How to Post Pokémon Cards in the UK: Royal Mail Guide

Which Royal Mail service should you use to post a card?

Match the service to the value. For a card or order under £20, a 2nd Class large letter at £1.55 is cheapest. From £20 to £75, Tracked 48 at £2.90 online adds tracking and £75 cover. Above £75, use Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm with cover matching the value.

Royal Mail says Tracked 48 aims to deliver in two to three working days. Tracked with a signature costs £4.90 (Tracked 48) or £5.90 (Tracked 24) online for a large letter, with the same £75 cover. Tracked large letters can weigh up to 1kg.

A simple rule of thumb

• Card or order worth under £20: 2nd Class large letter is the cheapest option. Ask the Post Office counter for a certificate of posting so you can prove you sent it.
• £20 to £75: Tracked 48. You get tracking and compensation up to £75 for a little more than 2nd Class.
• Over £75, and every graded slab of real value: Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm, with cover that matches what the parcel is worth.

Compensation is capped at the lower of the item's value and the service limit, so posting a £150 card by Tracked 48 still only covers £75. 1st Class costs more than Tracked 48 online and has no tracking, so for cards it rarely makes sense.

Can you post a Pokémon card as a large letter?

Yes. A card in a toploader is too thick and rigid for the letter rate, but a card sandwich in a board-backed envelope fits Royal Mail's large letter limits of 35.3 x 25 cm, 2.5 cm thick and 750g with room to spare. A graded slab may need a small parcel, so measure it first.

A card in a toploader is too thick and too rigid for the letter rate, so cards go as large letters. A card sandwich in a C5 or C4 board-backed envelope fits easily under 2.5 cm and 100g. A graded slab is thicker; one slab well padded may still fit the 2.5 cm large letter limit, but measure before you buy postage. If it is over, it is a small parcel.

How do you pack a Pokémon card for posting?

Put the card in a penny sleeve, then a toploader, and fold a paper slip over the opening taped so the tape never touches the card. Sandwich the toploader between two pieces of stiff card, use a sturdy envelope, and write DO NOT BEND above the address. Keep proof of posting.

1. 1.

   Penny sleeve

   Slide the card into a clean penny sleeve. It protects the surface from the toploader.

2. 2.

   Toploader

   Put the sleeved card into a toploader, opening first so the sleeve goes in squarely. Cardmarket recommends toploaders for cards worth more than €30; for anything you would mind losing, use one.

3. 3.

   Stop it sliding out

   Fold a small slip of paper over the toploader opening and tape across the paper, so the tape never touches the sleeve or card. Cardmarket recommends exactly this. A resealable team bag does the same job. Never tape the card itself.

4. 4.

   Card sandwich

   Place the toploader between two pieces of stiff card or corrugated board a little larger than it on every side, and tape them together so it cannot move.

5. 5.

   Envelope and label

   Use a stiff board-backed or plain envelope and write DO NOT BEND above the address. This is not just a courtesy: see the compensation rules below.

6. 6.

   Proof of posting

   For untracked items, ask the Post Office for a certificate of posting. For tracked services, keep your receipt and tracking number.

Cardmarket does not recommend bubble envelopes for cards and suggests a windowless envelope or a cardboard parcel instead. Bubble wrap cushions knocks but does not stop a card bending. If you do use a padded envelope, put a proper card sandwich inside it.

Several cards, a slab, or sealed product

• A few cards: sleeve and toploader each card, put the toploaders together in one team bag, and sandwich the stack.
• Lots of bulk cards: stack them in a card box or tightly wrapped stack, then fill the parcel so nothing moves.
• Graded slabs: wrap each slab in bubble wrap, put it in a small box or between two thick boards, and fill gaps so it cannot rattle. A slab that moves around inside the package can crack or scratch.
• Sealed product: box it. Never post a sealed box in a bag or envelope on its own.

What are the most common mistakes when posting cards?

The costly ones are a toploader in a plain envelope with nothing stiff around it, tape stuck on the sleeve or card, a toploader that is too loose or too tight, choosing a service whose compensation is below the card's value, and leaving off the DO NOT BEND marking that Royal Mail requires.

• A toploader in a plain paper envelope with nothing stiff around it. Sorting machines and letterboxes can bend both.
• Tape on the sleeve or card. It can lift the surface when the buyer removes it.
• Too loose a fit. A card that slides around inside a toploader can catch a corner. A card that is forced into one gets bent going in.
• Choosing the service on price alone. If a card is worth more than the service's compensation limit, you carry the difference.
• No DO NOT BEND marking. Royal Mail can refuse a damage claim for a bendable item that is not marked.

Will Royal Mail pay out if a card is lost or damaged?

Only within the service's cover and only if you followed its rules. The card must be packed so it cannot bend and marked DO NOT BEND above the address, and you must claim in time: 30 days for damage on Tracked 24 and 48, 80 days otherwise. Payment is your actual loss, up to the cover limit.

Royal Mail's retail compensation policies for loss and for damage set out when it will pay. The parts most relevant to cards:

• Packaging must be adequate. Royal Mail will not accept liability for items "that have not been secured or packaged in such a way as to prevent damage".
• DO NOT BEND. Compensation is not payable "where an item that may be damaged by bending is not packed in a strong container that will prevent the item from being bent, and marked with the words 'DO NOT BEND' on the cover or envelope above the address".
• Time limits. Damage claims must be made within 80 calendar days of posting, or 30 calendar days for Tracked 24 and Tracked 48. Loss claims must be made within 80 calendar days.
• What you get back. For services other than Special Delivery, compensation is the customer's actual loss, up to the lower of what the item is worth and £20 (or the higher cover a service includes, such as £75 on Tracked). Royal Mail defines actual loss as what the item cost to acquire, adjusted for condition, age and depreciation, so for a seller it is not simply the price you sold it for.
• Evidence. Royal Mail strongly advises getting evidence of posting when you send items of value, and asks claimants to keep the packaging and contents of anything that arrives damaged, as it may need to inspect them.

How do you post Pokémon cards abroad from the UK?

From Great Britain, every international item containing goods needs a customs declaration and electronic customs data. Online prices for a large letter up to 100g are £3.70 to Europe and £4.50 to the rest of the world by International Standard (untracked, compensation up to £20). International Tracked starts at £9.80 to Europe for a large letter, with £50 cover (£250 for an extra £3.10). Your buyer may have to pay import charges in their country.

How we post our orders

Every single we send is packed the way described above: penny sleeve and toploader, sandwiched between rigid card in a plain envelope. We dispatch orders from our singles, graded and sealed ranges within 2 working days and deliver to Great Britain only. Untracked items in orders under £20 go Royal Mail 2nd Class; cards from £10 and orders of £20 or more go Tracked 48; orders over £100 go Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm. That is stricter than the rule of thumb above. Our delivery page lists the prices, and our returns page covers what happens if anything goes wrong. If you are sending cards to us, our sell your cards page explains how.