How to Ship Comic Books

Shipping and Packing Tips

We hope these tips answered your questions regarding packing and shipping.

If you have further questions, please feel free to call us at 817-701-0703.

Box Types

Use a sturdy box. Copier paper boxes and the like are NOT recommended. Damage or loss doesn't occur very often, but if it does, it is usually the result of a box being, old, weak, insufficiently taped/strapped, and/or being too heavy (over 40-lbs.).

Taping

If your box weighs more than 20-lbs, we recommend you use strapping tape (fiber filament tape) to band the box in all three dimensions. This will prevent your box from bursting open in transit.

White Comic/Magazine Boxes

Comic storage boxes, commonly referred to as "short," "long," or "magazine" boxes are excellent for shipping. These are white corrugated double-walled boxes with lids that are designed for comic storage and safe shipping. If your comics are not already in comic boxes (new, shippable condition), comic boxes are available at most comic book stores. Tips for shipping comic boxes

Brown Corrugated Boxes

If properly packed, ordinary shipping cartons work as well as comic boxes for shipping.

Bagged or Unbagged

We accept comics unbagged, bagged, or bagged and boarded. How you send them is entirely your option. If comics are unbagged, extra care should be taken to prevent the comics from being damaged during transit due to shifting about.

Packing

Have some padding at the corners and edges of your box so that if the box is dropped on a corner, the packing is crushed but not the comics.

Insurance

We do not reimburse insurance costs, but you may want to insure your parcel against loss or damage.

Shipping Options

Recommended shipping options include post office, UPS ground, or FedEx ground. Please use the option that you prefer and find most convenient. All these shippers deliver hundreds of boxes to us each week so they know us well. So long as your parcel is properly addressed, and securely packed, any of these carriers will have no difficulty getting your items to us.

Post Office Shipping Options

  • PARCEL POST: Use for any printed material containing advertising.
  • MEDIA MAIL: The cheapest postal rate is the "Media Mail" rate which may be used only for books, including graphic novels, trade paperbacks and hardbacks. Items that contain advertising do not qualify for media mail. Almost all comics contain advertising and therefore cannot be shipped media mail.

Deliver Verification/Signature Required at Time of Delivery

If you are shipping a high value lot, we recommend that you get delivery verification. UPS and FedEx provide automatic delivery verification whereby you can go to their web sites and see when your parcel was delivered to its destination. The post office will provide this service upon request for a nominal fee.

Cost Saving Tip

Your cost for shipping is considerably less when you ship in a single box, rather than in two or more smaller boxes. The cost to ship in more than one box is always greater than that for a single larger box. However, boxes weighing 20-lbs or more should be in good condition, sturdy, and bound with strapping tape around each dimension.

If Shipping More Than One Box

If shipping more than one box, number them "1 of 3", "2 of 3", "3 of 3", depending on how many you are shipping. Multiple boxes can sometimes arrive on different days. Knowing the total number of boxes in transit helps avoid confusion.

Our Shipping Address

Lone Star Comics
1800 Timberlake Drive
Arlington, TX 76010