Want to get some of those extra comic books off your hands? Do you plan on selling them on eBay or another online marketplace? Well, shipping comic books is not as simple as just dropping the book in an envelope mailer and sending it on its merry way. No, if you do that, then you risk the book(s) getting bent, warped, and damaged on their way to their destination.
There is a process you should go through to ensure that the book is delivered to the buyer in the same condition it was in when you shipped it. If you want to keep the buyer satisfied with your service, continue reading. I’m going to tell you how to properly prepare your comic books, graphic novels, and trade paperbacks for shipment. I’ll also cover bulk shipments and CGC graded comics.
Make Sure Your Comics Don’t Get Bent During Transit
As I said, you shouldn’t just throw comics into an envelope or bubble mailer and expect them to reach their destination perfectly fine and without damage. Packages can get roughed up during shipment. I’ve had my postal worker cram bubble mailers into my mailbox before—I hate to think of what would happen to a comic book in that case. Do your part in making sure that the item is safe and secure when it arrives.
A method that I have used and many other comic book sellers recommend is sandwiching your comic(s) between two sturdy sheets of cardboard. By sturdy, I mean at least equivalent to the thickness of the cardboard of an Amazon box. Don’t use flimsy card board like cereal boxes—that’s hardly going to keep the comics safe during their journey.
There are two videos I recommend watching if you’re shipping under ten comics:
The Best Way to Pack and Ship a Comic Book – Simpleman’s Comics
How to Pack Comic Books to Mail Without Breaking the Law – Town’s End Comics
- If you don’t want to watch the full videos, I can summarize them for you:
- Bag and board your books—if the comics won’t be bagged and boarded, let potential buyers know in the item description.
- Cut out or purchase cardboard sheets that are larger than the dimensions of the comic(s) you’re selling (preferably larger than the backing boards as well).
- Tape the bagged and boarded comics against one of the cardboard sheets (use painter’s tape or some equivalent that is easily removable). This keeps them braced against the cardboard.
- I recommend tape on three sides (avoid putting tape over the spine(s).
- Put the other sheet of cardboard over top of the comics, sandwiching the comics between the cardboard.
- Tape the two pieces of carboard together, sandwiching the book(s) between them. Use packaging tape for this.
- Put the sandwiched comics in a mailer of some kind.
No matter what you’re shipping the comic books in, this is a good method for keeping those comics safe during the shipment process. Below is a summary of the materials that you might need. Please note: if you’re a low-volume seller, it probably isn’t necessary to buy a lot of shipping material. You might be able to get by with boxes and other materials you have around your home or workplace. For high-volume sellers, however, you may want to considered purchasing some of this stuff.
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Bags and Boards |
Golden Age (Amazon) Silver Age (Amazon) Modern/Current (Amazon) |
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Corrugated Cardboard Sheets |
8.5 x 11 (Amazon) 12 x 12 (Amazon) |
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Tape |
Painter’s Tape (Amazon) Scotch Brand Magic Tape (Amazon) |
What Should You Ship Comic Books In?
Cardboard mailers are going to be your best option for smaller shipments if you want to keep the comic(s) inside safe. They’re definitely a better option than bubble mailers, stayflats, or poly mailers. That being said, I’ve shipped plenty of comics and trade paperbacks in bubble mailers without any complaints from the buyers. Though, I always have sandwiched the book between sheets of cardboard and never just thrown it in the mailer, which is what I recommend you do as well if you’re going to use something more flimsy than cardboard.
When it comes to cardboard mailers, Gemini mailers are a great option for shipping comic books. If fact, these seem to be a favorite among frequent comic sellers. Its almost like they’re designed with comic books and magazines in mind. If you’re using a Comic Book Flash Gemini mailer, you may be able to just bypass the process of sandwiching the comics with separate cardboard sheets, because that might just be overkill.
The most important thing to consider when shipping comics is that they remain undamaged during transit. This requires them to be secured in whatever you choose to package them in. Make sure that the comics are NOT loose inside the packaging. If you shake the box or mailer and the books are bouncing around in there, then they are not secure. If you attempt to bend the package, and you are easily able to fold the books inside, then they are not secured.
For bubble mailers, I usually wrap the mailer around the sandwiched books to ensure they are secured. When it comes to boxes, if you can get some that are slightly more than the width and length of the cardboard sheets you’re securing your comics with, that will work great. The cardboard sheets will be braced against the sides of the box, which will prevent them from moving around during shipment, which can be a bumpy ride.
Here are some options to consider:
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Comic Book Flash Mailers (Amazon) |
Standard Setting: 10.75 x 7.5″x (up to) 1 Extended Setting: (up to) 11.75 x 7.5 x .5 External Dimensions: 12.75 x 7.75 x (up to) 1.25 |
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Printed Media Mailers (Amazon) |
11.12 x 8.62 x 2 |
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Aviditi M1181 Corrugated Easy-Fold Mailer (Amazon) |
11-1/8 x 8-5/8 x 1 |
Add a Reminder to Not Bend
Unfortunately, sometimes our packages are not handled with care. Sometimes boxes get thrown around, crammed in mailboxes, and just mishandled. For me, its not very often, but is has happened. So, even when properly packaging your comics for shipment. Its imporant to add a friendly reminder to not bend the package. Something like these “Handle With Care” stickers will work just fine.
Shipping Comics in Bulk
So, we’ve discussed smaller shipments of comics, but how do you sell and ship comics in bulk? What if you’re shipping over fifty, or one hundred, or over two hundred? Now things get complicated.
If you’re shipping a decent number of books, but not hundreds. Let’s say between twenty and fifty. You’re going to want to use a box, not a bubble mailer–this should be “no brainer”. So, find an appropriately sized box. Next, you need a way to hold the comic books together. If they’re bagged and boarded, then you can wrap a stack of comics in plastic or saran wrap to hold them all together. I would not recommend wrapping comics that are not bagged and boarded. If you’re going to do this, let the buyer know.
When shipping hundreds of comics, you may want to get some boxes designed specifically for comic books. These come in the long or short variety. Do not just ship them in the comic book box though. Place the box inside of a bigger box, and pad the corners of the comic book box with packaging material, creating a cushion. You can even wrap the comic book box in a couple layers of large bubble wrap before placing it inside the larger box. Some cheaper options might be plastic bags or newspapers if you have enough to provide sufficient cushioning.
Keep the comics protected during shipment—that is the most important part of this process. You don’t want the comics bouncing around and smacking against the sides of the box. If you’re shipping a hundred or so comics, do the double-boxing method I recommended.
The Benefits of Selling Comics in Bulk
If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you want to sell comic books on eBay. Let me be frank, if you’re selling comics that are not in high demand, rare, or highly valued for some reason or another; the cost of shipping and packaging supplies is going to make it difficult to make a profit. Even if you make a profit, but it might be slimmer than you’d like it to be.
In cases where the individual comics are not very valuable, selling in bulk may be a better option for you. Shipping will be more if you’re shipping twenty to fifty comics or more due to the weight of the package, but you’re only paying for shipping once as opposed to twenty to fifty times. The value of the comics you want to sell is something you’ll need to research for yourself. Checking the eBay sold listings is a great way to find out if what you have should be sold in a bulk shipment or not.
If you have a lot of comics that are not really that valuable, consider doing multiple mystery box listing. With this type of listing, you would sell a certain number of random comics at a time, charging a flat rate for each shipment, regardless of the specific comics being sold.
Shipping Materials for Packing Comics for Shipment
If you’re sending a small shipment of comic books, you probably won’t need that much packaging material, if any at all, as long as you follow the methods I’ve discussed above. If you’re shipping comics in bulk, however, you will need some cushioning to keep those comics safe.
Bubble wrap or packing peanuts will do just fine. You will need more or less cushioning depending on the size of the shipment. The more comics you are shipping at once, the more packaging material you will need to keep them safe in the case that the package gets dropped.
Packaging CGC Slabbed Comics
I wouldn’t recommend shipping CGC graded and slabbed comics in a bubble or cardboard mailer. Put them in a box instead, and make sure you include enough packing material to secure and cushion it. Ship them in a big enough box so that you can include a lot of packing material to add for extra cushioning.
Packaging Trade Paperbacks and Graphic Novels
Pretty much everything I mentioned about shipping comics also applies to TPBs. If you have trades to ship, just think of each one the same way you would think of shipping three or four comic books and package them appropriately in a carboard or bubble mailers.
Try to bag and board them if you have a bag that they will fit in. This way you can easily secure the tradeback against one of the cardboard sheets. If you don’t have bags and boards that will work, then perhaps wrap the book in a clean plastic bag. Never put tape directly on the comic, tradeback, or graphic novel.
If you’re shipping trade paperbacks in bulk, again, the same rules that apply to shipping comic books in bulk also apply here.
Bag and Board Your Comics Before Shipment
Okay, so I know I’ve mentioned this multiple times already, but it deserves its own little section. Bag and board your comics before shipping them to someone! It’s just the courteous thing to do.
There are only certain cases where this is not necessary. Obviously CGC graded comics that are slabbed don’t need to be bagged and boarded. I’d also say that if you’re shipping a bulk load of comics that are not in very good condition to begin with, then it probably is not necessary to bag and board each one. Regardless, always let the buyer know if the comics they are receiving will not be bagged and boarded. This makes the exchange honest, and may potentially save you from getting a bad rating.
Respect Your Buyer
So, here’s the deal when shipping comic books (or anything for that matter): consider the buyer. The point of this whole post is to help you properly package comics for shipment so that they don’t get ruined during transit—this way your buyers remain happy and will likely buy from you again, or at very least, leave you a good rating for your consideration.
I’ve received trade paperbacks before that were just throwed into a bubble mailer and shipped off into the wild. Luckily, I’ve only gotten a few that seem like they were damaged during transit. Nevertheless, they should have been packaged to prevent any potential damage. I always brace myself for the worst when I get that bubble mailer and I can tell that the book inside is completely unprotected.
Don’t be that person who just throws comic book into an envelope and sends it off. Take pride in the process. Make your buyer pleasantly surprised when they see the care you put into this. Remember, they’re paying you for this; make sure they get their money’s worth.