

Don't use Staples, go to the post office.
 
Here's another one that may not be obvious to everyone...

You can drop your prepaid packages, first class and priority mail (and express if the bins are marked as such) directly into the ol' USPS blue collection bin. Beats waiting in line at the post office. I've never had a package lost this way.

*prepaid as in prepaid shipping label.
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And ^^that^^ may be a lot safer than dropping pre-paid packages off in person inside. My local PO just has people stack outbound pre-paid packages on an out-of-service service counter top, where they sit exposed and unprotected for hours before a PO worker comes by and literally throws them all into a large bin/cart. If paying inside (and standing in line), the packages get treated a lot more carefully and quickly.

Only downside to using the outside drop-off boxes is that chips may be sitting in the hot sun all day (most around here have a 5pm pickup time), which can be pretty brutal in Georgia (and being inside a metal box has to be worse). Chances of warping and heat damage is very real.
 
And ^^that^^ may be a lot safer than dropping pre-paid packages off in person inside.
I agree. I have completed about 600 eBay transactions in the last 4 months 98% of which are first class packages and were dropped off in blue receptacle. Have yet to have a missing package. The only thing I off in person are priority mail and even then I drop them off at a postal annex and get a receipt. Wish there was a priority mail blue box in my area. I have never ever seen one.
 
Here's another one that may not be obvious to everyone...

You can drop your prepaid packages, first class and priority mail (and express if the bins are marked as such) directly into the ol' USPS blue collection bin. Beats waiting in line at the post office. I've never had a package lost this way.

*prepaid as in prepaid shipping label.
usps-boxes.jpg

Do *NOT* do this in Arizona from Mar-Oct. Just don't.
 
I'll have to start shipping my chips with dry ice in the summer months. ;)
 
Just order these labels for my Dymo Twin Turbo 450 label printer after seeing this video. Works with eBay and Paypal shipping. The end of the video will show it working with PayPal. He has a different model label writer but they will work is almost all of them.

(looks like you have to watch it on youtube)
 
Tried the new shipping/postage labels with PayPal multi-order shipping tool. Works great.

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If I were shipping 2,000 chips should I just use four medium flat rate boxes from USPS or should I use large ones (not sure how many those hold?)
 
If I were shipping 2,000 chips should I just use four medium flat rate boxes from USPS or should I use large ones (not sure how many those hold?)

Maybe 3 large with the inside bottom and top reinforced with more cardboard, then double box it like I did in the FP. The entire box taped.
 
Maybe 3 large with the inside bottom and top reinforced with more cardboard, then double box it like I did in the FP. The entire box taped.

Or 2 large and 1 med.
 
Maybe 3 large with the inside bottom and top reinforced with more cardboard, then double box it like I did in the FP. The entire box taped.

^^^^^^^definatley this!

every time i get a LFRB one of the corners is busted open.like they dropped it not thinking it weighed as much as it does. thankfully havnt lost a chip yet.
 
^^^^^^^definatley this!

every time i get a LFRB one of the corners is busted open.like they dropped it not thinking it weighed as much as it does. thankfully havnt lost a chip yet.

I'd probably be safer sticking to the medium with 500 chips in each then, to avoid having them get overly heavy like in the large boxes? Sounds like that might be the safer option. And cost-wise all the options are pretty close anyway from what I could see (roughly $50)
 
The heavy duty boxes that Lowes sells for $1 - $1.75 ea (depending on size) you can sit on it empty with no problem. But the price due to the weight would be too costly. I shipped an XBOX 360, controller charging stand, two controllers and a few games/accessories for around $9 to GA before. Must have been in the correct zone for that rate.
 
For 2000 valuable chips, I'd go with 3x MFRB, 700/700/600. I use chip boxes, and create a bundle of 3 boxes on top of 4 boxes (all taped together) then bubble-wrap (two layers) the whole thing tight. Use peanuts (stuffed and compressed) to center the bundle in the USPS box with zero movement, then tape every external edge, corner, and surface with shipping tape.

Done properly, you can drop either the unboxed bundle or the finished MFRB from shoulder height without any damage to contents. I prefer limiting it to just 600 chips (two rows of three chip boxes), but the method works for up to 800 (four on top of four). Need the Paulson-size boxes; the heavier cardboard ASM/CPC are too big for 800 chips (but work fine for 600). CPC boxes also usually require that you shim each barrel with cardboard to prevent movement within the chip box.

I definitely advise against using LFRB to ship valuable chips (although if it must be done, Tommy's double-box idea with overkill external strapping tape is an acceptable option). Like phaze, I've never received a chip package in a LFRB that wasn't damaged during shipment, sometimes extensively, once catastrophically.


For cheap chips or slugged plastics, just pour as many as will fit into freezer bags and stuff them in a LFRB. Get insurance.
 
I packed today the PCA's, which will be shipped to @BGinGA

I had reserved a lot of packing material ready: cardboard boxes + extra cardboard, plastic wrap, shrink wrap, bubble wrap, kraft paper, packing tape and duct tape.
I had gotten some plastic boxes from a finnish vendor (4 rows, 25 chips each). But I just didn't feel comfortable shipping the precious PCA's in those. So I choose to
wait, until I got my CC's from CPC. That proved to be a good decision. Not only did I got enough chip boxes, I also got two very sturdy cardboard boxes with no visual
damage at all. So packing was easy. I also got some badding grains (is that the right name for those green thingys in that plastic bag?).

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So, here we go. I did not want to open the chip boxes anymore to see them gorgeous chips. I shrink wrapped the chip boxes, so they stay shut no matter what.

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I took the smaller cardboard box and put some plastic padding on bottom and sides of the box:

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I put the chip boxes in, side by side, and also the needed amount of empty chip boxes, so that they all sit tight in the box:

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Then I added some padding:

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And some more padding to fill the box:

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The first box was now ready to put into the bigger box:

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I added some extra cardboard and padding on botton of the bigger box:

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Put the smaller box into the bigger one. To the middle, sideways so that it will not move. Also, if some pressure will come from the side, it does not focus
to the edges of the chips.

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Time to prevent the smaller box from moving inside the bigger box. I took a couple of extra small boxes and put the extras into them:

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Now the inner box is not able to move around in the outer box. All three boxes sit tight and nice in the outer box.
Time to add the green thingys in:

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Now, it was all just closing the box and taping it:

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Added some duct tape to the edges and some more packing tape and it's done:

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Only need to add shipping and address labels and we're done. Hopefully this helps someone agonizing with packing chips :)
 
3 barrels per PFRE method.

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1 row of 60 chip
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Make tight around the chips. (this straightens all chips and keeps them from moving)
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Roll it tight, pull off adhesive strip backing, finish rolling. (if you feel you didn't roll it tight enough, then add tape)
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Put rolls in box, add packing peanuts (or other suitable packing material)
I normally put a piece of cardboard on the bottom of the box and on top before closing the flaps. It helps the box from being crushed when stacked with other packages. Then I tape all 6 sides of the box with pretty much no cardboard exposed.

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Ship it!
 

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