How to mail 200+ cards to Canada for under $15 (trade with TCDBer sandyrusty)

I recently sent 216 cards to Canada in a trade with sandyrusty of TCDB. I've almost always avoided doing large trades with collectors in Canada due to the much higher cost of shipping packages there. But sandyrusty showed me a great way to do it that makes it not much more expensive than shipping the same amount of cards to the US. 

Instead of mailing your cards in a package and paying package rates, you send the cards in a large envelope and pay the envelope rates. The 216 card number is not accidental - this was two envelopes with 108 cards each. Here is the step-by-step of how I packed it (all from sandyrusty's instructions).

1. Fill six nine-pocket pages with cards, two cards per pocket. (6 pages x 18 cards = 108 cards).

2. I used a 9 x 12 envelope for these purposes. (Manila with a clasp; I imagine other kinds are fine too.) The part of the card page with the three holes for binders makes the page too long, so I cut them off.

3. Tape some paper over the top of the pages so the cards don't slip out. Then cover the front and back of your six-page pile with cereal cardboard, taped on the top, bottom, left and right. (I am generally not a fan of TCDBers' love of cereal cardboard in PWEs, as I find it is more likely to rip paper envelopes than actually protect cards already in plastic. However, in this case, it was great to prevent the pages from flopping, without making them so rigid they could be considered a package.)

4. Slide the pages into the envelope, seal it up and address it.

5. At the post office, tell them you have a large envelope to mail to Canada. "Large envelope" is the correct USPS terminology, and sandyrusty said that sometimes people have had to go to more than one post office to find a clerk who understands this. I figured if I tell them it is a large envelope rather than just hand it to the clerk hand have them figure out what it is, I would be more successful. I don't know if that helped or not, but in my case the clerk was not fazed at all and immediately rung it up as a large envelope (in my case, two large envelopes).

6. For me, each envelope cost $7.33 to mail, as they came out to about 13-14 ounces each. If you can get it under 12 ounces, it would be $6.03. So my total cost to mail out 216 cards came out to $14.66. More expensive than sending a card box within the US but not a lot more so. By comparison, if I shipped the cards as a package, it would cost at least $23.40 if I could keep it under 32 ounces, which would be tough with the greater amount of packaging required. Over 32 ounces and it would be $34.65. And, a nice bonus - with large envelopes you don't have to fill out a customs form!

Sandyrusty has also posted on the TCDB forums about this, what he calls the USPS' Best Kept Secret. It's worth a read if you are thinking of mailing cards to Canada.

In addition to being an expert on the post office, sandyrusty is also a fantastic trader and sent me an absolutely fantastic package! (On the Canadian side, sending the cards by package is actually cheaper than sending by envelopes.)

Starting off with some vintage needs, highlighted by my first playing-days card of Billy Martin.

One of the best things about trading with a Canadian is picking up some hard-to-find Canadian oddballs!

A variety of cards from the late 80s, mostly sets from my childhood I still haven't completed.

Sandyrusty has a lot of Blue Jays team sets, and I picked out a sampler from each year.

I didn't want to go too heavy on OPC, as they are basically just copies of cards I already have, but for some reason I have very few from 1989 so I picked up a few.

Lots of minor league cards, highlighted by that fantastic Ed Gustafson card.

Cards that came wrapped. Some various size cards here. The Reggie is from the short-lived Upper Deck Energy Drink which I had never heard of until now.

1990s set needs! 1991 Studio - completed! 1992 OPC Premier - completed! 1993 Pinnacle - down to one card (#457 Jeter RC). 1994 Pinnacle - completed! 1994 Studio - down to six cards. 1995 Stadium Club - down to one card (#1 Ripken). 1995 Score - down to one card (#603 checklist). 1996 Score - down to six cards. 1995 Pinnacle - down to one card #128 Griffey)

21st century set needs! 2009 Topps - down to 11 needs. 2014 Topps - down to 5 needs. 2018 Topps - down to 50 needs. 2019 Topps - down to 8 needs. 2020 Topps - down to 5 needs. 2021 Topps - down to 54 needs. 2022 Topps - down to 4 needs.

Fun miscellaneous cards part one. That Frank Thomas/Tom Selleck Yankees card is one I'd really wanted since I first saw it online, probably close to 20 years ago.

Fun miscellaneous cards part II. The Charlie Hayes card is a sentimental favorite but that Griffey is so fantastic.