Most basketball cards ship exactly like a baseball or football card. Two things trip sellers up: chrome cards that scratch or curl, and thick patch or relic cards that don't fit a standard toploader.
Raw singles
Penny sleeve first, so the surface never touches plastic directly.
Toploader or card saver. Use a card saver if the buyer might send it for grading; graders prefer semi-rigid holders. Seal the top with a team bag or a small strip of painter's tape.
Stiffen it between two pieces of thin cardboard, so the envelope can't bend the card.
Pick the outside by value: a plain envelope (no tracking) for cheap cards, eBay Standard Envelope for eligible low-priced eBay sales, and a bubble mailer with tracking for everything else.
Thick patch and relic cards
A standard 35pt toploader fits cards from about 20 to 35pt. Memorabilia cards are thicker, so match the holder to the card: 55pt holders fit about 36–55pt cards, 75pt fit 56–75pt and 100pt fit 76–100pt, as retailers of Ultra PRO toploaders list them. Forcing a thick card into a thin holder dents the edges. Our autograph and patch guide covers these in detail.
Graded slabs
Sleeve the slab, wrap it in bubble wrap and ship it tracked in a padded mailer or a small box, with insurance for anything valuable. Details in How to Ship Graded Cards.
Thickness and the envelope
A thick holder makes an envelope rigid and lumpy. USPS may then charge the $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge (USPS Notice 123, October 4, 2026 edition), and an envelope over 1/4 inch thick is no longer a letter at all. Thick cards are usually better in a tracked bubble mailer.
Printing the addresses
Handwriting addresses is the slow part once you ship more than a few a day. TCG Speed Shipper prints #10 envelopes, Avery 5160 address labels and 4×6 labels from a TCGplayer shipping export. If you sell on eBay or Whatnot, every plan has Paste Address: copy the buyer addresses out of eBay, Whatnot, PayPal or an email and print labels from those. These are address labels, not postage.
FAQ
What toploader do I need for a patch card?
Measure or check the card thickness in points (pt). A 35pt toploader fits about 20–35pt cards; thicker relic and patch cards need 55pt, 75pt, 100pt or thicker holders.
Can I ship a basketball card in a plain white envelope?
Yes for cheap, standard-thickness raw cards with a toploader and cardboard stiffener. Thick cards and valuable cards should go tracked in a bubble mailer.
How do I stop chrome cards from curling in the mail?
Sleeve them right away, keep them out of heat and sun, and ship them snug in a holder so they can't flex.
Sources
- Toploader thickness ranges (35pt holds 20–35pt cards, 55pt holds 36–55pt, 75pt holds 56–75pt, 100pt holds 76–100pt) as listed by retailers of Ultra PRO toploaders, e.g. Cardboard Connection and Giant Sports Cards, checked October 24, 2026.
- Our stamp guide (USPS letter prices per Notice 123, October 4, 2026 edition: $0.82 for the first ounce, $0.29 each added ounce, $0.49 nonmachinable surcharge).