Shipping collectible cards for restoration, there and back

Every remote restoration starts and ends with a parcel. It is the moment a valuable card passes through hands you do not control, twice. A clear shipping process protects the cards, the client and you.

Before shipping: nothing goes out without an accepted quote

The client should ship only after accepting the preliminary quote. Only then do you give them the studio's address and shipping instructions. That way you avoid parcels arriving unannounced, and cards you do not yet know what to do with.

Packing

Give the client written instructions, the same every time:

• each card in a soft sleeve (penny sleeve), then in a toploader or rigid holder;
• toploaders closed with tape that peels off without residue, never on the card;
• a stiff piece of card on each side to prevent bending;
• a padded envelope or small box, not a plain paper envelope;
• inside the parcel, a slip with the commission code: if the label comes off, you still know whose it is.

Tracking and insurance

• Always ask for a tracked service, and for the tracking number as soon as the parcel leaves.
• For valuable cards ask for insured shipping for the declared value.
• The declared value is set by the client: it is what you will use to insure the return. It is not your valuation, and should not be treated as one.

On arrival: check-in

When the parcel arrives:

1. photograph the parcel closed and then open, before touching the cards;
2. check that the number of cards and the cards themselves match the request;
3. photograph each card as it arrived, before any treatment;
4. tell the client the cards have arrived, and flag any discrepancy straight away.

Arrival photos are your protection if a card arrives damaged in transit: without them it is impossible to tell transport damage from damage during work.

The return

• Same standard as the outbound trip: sleeve, toploader, stiff card, padded envelope.
• Tracked shipping and, for valuable cards, insured for the declared value.
• The tracking number to the client the same day.
• With the cards, or by email, the report of the work.

Ask the client to confirm receipt: it closes the commission cleanly.

Who pays for shipping

Decide and put it in your terms: usually the outbound trip is paid by the client and the return is included in the quote, or shown as a separate item. What matters is that the client knows before accepting.

How Registro does it

In Registro the studio's address is shown to the client only after they accept the quote, together with packing instructions. The client records carrier, tracking number and insurance from their area; at check-in you photograph the arriving cards from your phone with the file's QR code. The return has its own tracking, visible to the client without them having to write to you, and the client confirms receipt with one tap. The declared value always remains the client's. See also studio software for card restorers.

Frequently asked questions

Can I refuse a parcel that arrives unannounced?

You can set your own rules, but put them in your terms. In any case, photograph the parcel and its contents on arrival before deciding.

What if a card arrives damaged?

Photograph the parcel and the card straight away, tell the client and do not start work until you have agreed what to do. A claim against the carrier normally falls to the sender.

Do low-value cards need insurance?

Not always; tracking, however, always. Set a declared-value threshold above which insurance is mandatory and write it into your terms.