Buy/Sell/Trade Forum

I'm curious if those of you who received non machinable mail with markings, if it was hand delivered to the post office or put into the big blue box with the extra stamp.  When I drop off a white envilope to the post office, they put it into the bin with the larger bubble packs after hand stamping it.  Could be larger cities vs smaller cities could be the difference.

I do almost entirely PWE trades and haven't had any issues (knock on wood). I put my trades in 9 pocket sheets and fold them so that the top opening is folded in so no cards can slip out and I always tape the envelope flaps so they don't tear as easily.

Anyone else use thank-you cards in lieu of No. 10 envelopes?  Obviously with larger quantities this won't work, but with 5-6 cards in between a couple of top loaders they fit snug in the card/envelope....between that and non-machinable stamps dropped off at the post office I haven't had any issues (knock on wood).

Thank you cards, Christmas, sympathy, and valentine's cards. All are in my arsenal. 

Yes to using thank you cards. Yes to PWE in general. Usually I will use a bubble mailer for more than 12 cards, or for relics/autos. If packaged right I have seen no difference between machine or hand sorted. 

I have probably sent at least 400 PWE trades. I would stress two of the points made earlier.
1) Have the cardboard "sleeve/ folder" fill the envelope.  A majority of the trades I receive don't do this. There is sometimes as much as an inch or more of dead space on the envelope.  I have been told and I don't know if it's true (perhaps one of our postal worker collectors can verify) that the stamped end of the envelope is placed to lead into the machine process. Acting along that guideline, if you mail a PWE with a short sleeve/folder position it in the envelope with stamped end tight.    
2) Tape the ends of the envelope BUT don't tape over the stamp.  Make sure you tape the ends and then put on the stamp(s). I have received 3-4 envelopes that had tape over the stamp and my post office requested I pay the postage, or they would return it to the sender.  
Finally 99% of my trades involve 12-15 cards max. I think I've only exceeded 2 oz once or twice.  Under 1 oz is the standard stamp, 55, or is it 58 cents now? Over 1 oz an additional oz stamp is required, which last time I purchased them was 20 cents.  When 55 cents and a 20 cent stamp are added together, my math totals that at 75 cents, which was the same price I pay for the non-machinable stamps, which I seldom use anymore.  Not sure where the original poster got the $1.10 stamp total.

I know some traders refuse to ship PWE.  We all have our preferences but I have been successful almost 100% of the time with this method.  

Looks like it got stuck in the rollers or the wheels. A top loader with 2 cards in each pocket with cardboard is too thick to make it through. Everyone I receive with cardboard in it is beat-up in some way. I never use cardboard because it has to bend or get beat-up and not once has anyone complained. I've even sent 3 cards in each pocket with 2 stamps. No problems the top loader bends just enough where the cards are not.

 What I do is load the cards fold the top, down first then the bottom up. That way none of the openings are showing and the cards can't move. Fold a piece of paper around it, tape it closed, and write a thank you and the Id#. and away it goes.  

It very easy, if it can't bend the envelope it has to be hand-sorted and you have to pay more for that.  

At 1:07 to 1:27 on this video, you can see where it will all go wrong, if it can't bend. This is where your cards died. At that speed, they were torn & crushed. The machine stopped and what was left, was pulled out with pliers and dropped in the trash. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HpRMlhXm6I

The cardboard is doing nothing but increasing the odds of damage than doing more good and your paying more for it because it's more weight.  

Yet another example of why I refuse to do PWE...

I know how to do it right, but I don't know that the person on the other end does know how to do it. I also don't trust every single person in any postal service to handle it right. Therefore, I just don't do it.

I've been on the receiving end of some poorly executed PWEs lately and I've basically put trading on hold for a while until I can figure out a new trading strategy that works economically.