I've shipped a few boards with no anti static bag, newspaper does just as good a job.
bunch of layers of newspaper taped together with masking tape
few layers of bubble wrap
put in a snug box using balled up newspaper to fill voids
For the love of all things arcade related, please do NOTHING that is suggested above.
I have a few PCBs I'm going to be selling sometime in the near future. I've actually never bought or sold a PCB before so I've got 2 questions for the experienced buyers/seller.
1) How should I pack it to make sure it's secure and there will be no complaints by the recipient?
2) What is the most cost effective method of shipping that will give me a tracking number and not make the recipient wait forever to get the package?
Thanks in advance for the help!
1. Impossible. There's always a chance of damage and/or complaint.
2. Cost should be a secondary consideration to packing a pcb. Pack well first, save on materials when/where you can.
Use an anti-static bag to prevent ESD. To be 100% sure, use the foil bags, not the pink ones. Yes, they are not cheap. You can also wrap in aluminum foil.
After the pcb is bagged/wrapped, support it. Best option is a pcb shippper box. PC Motherboards are found in these types of boxes. They can also be purchased in various sizes from places like U-Line. Next best option is to sandwich the pcb between pieces of cardboard.
Then wrap the works in bubble wrap.
Then place the entire wrapped blob inside a SECOND BOX, large enough to hold the wrapped pcb. Large enough means air gaps of a couple inches around all sides. Fill in the gaps with the filler of your choice. It's very impoartant to double box - packages often bind up on conveyor belts at the shippers' distribution centers and when they do, punctures occur. If your precious cargo is close to an edge or corner, you're fucked.
Rule of thumb is this: If you dropped your package from a 2 story building, would the contents survive? If you can't answer that question with a definitive "YES" then you are at risk of shipping damage.
Most major shipping services offer free tracking these days. There's no one service that's better than another. They all damage packages, and they all cost too much.
Honestly, your best option is to personally hand the pcb to the buyer in a face-to-face meetup. Preferably at a location where the buyer can witness the pcb working before they take possession. This is why the great majority of my pcb sales are local, or hand-delivered. I don't like dealing with eBay shipping bullshit. As is, where is, right here. Tail-light warranty.