Guidelines for being a successful trader

[Flake]

Secure your DVD / CD based media

What's the best way to securely ship a lot of loose game discs? Use individual cases or use one of those CD binders? Or something else?

(I'm not trying to put a plug in for my sale thread but I do have a lot of loose discs that I'd like to know what the ideal method for shipping is.)

Your first goal should always be to limit movement of disc based media as much as possible - that said, tons of individual jewel cases will necessitate such a large and heavy box that your profit margin will be eaten alive. I would recommend a very cheap CD binder in that instance - the games will stay in place and the final result will be a compact and sturdy package.

[Opa Opa]

Thanks guys.

[zxqdms]

Anyone have a favorite way of shipping CDs in regular CD cases? I'm thinking about trying to sell my Dreamcast collection. I've never shipped anything before.

[Hobie-wan]

Anyone have a favorite way of shipping CDs in regular CD cases? I'm thinking about trying to sell my Dreamcast collection. I've never shipped anything before.

As long as they aren't special cases of some kind or have stickers worth worrying about like OFFICIAL NFL/NBA or whatever on them that someone might care about to make them complete, just put a small piece of bubble wrap or folded paper towel in the case to help make sure the disc stays put and send them off in a small fairly snug bubble pack. If it is a special case or something worth a lot, there are cardboard folding CD shippers which are more sturdy or use bubble wrap and send them in a box. You can fit several CD cases in a flat rate small priority box too.

[Bradtemple87]

+1 on a little bubble wrap inside the cd case

[swiftzx]

+1 on a little bubble wrap inside the cd case

Yeah, it definitely helps from the disc moving while in the case.

[Flake]

If you have extra space in your bubble mailer, you can also take some scrap cardboard and sandwich it around CD case - offers some of the protection of a firm box but with none of the added cost.

[Mechblue]

Just a reminder to make sure you got enough padding in the box.

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I was lucky that nothing was damaged in this case but just wanted to make sure everyone packs their boxes with enough padding.

[Hobie-wan]

Been a while since reading this thread, so if I'm forgetting and repeating something, tough.

Put your sale and want lists in alphabetical order by system. If you only have a handful of games it isn't a big deal, but when you have 20+ and they're a jumbled mess, I might just say screw it and not even bother looking at the whole list. Even if I do look it all over I might miss something. At the very least you could download Open Office, drop the list into a spreadsheet, then sort the column. It wouldn't surprise me if there are web pages with scripts where you can paste and sort stuff too.

When adding new items for sale, you don't have to list them all in your bump post, but again, if you have more than a handful of items up for trade, putting a nice shiny red NEW or something beside the newly added items will help interested parties see what you've got and in turn help you sell things.

[pakopako]

+1 on a little bubble wrap inside the cd case

Actually, I use a quad-folded paper towel. (Or a thrice folded napkin.) Similar snugness if you don't have any bubblewrap lying about.

If you are selling single CD cases, the USPS store has single-store boxes. Multiple games warrant either multiple boxes or a bigger bubble/cushion mailing pouch. And in those cases, if you're cramming two jewel cases together, try to make sure they fit snugly vertically. (I take one of those Priority Envelopes and wrap the two games so it adds a negligible weight.)