Magical cards vessel is a fascinating concept that has captured the imagination of people for centuries. These vessels, also known as card decks or playing cards, hold a special power to reveal insights and predictions about the future. The origins of these cards can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where they were used for divination and fortune-telling purposes. Each card in a magical card vessel carries its own symbolic meaning and significance. The deck is typically composed of four suits - hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades - each representing different aspects of life such as love, wealth, challenges, and knowledge. Additionally, each suit contains numbered cards from Ace to Ten, along with several face cards, including the King, Queen, and Jack.
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Next tip Use Shippo or another shipping service some like Shippo don t require monthly subscription fees to save money on shipping skip the line at the post office. Of course, for PWE you ll attach your forever stamp, your 1oz stamp, appropriate addresses, and mark it non-machinable either with a stamp or in red pen.
Additionally, each suit contains numbered cards from Ace to Ten, along with several face cards, including the King, Queen, and Jack. The magical aspect of these cards lies in their ability to tap into the universal energies and provide guidance and insights. Card readers or practitioners of divination use various layouts and spreads to interpret the cards' meanings based on their positions and relationships with other cards.
How to Ship Magic Cards:
As of time of writing, it’s 2021 and collectible card games (CCG’s) are big business. Wizards of the Coast did $406 million in revenue in Q2 this year. Famous meat heads are wearing top graded pokemon cards as jewelry, and the fabled Black Lotus hit the half million dollar mark for the first time this year -- and that’s only considering two of the many CCGs being sent through the mail right now. I bought my first cards on Ebay in 1999, and I’ve been receiving damaged cards in the mail since around then. So why, pray tell, hasn’t anyone made a decent resource on how to safely pack & ship CCG cards in the last 20 years? I guess that means it’s up to me, then. I’m an admin in the Misprints Buy/Sell/Trade group on facebook, and I’ve been active in the community for some time. As an admin & group elder I get to hear the horror stories about one-of-a-kind misprints & test prints mangled in shipping, and I’ve even got some bad beat stories of my own. When I hear of a problem or a good idea I adapt my own method a little bit, so what I’m going to present today is 20+ years of ordering cards and over 10 years’ experience in shipping cards. If you have bad beat stories or shipping tips of your own you’d like to share, feel free to share in the comments.
Let’s start with the types of things you’ll be shipping, then we’ll move on to materials. What you’re shipping determines how much time, money, & care you’ll spend packing & shipping, so keep that in mind.
- Inexpensive cards in quantity 1-4
- Mixed value cards quantity up to ~50
- Expensive cards quantity up to 12
- Mixed/bulk cards in large quantity
- Cards shipped along with other non-card items
MATERIALS
What you’ll need to be able to ship just about anything:
- Inner sleeves:
- KMC perfect fit toploading inners are worth the price. Don’t use perfect fits that are too tight, as they will bend your cards. I’ve noticed this problem in KMC sideloaders too, and the airtight seal you’re looking for in a double sleeved card is compromised if you use a sideloading inner sleeve with a toploading outer.
- Just about anything will do here so long as they’re newish, clean, & not too tight or too loose. This is just to make a mostly airtight/watertight seal with the inner sleeve.
- toploaders:
- Semi rigids are popular for sending in cards to get graded but don’t provide much protection, so use the rigid toploaders for regular sales, but be aware that if you use them in regular PWE (plain white envelope) sales without paying extra to mark it non-machinable, the toploader can get mangled in the automatic envelope sorters. Just pay the extra 20c for a 1oz stamp.
- Short (#6) security envelopes for PWE. *NOT* #9 or #10.
- 5x7 bubble mailers for padded/tracked shipping. I prefer fully poly bubble mailers, but paper outsides are ok too. Buy in bulk. I bought 500 of them for not much more than 50 would have cost.
- Scotch tape
- A black pen & marker. A red pen for writing Non-Machinable on PWE, or a stamp like I have.
- An account with a shipping company (shippo, stamps dot com, whatever) for shipping bubble mailers & boxes. Some don’t have monthly fees & can save you $1 or so per order as well as a wait in line.
- USPS forever stamps & 1oz stamps for PWE. the 1oz stamps are used to upgrade to Non-Machinable
- A home printer, paper, scissors, & packing tape; or a label printer compatible with your shipping account
- A kitchen scale that can weigh in ounces & grams (grams will help later if you need to authenticate cards!)
- Boxes. You probably have some long boxes or fat pack boxes sitting around. If not you can order a bunch from BCW, or talk to your LGS & see if they can order some for you with their next shipment.
PACKING DON’TS
Here are some common practices I’d like to just quickly ask you to please not use. Just please understand that they’re not sound packing methods and if you use them you won’t look professional even if cards arrive undamaged. These may be accompanied by real-life photos from my own experience or provided by friends in the mtg community.
- Putting a naked card in an envelope, or just inside a penny sleeve
- Honestly, why? It’s fine if you don’t respect yourself, but at least have respect for the card.
- Using semi-rigid card holders
- These are the preferred method for grading companies, but they’re barely more protection than sleeves. They won’t keep your card from being bent and provide significantly less puncture resistance than a standard toploader, not to mention they’re harder to get than regular toploaders right now because of the rush on grading. Just use a toploader and pay the extra 20c for non-machinable.
- Taping a stack of cards to one or more toploaders
- The stack will shift. The cards will get stuck to the tape. The cards will bend or get pressure damage. The tape may not hold.
- Not taping the toploader shut
- Why even bother with a toploader if you’re not gonna make sure it’s gonna stay in there?
PACKING DO’S
From smallest order to largest, we’ll go from PWE/bubble mailer to box.
Let’s start with packing a single card in a toploader. For this I used a Khans fetch I recently sold to a friend.
First, gather materials. Double sleeve the card, with the opening of the inner sleeve facing downward, and the opening of the outer sleeve facing upward (or vice versa, so long as they’re opposite). Place the double sleeved card, and in this case, my business card as well, inside the toploader.
Next, use a small strip of tape to close off the top of the top of the toploader so the card doesn’t fall out. Be sure to fold over a piece at one end to give your recipient a tab to grab onto. This will allow them to easily pull the tape off, rather than having to open the toploader with a knife or scissors & risk damaging the card inside. This will reflect positively on you, trust me.
Finally, fold over one last piece of tape to give your card a lifeline. When you stuff the card in the envelope or bubble mailer it will stick gently to the inside. This will help keep your card in the envelope/mailer if it’s torn in transit, but won’t stick so much that it’s hard to get the card out of the mailer (that’s why I don’t recommend double sided tape for this - it can be so strong you risk bending the card trying to unstick the toploader.
Another tip: if you’ve got a lot of mailers going out, you can write the contents or recipient in marker where the shipping label will eventually go. This will allow you to focus on packing your orders all at once & maintain a more efficient assembly line.
Next tip: Use Shippo or another shipping service (some like Shippo don’t require monthly subscription fees) to save money on shipping & skip the line at the post office. First Class Package is normally over $4 for a ~3oz bubble mailer, but it’s cheaper on the shipping services and you can copy/paste the tracking number directly to your recipient. From here you can print out on a label printer if you have one, or like I do, just print the label on a regular sheet of paper, cut it out, then tape it to the package with packing tape. I don’t send nearly enough cards to justify having a dedicated label printer. If you’re sending multiples every day though, you may want to consider the cost vs time savings of picking one up. At the very least, ditch the inkjet printer & pick up a black & white laser printer to save oodles on ink.
View fullsizeIn any case, if you’re shipping from home, you’ll use your scale to weigh the package in ounces & enter into your shipping software. Shippo auto-converts to pounds. If you’re using the same type of packaging you can enter the dimensions as a template for quick selection each time. On the right it’ll give you all your shipping options & costs. This is also how you can give people shipping quotes, just be careful not to order it if you’re not ready. If you’re shipping internationally you’ll have to enter the items for customs & declare value, which the recipient will generally pay import duties on.
Cut out your label, secure it down the middle of the mailer with a piece of packing tape, then secure each of the sides with another piece per side.
Of course, for PWE you’ll attach your forever stamp, your 1oz stamp, appropriate addresses, and mark it non-machinable either with a stamp or in red pen. I didn’t have a PWE I needed to send, so for this exercise you’ll have to pretend the boxes marked “forever” and “1oz” are the appropriate stamps. If you need to know what they look like, please use the power of google.
Boxes
Ok, time for larger orders. I won’t go as in-depth here, because a lot of the info above transfers over. You can stack a number of toploaders or even a hard case in a bubble mailer, but at a certain point you’ve got to switch to a short box or a long box, either for shipping large orders, collections, or even buylists. For any of the above, you’ll want to make sure your cards are well protected. For large orders & collections I generally will sleeve/double sleeve all the cards where appropriate, and if some cards are especially valuable will occasionally put the higher value cards inside a cheaper deck box inside that box for an additional layer of protection. You can use folded paper to tighten up the gaps to prevent the cards from moving around too much. Some people use packing peanuts, but the mess they create is annoying when opened, and most foam like that isn’t very earth-conscious.
High End
What if you have really high end stuff, then? Easy enough, just combine what we’ve learned here. Double sleeve your mint alpha power, put it in toploaders as normal (maybe a couple or 3 toploaders carefully taped together with pull tabs). You can place these in a zip-close sandwich bag for extra moisture protection, then place that in a poly bubble mailer. Attach your packing slip or a copy of the shipping label here, but this won’t be the end of it. Place this bubble mailer inside another box (or a box in a box) for further protection. You could put it in a fat pack box, tape that up with another packing slip or copy of the shipping label attached, then put that inside a small reused amazon/ebay box with some reused packing material (you probably have some lying around). If it’s that high end you’ll probably want to insure the package & pay the extra $2 or so for signature required delivery to protect yourself. The point here is to take a couple extra steps to protect the card, but not to make it too much of a chore for the recipient to get to the card.
Tips for Buylists:
Note, most of my experience is with Card Kingdom buylists, but most of this should transfer to some degree.
- Don’t forget to include your invoice numbers in the shipment, and ideally also write the order/invoice #’s on the outside somewhere so it’s easy for them to track.
- Most cards should be unsleeved. I’ll occasionally leave high-value cards sleeved for extra protection, but don’t leave the cheap cards sleeved, it’s annoying for those processing the orders.
Next tip: Use Shippo or another shipping service (some like Shippo don’t require monthly subscription fees) to save money on shipping & skip the line at the post office. First Class Package is normally over $4 for a ~3oz bubble mailer, but it’s cheaper on the shipping services and you can copy/paste the tracking number directly to your recipient. From here you can print out on a label printer if you have one, or like I do, just print the label on a regular sheet of paper, cut it out, then tape it to the package with packing tape. I don’t send nearly enough cards to justify having a dedicated label printer. If you’re sending multiples every day though, you may want to consider the cost vs time savings of picking one up. At the very least, ditch the inkjet printer & pick up a black & white laser printer to save oodles on ink.
These interpretations can shed light on different aspects of a person's life, including relationships, career, finances, and personal growth. The belief in the mystical powers of card reading is not rooted in any specific religion or culture. Instead, it transcends boundaries and is embraced by people from all walks of life. Many cultures have their traditional card designs and interpretations, adding a unique flavor to the practice. In recent years, magical card vessels have gained popularity and have been commercialized, with countless decks available in the market. These decks often feature stunning artwork, rich symbolism, and intricate details that enhance the reading experience. Each deck has its own unique style and theme, ranging from traditional tarot decks to oracle cards that draw inspiration from different mythologies and spiritual practices. Regardless of the type of deck used, the magical card vessel serves as a powerful tool for self-reflection, introspection, and personal growth. It allows individuals to tap into their intuition and gain a deeper understanding of their circumstances and life paths. Whether seeking guidance or simply looking for a fun and interactive activity, exploring the world of magical card vessels offers a journey into the mysteries of the universe..
Reviews for "Balancing Energies: Harmonizing Your Life with a Magical Cards Vessel"
1. Emma - 2/5 stars - I was really excited to try out the "Magical cards vessel," but I was quite disappointed with the results. The cards were not as vibrant and magical as advertised. The concept seemed promising, but in reality, it was just a basic card set with minimal magical elements. I was expecting something more interactive and enchanting, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations.
2. John - 3/5 stars - While the "Magical cards vessel" was an interesting concept, I found it to be quite complicated and confusing to use. The instructions were not clear, and it took me a while to understand how to properly use the cards. Additionally, the quality of the cards was not up to par. They felt flimsy and cheaply made, which was a disappointment considering the price. Overall, I think there is room for improvement in terms of both clarity of instructions and the quality of the product.
3. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I bought the "Magical cards vessel" as a gift for my niece, thinking it would be a fun and magical toy. However, I was extremely disappointed with what I received. The cards were dull, and there was nothing magical about them. The vessel included in the set was poorly made and broke within a few uses. It was a waste of money, and I would not recommend this product to anyone looking for a truly magical experience.
4. Michael - 2/5 stars - As a magic enthusiast, I was excited to try out the "Magical cards vessel." However, I found it to be quite underwhelming. The tricks performed with the cards were basic and lacked the wow factor I was expecting. The vessel itself seemed flimsy and easily breakable. Furthermore, the set did not come with enough instructions or ideas for performing different tricks. I was left feeling disappointed and dissatisfied with my purchase.
Navigating Life's Challenges: Using a Magical Cards Vessel for Guidance and Support