Shipping Guidelines
How long you have to ship, what tracking and insurance levels are required at each order value, how to pack cards and slabs, what happens if a package is lost, and how LTC labels work. US-only shipping.
2 business days to ship
Every order ships within 2 business days of payment.
Tracking required at $50+
Optional under $20, recommended $20–$49.99, required from $50.
Insurance $100+, signature $750+
Insurance required at $100+, signature confirmation required at $750+.
US-only shipping
All orders on LTC ship within the United States. No international shipping at this time.
Handling time
All orders must be shipped within 2 business days of payment. The clock starts the day the order is paid; weekends and major US holidays do not count.
Order paid Monday
Ship by end of day Wednesday.
Order paid Friday
Ship by end of day Tuesday (Saturday and Sunday don't count).
- Add tracking promptly: tracking does not have to be uploaded the moment you print a label, but the sooner you add it after handing the package off, the better — for both you and the buyer.
- Don't mark shipped early: a printed label is not fulfillment. Do not mark an order as shipped before it has been handed off to the carrier.
Tracking, insurance, and signature by order value
Required protections scale with the order's total value. When you create a shipping label through LTC, insurance and signature requirements are applied automatically based on the order total — they cannot be lowered.
| Order total | Tracking | Insurance | Signature |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $19.99 | Optional | Optional | Optional |
| $20 – $49.99 | Strongly recommended | Optional | Optional |
| $50 – $99.99 | Required | Optional | Optional |
| $100 – $749.99 | Required | Required | Optional |
| $750+ | Required | Required | Required |
Card protection
No shipment should let cards or slabs bend, rattle loosely, or be exposed to moisture. The rules below apply per individual card.
Cards over $0.50 each
- Each card must be individually sleeved.
- No two cards over $0.50 may be touching each other.
- If a buyer reports improper packaging on cards over $0.50, you are liable for any damage they describe.
Cards $0.50 or less
- May be grouped, but must not be loose in the package.
- Must be contained in plastic — team bag, plastic bag, or similar.
- Bundle must be secured and packed to minimize damage.
Use a combination of these as appropriate to the order:
- Penny sleeves
- Top loaders, Card Savers, deck boxes, or storage boxes
- Team bags or graded card bags
- Bubble wrap, foam, or packing paper
- Rigid mailers or cardboard boxes
Slab protection
- Each slab must be in an individual plastic sleeve or bag to protect from scratching and scuffing.
- Slabs must not be loose in the box. Wrap with bubble wrap or separate with padding so they cannot move.
- For multiple or bulk slabs: stack with bubble wrap or padding between layers, no slab-to-slab contact, and use a sturdy box.
- For high-value single slabs: consider double boxing.
Sealed product protection
- Each sealed product must be wrapped individually.
- No sealed box, tin, or ETB may have its plastic or cardboard touching another product's plastic or cardboard.
- Use bubble wrap, foam, or cardboard dividers between sealed products to prevent material-to-material contact and corner damage.
- For bulk sealed: each item wrapped, dividers or padding between every item, all gaps filled.
- For sealed cases: factory cases sold as sealed must remain sealed, no stickers, tape, or markings on the case itself, and the case must be inside an outer shipping box with adequate padding.
Prohibited shipping practices
The following are not allowed on LTC and may be treated as packaging failures or seller-fault damage.
- Shipping raw cards loose in an envelope or mailer without proper protection.
- Letting any two cards over $0.50 touch each other without sleeves.
- Shipping cards over $0.50 unsleeved.
- Using rubber bands directly on cards or slabs.
- Using tape directly on card sleeves, card surfaces, or slab surfaces.
- Sending large stacks of low-value cards loose in a box without bagging or containment.
- Letting sealed products bang against each other with no padding or dividers.
LTC labels and your own labels
You can buy a shipping label through LTC at checkout, or you can ship using your own carrier account or store-bought labels. Either path is acceptable.
LTC shipping labels
- Bought through LTC at checkout — convenient and tracking attaches to the order automatically.
- Cost is deducted from your payout for that order, not paid up front.
- A small service fee is added on top of the carrier's rate.
- Insurance and signature are auto-applied based on the order total.
Your own carrier or label
- You can ship with any reputable US carrier and your own account or store-bought label.
- You are responsible for adding tracking to the order in LTC.
- You are responsible for matching the tracking, insurance, and signature requirements above based on order value.
For the financial side of LTC labels (markup behavior, payout deduction), see Seller Fees.
Combined shipping and multi-item orders
If a buyer purchases multiple items from you, how you ship them is up to you. You can combine items into one box or ship them separately — whatever makes sense for the items and value.
- One box: one label, one charge.
- Separate packages: each label is its own charge.
- Tracking: attach the tracking number to each shipment so the buyer can follow every package.
International shipping
All orders placed on LTC are shipped within the United States only. No international shipping is currently supported.
Lost or damaged in transit
Once a package leaves your hands, the carrier handles it. If something goes wrong in transit, recovery and any claim are the seller's responsibility — even when the item was packed correctly.
- Damaged on arrival: work with the buyer to get the item back in your possession, then file a damage claim with the carrier you used.
- Lost in transit: file a lost-package claim with your carrier using the tracking and insured value.
- Buyer impact: the buyer is made whole through a refund or replacement on your side. The carrier claim happens between you and the carrier.
- Why insurance is required at $100+: when LTC's auto-insurance is in place, you have the full insured value to claim against. That's the protection.