Hi,
Welcome to the first TCG Speed Shipper weekly. Each week: one shipping tip, what changed, and one thing in the tool that saves you time. Short, and no fluff.
1. Tip: price the whole envelope, not the card
USPS prices a stamped letter by the finished envelope: card, sleeve, toploader, slip and envelope together. From the schedule effective Oct 4, 2026 (USPS Notice 123):
- Up to 1 oz: $0.82, which is one Forever stamp
- Up to 2 oz: $1.11
- Up to 3 oz: $1.40
- Up to 3.5 oz: $1.69. Over 3.5 oz, it isn't a letter anymore.
A stiff or lumpy envelope, like a toploader that doesn't bend, can be "nonmachinable", which adds $0.49 (USPS DMM 101). Weigh one packed envelope of each kind you send, once, and you'll know your numbers. Sources: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm · pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm
2. What's coming: the holiday crunch starts Nov 6
- Nov 6: Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution, Delta Reign
- Nov 13: Magic: The Gathering | Star Trek
- Nov 20: One Piece OP-18
- Nov 27–30: Black Friday through Cyber Monday
- USPS's recommended last days to arrive by Dec 25 (lower 48): Dec 17 for First-Class Mail (your stamped envelopes) and Ground Advantage, Dec 18 for Priority Mail. Source: about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0922-usps-recommends-2026-holiday-mailing-shipping-dates.htm
If you fix one slow step in your packing routine, do it before Nov 6. Our full prep checklist: tcgspeedshipper.com/blog/surviving-the-holiday-shipping-rush-tcgplayer.html
3. New in TCG Speed Shipper: stamp estimates
Upload your TCGplayer shipping export and the Shipping Plan now counts the stamps for your envelope orders: Forever stamps, extra-ounce postage and any nonmachinable surcharge, with a total. Enter what your empty envelope, toploader and slip weigh once, and it adds that to TCGplayer's product weight for each order. Anything over 3.5 oz gets flagged. tcgspeedshipper.com/
4. Make TCG content? Get paid for it
If you post seller tips on YouTube, TikTok or Whatnot, or run a card-shop Discord, the new Creator Partner Program pays 40% of every payment from sellers who join through your link, for as long as they stay subscribed. You also get a free year of Premium, and your audience gets their first paid month free. You get a private dashboard with signups and earnings, and payouts are monthly. tcgspeedshipper.com/partners.html
Not a creator? Every account also has a "give a month, get a month" referral link under Account.
Reply and tell me what slows down your shipping day. The next issue might be about it.
Sam (Clujkeebs) TCG Speed Shipper