When you start to buy and sell action figures you are most likely going to come across the question of how to ship action figures that are carded. I wrote this guide to show you how to ship action figures cost effectively while your action figures are still well protected.
For this guide I will be shipping a carded vintage Star Wars action figure.
What you need:
- A box that is bigger than the action figure you are going to be shipping. For this example the card is 9 x 6. I will be shipping it in a box that is 11.25 x 8.75 x 4.
- Shipping tape
- 1 Sheet of packing paper. You can get it here. I use paper that is 28 x 36.
How to Ship Action Figures Step 1:
Fold one end of your box and put one piece of tape over the crack.
Step 2:
Put half of your packing paper in the box as seen in the picture. Wrinkle the paper so that it will provide padding for your action figure.
Step 3:
Put your figure in the box and fold over the rest of the paper. Be careful when doing this so you don’t damage the action figure.
Step 4:
Seal the box. Shake the box and see if your action figure moves around. If it does you did something wrong. If not slap on your shipping label and send it out.
I have found that this works really good and is cost effective. You don’t need to spend extra money on bubble wrap. If you think you need more padding you can always add a second sheet of paper in the box.
Always use a brand new box. Boxes over time become weaker and can get crushed. I have seen a guide on shipping that tells you to make a custom box by cutting cardboard for all the sides of the box and taping it together. This is a bad idea because if anything gets set on top of your box it will smash your action figure.
There you have it. Join the discussion below and suggest different methods you have found word best on how to ship action figures.
Great Post! Im having an issue though. I just started selling carded action figures on ebay right? buying them and selling them for double the price I bought them for. Somehow, (which makes no sense to me) Im actually losing money between shipping and ebay fees. Can you help me out with this?
You need to tell me more information.
1. Where are you buying them.
2. What mailing method are you using?
3. What type of figures are you selling?
4. Are you offering free shipping?
Making your own box should work fine if you use corrugated cardboard and ensure that the direction of the corrugation matches that of a pre-made box. The vertical supports weight, the horizontal will crush more easily.
Haha serves you right, reseller.