Buy/Sell/Trade Forum

I only usually trade 9 to 12 cards max.. but how does other people do large trades?

Those are my favorite, but they are taxing for an old guy like me.

First, as with all my trades, I confirm physically before offering or accepting, mainly because I hate having to refile cards away on a potential trade that didn't come to fruition.

Secondly, confirm VARs individually and don't rely on the system to match you up because if you're like me you've not updated all the sets that now have VARs, i.e. Donruss and Fleer.

Lastly check out the various ways to mail. Don't assume that the bigger boxes are best for large trades because our friend C2Cigars (Chuck) has a video or post or both on how to send just over 500 cards in a priority envelope. You will save a tremendous amount by being smart and not assuming there's only one way to go with mailing. There are any number of ways to mail so you simply have to do some research. I can help if you want to reach out with a PM.

For me personally I try to keep trades to 50 cards or less.  Mostly trades of 25 or less so I can fit them in a standard envelope.  The extra weight will add a little to postage but as long as you keep it flat it's not too bad.  I have no problem going with 2 or 3 trades back and forth with the same people.

With the help of a couple of more experienced traders here, I discovered it wasn't that hard. I bought some 6x6x6 boxes at Walmart for less than a dollar apiece. I used some leftover bubble packaging I got when I had ordered a couple of things that weren't related to card collecting. Those bags that you get at Walmart and Dollar General work well for packing, too.

I use those little bags and put about 25 cards per bag, and then wrap them snuggly in bubble wrap. I then place that into the 6x6x6 box with more packing around it. This seems to work.

Another trader here uses those Small priority mail boxes. (At the post office, the clerk can point out which is the small.) On a recent deal, I was on vacation and wouldn't be able to mail my part of the trade until I got back. When I returned from my trip, his cards already had arrived, so I just copied the way he did it when I sent my cards to him. The cards went into the small bags and were tapped together. Then those plastic top-loaders were used to protect the cards on top and bottom. More packing when into the box. 

I hope this helps, although I'm afraid I haven't described very well how I do this. I'm sure experience can help you figure out what works best for you.