Best Comic Book Shipping Boxes for Raw & Graded Comics

Whether you’re selling comics on eBay, Whatnot, or are 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.

I’ve gotten a lot 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.

“I pre-order all of my trades from this seller. The book was promptly delivered in brand new condition, and securely packaged. 5 stars!”

— bdur4104, eBay customer

“This seller was great! The comics were packaged extremely well and everything arrived safely. I would definitely buy from then again.”

— baibr99, eBay customer

The Beginning

When I first opened up my online comic shop, 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 my first few dozen customers your comics probably arrived in a recycled Amazon box.

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 above-average packaging!”

So after doing a bit of research, I ordered four different types of comic book shippers to accommodate everything from a single-issue order, to a 25-issue order, to slabs and grails. Below is a detailed look at each type of shipper.

Uline Stayflats

Have just a single comic that you want to mail to someone? Consider using a self-sealing Uline Stayflat 9 3/4 × 12 1/4″ mailer. They call it a Stayflat because that’s exactly what it does—it stays flat. It can’t be bent, and it can’t be crushed.

The white Stayflats also give a professional presentation when they arrive at your customer’s destination, helping your packaging stand out from the crowd. I’ve shipped hundreds of comics and trade paperbacks using these mailers and never received a single complaint.

That being said—in full transparency—the Stayflat is somewhat controversial among comic book collectors. While it is excellent at staying flat, it has no interior protection against a crushing accident.

• Advantages: Affordable, self-sealing, rigid, and professionally presented.
• Considerations: Add cardboard or backing boards inside, and use a more protective box for valuable comics.

Gemini Comic Flash Mailer

The closest I ever came to someone complaining about a Uline Stayflat was a customer who said that although his comic arrived safe and sound, he wasn’t sure other serious collectors would be as accepting of that packaging—especially for more expensive comics.

It ended up being valuable feedback. I asked which shipper he preferred, and he turned me on to these awesome Comic Flash Mailers from Gemini Comic Supply.

These mailers can handle up to 12 bagged and boarded comics and have a unique design that helps protect books in transit. The Flash Mailer has become my go-to shipping box for almost all raw-comic orders.

• Advantages: Collector-trusted design, built-in protection, and flexible capacity for 1–12 comics.
• Considerations: It costs more per unit than a Stayflat, but the added protection is worth it for most orders.

Uline Kraft Literature Mailer

When I have an order for 10 or more comics, I use these 12 × 8 × 3″ Kraft Literature Mailers from Uline.

This corrugated kraft mailer has enough room for up to 25 bagged and boarded comics, plus generous amounts of packing material to make sure the books are thoroughly protected.

• Advantages: Roomy, sturdy, and well suited to larger orders with protective packing material.
• Considerations: Too large for small orders and more expensive per shipment than the smaller options.

CGC Slab Mailers

When it comes to shipping graded, slabbed comics from CGC or CBCS, I use another Uline box: the 15 1/8 × 11 1/8 × 3″ Kraft Literature Mailer.

The dimensions of this box are perfect for shipping graded comics. You can pack your graded comic with ample bubble wrap and rest assured that your slab will arrive safely at its destination in this 200 lb. test corrugated mailer.

• Advantages: Sized for graded comics, leaves room for bubble wrap, and uses sturdy corrugated board.
• Considerations: Highest per-unit cost of the four options and larger than needed for raw comics.

Final Thoughts on Comic Book Packaging

I know margins can be slim in the world of comic book sales, and recycled shipping boxes and packing materials can look like an easy place to save money. That is something I used to do too, but I wanted the package itself to become part of the customer experience.

For me, spending an extra buck and change on a quality new shipping box is well worth it. There are also two small finishing touches I use to add a little more oomph to my comic book packaging.

1. Make the package recognizable

A branded sticker or a strip of branded packing tape turns an otherwise plain box into something customers immediately recognize. It is a simple detail, but it makes the delivery feel intentional before the box is even opened.

2. Give customers a reason to come back

I also like including a simple thank-you insert or packing slip that reinforces the shop name and invites the customer back. It does not need to be elaborate—the goal is to make the order feel personal and remind the customer where that carefully packed comic came from.