General Forum

Traders - 

Recently I made a commitment to sleeve every card going out in a trade, with the exception of large trades(50 cards or more) that I am shipping in a box.  

This is in response to receiving more than a couple trades where the cards were not well protected and pretty much ended up in my giveaway pile and back on my Wantlist.  Now I understand many of us are on a budget and a penny is a penny.  However, my goal is to help build peoples sleeve surplus(I only keep a select number of cards in sleeves) while doing my best to make sure my cards show up how I would want to receive them.  

So, dig through your sofa cushions, look under your car seat, take back some cans and bottles(I live in Oregon...$.10 each!!!!) and go get some sleeves.  Reusing sleeves is also great!  Almost better in the grand scheme of sustainabilty.  

Thanks for listening. 

Coach

Funny thing about sleeves right now is that due to Covid-19, they aren’t that easy to come by brand new.  Ultra Pro is sold out online, and most retail places online are now price gouging them.  Even Amazon is overcharging.  I am pretty sure even Dave and Adams has the price doubled and now they have Dave and Adams exclusive sleeves.  

I never see sleeves at Target and all of a sudden I saw them for sale last week for more money than a penny each.

The local card shop I went to actually is selling them for just a dollar each but they have a limit on how many you can buy. 

The local card shop I went to actually is selling them for just a dollar each but they have a limit on how many you can buy. 

Hopefully that's a dollar each for a pack of sleeves(100).

This is a great idea. I always try to sleeve every card I send out, and also reuse the sleeves I get. Its a win-win, Cards are protected and we do our small part for the enviroment.

Haha yeah I didn’t word that very clear.  Yes a dollar for a pack of sleeves.  

my LCS increased the price of a pack of 100 ultra penny sleeves to $3, and said: "that is what they sell for on ebay" [+ shipping] 

I was a bit surprised, but he's got to make a living, and I decided to help him pay the rent and not complain.

After all, that is all I buy from him, don't ever get wax from him

Great to hear back from some of you.  It sounds like my Hobby shop owner is one of the good guys and not passing along bulk wholesale upcharges to me.  If he let's me, I may buy a case, just to make sure I can continue to deliver on my committment above.  he shoudl let me, I get all my wax from him.  

Just a theory and I don't give a darn about politics so please don't go there even though i do in explaining,

Just before covid there was something MrT was doing and it had to do with tariffs on stuff from China, since then all plastics which usually come from China have nearly tripled in price, i'm not pointing fingers at anyone just pointing stuff out.

Be it sleeves or plastic boxes hinged or slidey, then of course as cards became a go to past time which everyone should always be with(slightly biased yes) tipped the scales upward with unprecedented demand.

On a sad side note again not to point fingers but if I remember right did all this 19 stuff originate in China?

Was that their response to Mr T.?   Hmmmm??

My LCS owner told me that prices on sleeves had gone up rather abnormally recently.

Just checked my pack of Ultra Pros...'Made in China' sure enough.  Good thing I'm stocked up for awhile.

I reuse penny sleeves but they are not just a penny anymore.  They are $0.015 today for a count of 100. Of course I didn't add tax 🤔

I also reuse top loaders. About the only thing I don't reuse is team bags or graded bags to keep the cards from sliding around and getting damaged