The Lab TCG - Business Supply List
The Lab TCG's Pokémon Business Supplies List includes a variety of items that are commonly used in a Pokémon trading card game business. These items include envelopes, penny sleeves, top loaders, card board sleeves, paper, bubble mailers, gram scale, scotch tape, team bags, graded card sleeves, boxes, Kraft packing paper, FBA labels, and shipping labels. These items are used for shipping and protecting cards and sealed products, printing packing slips and labels, and for general use in the business. The list includes different types and sizes of these items to accommodate different orders and needs.
This list showcases the supplies The Lab TCG uses for their business. It is likely that better prices can be found with more due diligence on other platforms.*Please note, the following links are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate The Lab TCG earns from qualifying purchases.*
TCG Singles Supplies:
The Lab TCG uses plain white envelopes to send small orders of cards that cost less than $20. They use these envelopes when they are fulfilling orders from websites like TCGPlayer and eBay. The envelopes have a window on the front where you can put the address and it can be seen through it. These envelopes do not need to be licked to seal them, they have adhesive on them.
Penny sleeves are used in many ways in a Pokémon card business. The Lab TCG uses them to protect individual cards in their inventory, store multiple copies of the same card in one sleeve, ship small orders of multiple cards, and for other purposes.
Top loaders are plastic protective cases that are used to keep valuable cards safe. They are mostly used for cards that cost more than $20. In recent years, top loaders have become more expensive so The Lab TCG suggests using alternatives like Shipping Shields and Cardboard Sleeves, but Cardboard sleeves are not recommended for expensive cards.
Team bags are plastic bags with adhesive on it, they are used to hold and organize a large amount of cards. If you have an order of 50 cards, you will want to use a team bag to keep all of the cards together and secure in the plastic bag.
Paper is used for many different things in a Pokémon card business. The Lab TCG uses it for printing out instructions for shipping orders, taking notes, making labels, and other purposes.
4 x 8 bubble mailers are mainly used for sending orders of cards that are worth more than $20 or when someone orders a lot of cards at once. If the order of cards is too big for a plain white envelope, it needs to be put in a bubble mailer and sent by first class mail.
The gram scale is used to weigh the orders that are going to be sent in plain white envelopes. Before sending any order, The Lab TCG checks the weight twice to make sure there are no issues with the post office. This scale is particularly useful for checking if the weight of the order is less than 1 ounce.
Tape is used to keep items inside a package secure, and for other general purposes in a Pokémon card business.
Graded card sleeves are similar to team bags, but they are bigger and can hold more cards, around 100. They are used to protect valuable cards that have been graded, and they are multi-purpose. They are like bigger versions of team bags and are used to keep graded cards safe.
Sealed Product Supplies:
8 x 6 x 4 boxes are typically used to ship individual booster box orders. They are combined with a bubble mailer and some packing paper to secure the sealed product while in transit. This is a reliable way to ship sealed products.
8x8x8 boxes are used for sending multiple booster boxes in one order or two elite trainer boxes. They can also be used for other types of sealed products, but they are mostly used for those two types of products.
12x8x6 boxes are used less frequently than 8x8x8 and 8x6x4 boxes, but they are still a good choice for shipping products that are a unusual size or for shipping multiple booster boxes.
Bubble mailers are used to protect sealed products that are being sold by The Lab TCG. They wrap their booster boxes in them to provide extra protection during shipping. The 10.5x16 bubble mailers can also be used to ship special collection boxes.
Kraft packing paper is used to keep the contents of a box in place during shipping. When they ship booster boxes, they use a little bit of packing paper to make sure the booster boxes stay in place. This is used for all sealed product orders.
FBA labels are used by sellers who have joined Amazon's Fulfilled by Amazon program. This program allows sellers to store their products in Amazon's warehouses and have Amazon handle the shipping and customer service for them. Every item that is sent to Amazon needs one of these labels on it.
Adhesive shipping labels are very useful for quickly shipping items, particularly when used with a thermal printer. You can print the shipping labels onto the adhesive label, and then stick them onto boxes or bubble mailers. This method makes the shipping process faster and more efficient.
Shipping tape is used to close and seal boxes that are going to be shipped.
Business Equipment:
The Rollo printer is a great machine that doesn't require ink, which means you don't have to spend money on ink anymore. It is a fast printer that uses thermal shipping labels, which makes the printing process more efficient.
If you decide to keep ink printing in your business for packing slips, the model that The Lab TCG uses is the Epson WF 3620 Ink Printer. This business can be run without an ink printer, but if you want the option here it is.
Similar to the gram scale, a shipping scale is a necessary tool. The Lab TCG uses an industrial shipping scale to weigh all of their sealed product orders and bulk orders. This scale is used to ensure that the orders are properly weighed before shipping.
Tape measures are useful for measuring the length of boxes that are being shipped. Sometimes, the dimensions of the boxes are not printed on them, so it's helpful to have a tape measure handy to measure them yourself. This can help ensure that the boxes are the right size for the items you are shipping.
Using a mouse on a table or desk surface can be uncomfortable, it's not ideal. The Lab TCG uses desk mats not only as a mouse pad but also to protect cards from scratches when they are being sorted and listed. It's a double purpose item that helps to keep the cards in a good condition while working with them.
Bar code scanners are very useful for adding products to an inventory on a website like Shopify or Amazon Seller Central. These scanners can quickly scan the barcode on the item, which allows you to easily add the product to your online inventory. This helps to make the process of adding products to your online store more efficient and accurate.
Tape dispensers are a must-have tool for any Pokémon business. They are used for quickly and easily applying tape to packages, making the shipping process more efficient. The Lab TCG uses tape dispensers with a built-in cutter, which allows for easy and precise tape application. These dispensers are made of durable plastic and come in a variety of sizes to accommodate different rolls of tape. They are perfect for those who frequently use tape and want to save time and effort.
If you're a seller on eBay, a light box is a useful tool. Light boxes help to improve the quality of your pictures by providing a white background. This makes your pictures look more professional and helps your items stand out to potential buyers. It's a great way to take your picture quality to the next level.
BCW 800 Card Storage Box 10 Pack
When you start selling cards, it's easy for your inventory to grow quickly. BCW makes great products that can help you keep your inventory organized. The Lab TCG uses BCW storage boxes for storing inventory, transporting large quantities of cards, and for other purposes. These boxes help to keep cards organized and in good condition.
This might be the best purchase I have ever made for my business. My alphabetical sorting has almost been cut in half while using these modular sorting trays. In order to do a complete alphabetical sort, you do need 5 sets.
Monster pads are excellent for making sure that your inventory doesn't slide around in your bulk boxes. Countless times, I put inventory into a 1k or 5k box and have it slide around when I am looking for a card. With the BCW monster pads, you can use them to act as buffers and shorten the length of your bulk boxes. This way cards don't slide around.
I've been using elite trainer box dividers for my inventory management for years. After a local business put me onto BCW tall dividers, i'll never go back. These dividers stick out above the cards so that you can easily flip through inventory. You can also write on them and label them different things.