How to ship cards internationally

To ship a trading card from the US to another country, send it as a package with a customs form, not in a letter. USPS’s First-Class Mail International carries documents only, so a card goes by First-Class Package International Service (up to $400 in value, no insurance) or Priority Mail International (tracking on most packages, $200 of cover included and more by country). Declare what the buyer paid, since USPS prices extra cover by declared value.

Can a card go abroad in a plain envelope?

Not by USPS’s rules. No merchandise may travel by First-Class Mail International, and trading cards are among the items that need a customs form. Letters and large envelopes there may hold documents only.

For orders to Canada, TCGplayer says lettermail or stamped mail may be a simple option for some lower-value card orders, with cardboard in place of a toploader, and tells sellers to check the carrier’s current rules. That sits awkwardly beside USPS’s documents-only rule for letters and large envelopes. For a card mailed from the US, USPS’s own rules decide what it accepts, so send it as a package. Our guide to shipping raw cards covers the packing.

Which USPS service fits which card?

USPS has three package services that take merchandise abroad. Prices are retail starting prices as of October 12, 2026, and real postage and weight limits depend on the country.

Two details are easy to miss. First, the delivery confirmation on First-Class Package International Service comes with no claims and no indemnity. Second, Priority Mail International tracking is not available for Flat Rate Envelopes or Small Flat Rate Boxes, the smallest sizes, which a single card fits in. USPS gives 6 to 10 business days for Priority Mail International and 3 to 5 for Express, for many major markets.

How do you fill in the customs form?

Every package going abroad needs one. Make it online with Click-N-Ship or Customs Form Online, or fill in the paper worksheet, PS Form 2976-R, at a Post Office counter, where the clerk prints the real form. The worksheet cannot be used on its own.

Every form must carry:

• A detailed description of each item, with its quantity, net weight and value.
• A tariff code for each item. USPS assigns one when you use its tools and describe the item well.
• The category, such as merchandise, gift or document.
• Full names and addresses for the sender and the recipient, with no abbreviations.
• Your signature and the date.

USPS now requires specific descriptions: each must say what the item is, what it is made of and what it is for. “Cards” alone is only a category. One description that fits the rule, in Rip.fan’s own wording, is “1 printed paper trading card in a plastic holder”. If the form is not filled out properly, the destination country can send the package back, throw it away or destroy it.

Whatnot sellers may need one more field: country of origin. Grading or repacking a card does not change it, so look for the “Made in” line on the original packaging.

What value should you declare?

The sale price of the item, without shipping. TCGplayer tells sellers not to undervalue an item or mark it as a gift, even if the buyer asks. A seller who falsifies a customs form loses TCGplayer’s seller protection on that order. On Whatnot, import duties are generally figured on the price paid, and a card’s estimated resale value is not the basis.

Cover is tied to value too. For Priority Mail International, a parcel cannot be insured for more than its declared value, or the contents value shown on its claim form, and USPS prices extra cover by declared value on both Priority Mail services. A figure written low, for any reason, can also limit the most you could claim. Our glossary explains declared value.

How much cover can you buy?

Priority Mail International and Priority Mail Express International include $200 of merchandise cover, with some exceptions. Extra cover runs up to each country’s limit, never above $5,000, and for Priority Mail International bought cover replaces the included $200. A few of the limits:

USPS’s fee is nothing up to $200, then $13.85 to $300, $17.55 to $400, $21.25 to $500, $24.90 to $600, $28.55 to $700, $32.30 to $800 and $35.95 to $900, plus $3.70 for each further $100 or part of $100. By Rip.fan’s arithmetic:

• A $400 card costs $17.55 to insure in full.
• A $1,000 card costs $39.65 by Express to Canada, but Priority Mail International stops at $675, which costs $28.55.
• A $1,000 card to the United Kingdom can be covered for $650 at most, by Express, for $28.55.

USPS also excludes damage to anything improperly packed or too fragile for normal handling, so pack a slab as our guide to shipping a graded card shows. FedEx treats declared value differently: it sets FedEx’s maximum liability, it is not insurance, and the first $100 is included in the rate.

Who pays duties and taxes?

The buyer, on all three marketplaces. On TCGplayer, duties, taxes and charges are not in the item price or postage and are the buyer’s to pay. If a buyer refuses a package over customs fees, the seller need not give a full refund and may refund less the shipping once the package comes back. On Whatnot, a buyer who refuses to pay customs charges does not qualify for a refund.

A USPS sender can prepay instead. USPS Delivered Duty Paid lets you pay import duties, taxes and fees at mailing. It is available for dutiable items to Canada on all three package services, and to the United Kingdom only by Priority Mail Express International or Priority Mail International, for items valued between 135 and 900 pounds sterling.

What does each marketplace require?

What happens if a package goes missing?

At TCGplayer, missing-package cover for US sellers stretches only to tracked orders to Canada sent with USPS, UPS or FedEx, and the tracking must show the package moved past “Label Created”. Orders to any other country, or sent without approved tracking, leave the loss with the seller. If a buyer uses a forwarding service, TCGplayer covers delivery only to the forwarder’s US address. TCGplayer sellers also cannot take orders from 27 countries because of payment limits.

At eBay, insure only for the trip to the hub. eBay refunds the buyer for an item lost after that, and you keep the sale. Its limit is $2,500, given in two versions, one counting shipping and one leaving delivery fees out.

A checklist before you post it

1. Pick a package service, never a letter, and check that the card’s value fits it.
2. Make the customs form online, with a specific description and the sale price.
3. Buy cover up to the declared value, within the country’s limit.
4. Keep the receipt, the tracking number and photos of the packing.

To see what a sale leaves you after fees, try Rip.fan’s seller fee calculator, and compare the marketplaces in our guide to where to sell cards online. Having a card sent from a rip site’s vault to an address abroad? Our guide to shipping a graded card home covers what two of those sites say about shipping and import taxes abroad.

Frequently asked questions

How does eBay figure its fee on an international sale?

On October 27, 2026, eBay's final value fee on trading cards was 13.25% of the sale up to $7,500, and with eBay International Shipping the shipping part is figured only on your cost to send the item to the US hub.

Does TCGplayer charge more on an international order?

Yes. On October 27, 2026, its transaction fee on an international order was 3.5% plus $0.30, against 2.5% plus $0.30 on a US order, and a non-US seller paid through PayPal paid 2% of each payment on top, capped at $20.

What size package does First-Class Package International Service take?

Up to 4 lb, 24 inches long and 36 inches in length, height and thickness combined. The side carrying the postage, address and customs form must measure at least 6 inches long and 4 inches high.

How long does a TCGplayer buyer abroad have to report a missing order?

Up to 30 calendar days after the estimated delivery date, and the seller then has 2 business days to reply before the buyer can escalate it to TCGplayer. If the parcel never reaches the address on the order, the buyer is owed a full refund, including the original shipping.