Shipping Guide for Expensive cards (Graded or raw)
This is how I ship pricier cards and the extra precautions I take. I've designed this guide like a flow chart which I hope is easy to understand. Any items I mention can be found on the "Products I Use" page. You can also package graded cards the same method as raw ones.
Raw Cards
Graded Cards
Use an air puffer to remove any dust on the surface of the card. Place your card in a penny sleeve, then into a Card Saver I. Then slide the card saver into a Perfect Fit Card Saver Sleeve. This outer sleeve will prevent any cardboard flakes or dust from getting inside the card saver.
Sandwich your card in between two pieces of 4x6" cardboard. You can also use cardstock as an additional inner layer for protection. Then gently tape the sides with one piece of tape each. You want the card to be secure in position, but don't force the sandwich to be overly tight.
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Put the sandwich into your 5x7" bubble mailer. It should be a snug fit.
Sandwich your card in between two pieces of foam or cardboard.
Make the sandwich larger as needed with additional cardstock or bubble wrap. Use a rubber band or tape to secure the card in place. Don't make it overly tight.
Increase the size of the sandwich even more.
Add additional protective packaging material (foam, bubble wrap, cardboard, newspaper, etc.) to the envelope or sandwich, then place into Box A. This is NOT your shipping box. For raw cards, I use a priority mail small flat rate box as Box A. For graded, you may need larger.
Seal Box A with shipping tape. What you are in the process of doing is making your shipment box larger, inconvenient to steal, and harder to get lost. Because you have a "box within a box", someone on an assembly line who quickly sticks a knife into your package to pull something out will hit a box instead of a card, likely giving up.
Add protective packaging around Box A to keep it in place within Box B (your shipping box). If you're on a budget, paper towel works surprisingly well. Don't use a box with recognizable markings such as PSA for Box A.
Now it's time to ship. I generally use USPS Priority Mail for domestic shipments and FedEx Express for international shipments. I have third-party shipping insurance which covers up to $25,000. If I'm shipping to PWCC, I'll request a label with their internal insurance. One thing to note with FedEx is that within the fine print, they have a $1,000 cap on collectibles pay-outs. They'll happily take your money if you want to insure something for $50,000, but they won't pay out more than $1,000 even with a successful claim.
Some other things to note: If you insure your package, you may get a surprised look from the cashier or other employee, and followup questions. Don't engage in small talk about how crazy it is that your childhood Charizard is now worth ten grand! They may talk about it later with their coworkers, with good intentions, but those coworkers could tell someone else, who tell someone else, etc. It's not worth the risk.
There's a reason that when you get mail from a grading company like PSA, they use no exterior branding and the "from" address is a vague shipping department with no reference to collectibles or cards. This is to prevent attention and theft. If possible, you should do the same with your "from" line. If you have a business named "XYZ Collectibles/Pokemon Cards/Rare and Valuable Gem Mints", consider using your legal name instead.