Seals a toploader shut so the card can’t slide out.
Typical price
£4 to £7
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- £4 to £7
- Works with
A team bag over the toploader holds the card in place and keeps moisture out, for a few pence a card.
Good for
- Every toploaded card you post
- Keeping damp out
Not for
- Cards without a toploader
Our approved alternative for the same job: Penny sleeves, 1,000 pack
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Card sellers who reach for team bags
Team bags suit you if you post toploaded cards, from one Charizard a month on Vinted to forty hits sealed after a Whatnot break. A 100 pack at £4 to £7 lasts most part-time sellers a season.
They also work as a lot bag. On eBay and TikTok Shop, drop a stack of 20 to 30 sleeved commons in one, seal it and label the lot.
Resealable strip, inner size and clear plastic
Choose a resealable strip on the flap, so you or the buyer can open and close the bag without tearing it. Plain fold-over bags work but slip open in the post.
The bag should fit a standard 3 by 4 inch toploader with a little room to seal. Thicker toploaders for patch cards may need a larger bag, so compare the listed inner size with your holders.
Acid-free clear polypropylene keeps the card visible in photos and avoids the cloudy look some low-grade plastics take on.
Sealing toploaders without tape
Slide the loaded toploader in open end first, so the bag's closed bottom covers the toploader opening. Peel the strip and press the flap down from the middle outwards.
Leave a small tab on one side of the flap unpressed so the buyer can lift it with a fingernail. The bagged card then goes into a board-backed mailer, ready for its label.
Kit for this step
Penny sleeves, grip seal bags and toploaders
Penny sleeves, 1,000 pack, are the fallback and the layer inside. A sleeve does a different job, so a card you post on its own needs both.
For thicker stacks or graded cards, Grip seal bags, 100 × 150 mm, 100 pack, take bulkier items and work for sealed booster packs as well as card lots.
35pt toploaders, 100 pack, are the rigid holder the team bag closes over. Order the two together so the packing desk has both.
Holding sold hits between shows
Between shows, keep sold-but-unpaid hits in labelled team bags with the buyer's username on a sticky note inside. The note stays put and the card stays sealed until you pack it.
A 100 pack works out at roughly 4p to 7p a bag, so you can bag each hit as you pull it on stream and keep packaging cost under a few pence per card.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- Put the open end of the toploader in first. Closed end first leaves its opening exposed at the flap.
- A fully pressed adhesive strip makes the bag hard to open; leave a small tab loose at one corner.
- Thick patch holders split the seams of bags sized for standard toploaders, so check the inner size before you order.
- Once the adhesive has picked up dust, a reused bag gapes in the post. A fresh one costs pennies.
Ranked in
Where it places in our rankings, and the reason.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Guides that use it
Step-by-step help where this product does a job.
Questions
Do team bags stick to the card?
No. The adhesive strip sits on the flap and touches the bag, so the card or toploader inside stays clean.
Can I use team bags without a toploader?
Yes, for low-value cards in stacks or sealed packs. A single valuable card needs a toploader inside to stop it bending.
How many toploaders fit in one team bag?
The usual size takes one standard toploader with room to seal. Two back to back will fit, with the seal under strain.
Are team bags waterproof?
Sealed, they keep out drizzle and condensation. They can't survive full immersion, so the outer mailer still does that job.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
Penny sleeves, 1,000 pack
Stops surface scratches before the card goes into a toploader. At this pack size each sleeve costs well under a penny.
Typical price£6 to £10
See on AmazonSemi-rigid card holders, 3 5/16 x 4 7/8 in, 50 pack
A sleeved card slides in and out without catching. Check your grader's current submission rules for the holder size they ask for. The plastic flexes, so post it inside a rigid mailer.
Typical price£8 to £14
See on Amazon35pt toploaders, 100 pack
Buyers on Whatnot and eBay expect any card worth more than a few pounds to arrive sleeved and top-loaded. A bent card means a refund.
Typical price£12 to £18
See on Amazon