COMIC BOOK SHIPPING BOXES THAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL LOVE [2021 UPDATE]
Reading Time: 6 minutes
Whether you’re selling comics on eBay, Mercari, Instagram, Facebook Marketplace, or are simply taking orders through your comic shop’s website — at some point in time you’re going to need boxes to ship comics to your customers. Over the years I’ve received tons of positive feedback regarding my packaging, and I thought it would be helpful to share my experience, and the boxes I use today, with fellow sellers who are searching for the perfect shippers.
“Very pleased with my purchase, excellent packaging. I will be back :)” – via dragonsword_ka_4 on eBay
“Shipped out quickly! Very well packed! Thanks!” – via fridayfoster on eBay
THE BEGINNING
When I first opened up my online comic shop back in 2017, I was shipping comics in boxes that I had saved over the past year. My wife and I tend to order a lot of things from Amazon, so if you were one of those first few dozen customers your comics probably arrived in a recycled Amazon box (which honestly makes me cringe in retrospect). While the boxes were in great shape and the comics arrived safely at their destination, I always knew that I wanted to stand out as a comic book seller by offering the best packaging available. Something that made you as a customer go “Wow, now THAT is some amazing packaging!”.
Today I ship everything from single floppies, to massive orders of graded comics, and everything in between. Each type of order needs a specific shipping box, and below are the boxes that I rely on each day to provide the ultimate shipping experience to the customers of the Certified Comic Shop.
GEMINI COMIC FLASH MAILER
For shipping 1-10 comics, I prefer this flash comic mailer from Gemini.
The number one trusted name brand in comic book shipper is the Gemini Comic Flash Mailer. These are perfect for single issues up to 12 bagged and boarded comics, but can also accommodate trade paperbacks and manga digests. They are constructed of high-quality corrugated paper to withstand rough handling during shipment while lightweight to reduce shipping costs.
Use Coupon Code CERTIFIED10 to receive 10% OFF your next order of Gemini Comic Flash Mailers!
The comic flash mailer from Gemini has become my “go-to” shipping box for almost all raw comic orders. To really take advantage of the brand name behind the product, when you list comics for sale online, I recommend you mention in the listing description that you’ll ship with a Gemini Comic Flash Mailer. That way you can build confidence in buyers that you have reliable shipping that they won’t have to worry about.
Cost: $39.95 for a case of 50 mailers = $0.80 each
$49.95 for a case of $100 mailers = $0.60 each
ULINE KRAFT LITERATURE MAILER
The kraft mailer from Uline comfortably holds up to 20 bagged and boarded comics with ample room for bubble wrap.
When I have an order for 10 or more comics, I use these 12 x 8 x 3″ Kraft Literature Mailers from Uline. This corrugated, kraft mailer has enough room to handle up to 20 bagged and boarded comics, plus generous amounts of shipping material inside to make sure the comics are thoroughly protected.
Each holiday season when I offer my limited time Holiday Mystery Box of 20 Comics, these are the shipping boxes I use to ensure that the gift of comics arrives from my door to yours safe and sound.
Cost: $52.50 for a bundle of 50 mailers = $1.05 each
CGC GRADED COMIC BOOK MAILER
This kraft mailer from Uline is perfect for shipping CGC and CBCS graded comics.
When it comes to shipping graded, slabbed comics from CGC or CBCS I use another box from Uline which is the 15 1⁄8 x 11 1⁄8 x 3″ Kraft Literature Mailer.
The dimensions of this box is perfect for shipping 1-3 graded comics. You can pack your graded comics with ample amounts of bubble wrap and rest assured that that your slab will arrive safely at it’s destination in this 200 lb. test corrugated mailer.
And for a bonus packing #protip, when shipping multiple graded comics, place a piece of thin cardboard or foam padding between each slab, and then use rubber bands to secure the graded comic bundle together prior to wrapping it in bubble wrap.
Cost: $83.00 for a bundle of 50 mailers = $1.66 each
BEST BOX FOR SHIPPING MULTIPLE GRADED COMICS
While the box above is perfect for shipping up to three graded comics, you’re going to need something bigger to accomodate orders larger than that. So whenever I have a customer order 4 or more graded comics at once, I choose to use this 15 x 12 x 5″ Corrugated Box from Uline which can comfortably fit up to seven graded comics.
Now I know what you’re thinking. What do you do when you need to ship 10 or even 25 graded comics? In those cases where I do have a large order, then I will resort to reusing one of the boxes that CGC uses to ship your return submissions. More often than not, they arrive in great shape, and I always keep a couple empty ones on hand for those occasions.
Cost: $35.75 for a bundle of 25 mailers = $1.43 each
WHAT ABOUT ULINE STAYFLATS?
The Uline Stayflat can be handy for shipping single comic books, but beware.
Long before I ever opened my comic shop, I was casually selling comics on eBay from time to time. When searching for the best way to ship single issues back then, I discovered multiple conversations on the eBay Community Forums where sellers were recommending Uline Stayflats as a reputable option. While I did use Stayflats in the early days of my selling carrer, I did abandon them completely for the aforementioned Gemini Comic Flash Mailers.
If you’re considering using a Uline Stayflat, just note that they’re somewhat controversial amongst comic book collectors. The main point of contention is that while the Stayflat is excellent at staying flat as they can’t be bent or folded, there is no interior protection on the inside to protect your comic from any type of crushing accident. Think pointy heavy object falling on top of the mailer with enough force to cause the cover of the comic to be indented or otherwise damaged.
The only use case I could ever recommend using a Uline Stayflat to ship a comic is if it is very low value, and that you’re still sandwiching the comic in cardboard.
Cost: $42 for a case of 100 mailers = $.42 each
FINAL THOUGHTS ON COMIC BOOK PACKAGING
I know in the world of comic book sales, margins can be slim. One of the places many sellers feel they can save money is by recycling packing materials, or using the freely available shipping boxes from USPS. As I mentioned, this is something I used to do as well but really wanted to be memorable when my customers receive their packages in the mail.
For me spending an extra buck or two on a quality, new shipping box is well worth it. There are also a few extra things I do to add just a little more oomph to my comic book packaging.
1. Branded Packing Tape
I ordered custom, branded packing tape from Sticker Mule (as pictured above in this post) so you’ll know your comics have arrived before you open the box. Sticker Mule has all kinds of awesome products including stickers, magnets, labels and even poly mailers.
If you want to order something from Sticker Mule yourself, simply click this referral link, sign up for an account, and you’ll get a $10 credit to use on your first order!
2. Free Comic With Every Order
If you’ve ordered comics from me before, then you already know this — but I include a free comic book with every single order from my shop, no matter what the price. These aren’t your typical dollar bin comics that are well read either. I’m talking about near-mint comics that are bagged and boarded. If possible, the free comic I include is related to the comic or comics that you ordered from my online comic book shop.
So there you go folks, I do hope you found the info in this blog post useful. If you have any thoughts or questions related to shipping comic books, feel free to share them in the comments section below. Thanks!
