Signature Success: Mastering Item Labeling for Autograph Signings

Welcome to "The Powers Sports Memorabilia Show" hosted by Matt Powers! In this episode, titled "Signature Success: Mastering Item Labeling for Autograph Signings," we delve into the crucial art of item labeling to enhance your autograph collecting experience.

Join us as we provide comprehensive guidance on how to label your items effectively using simple tools like painter's tape or Post-it notes. We'll walk you through the step-by-step process, detailing what information to include on your labels, such as your order number, name, preferred pen color, and whether you desire authentication.

By mastering item labeling, you empower yourself to communicate your preferences clearly to the signer, ensuring that your memorabilia is signed exactly how you envision it. Whether you're a seasoned collector or new to the autograph scene, this episode is packed with valuable insights to help you achieve signature success.

Tune in as we share practical tips, expert advice, and real-life examples to demystify the labeling process and elevate your autograph collecting game. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how to ensure your items are signed exactly how you want, every time!

Join us on "The Powers Sports Memorabilia Show" as we empower you to master the art of item labeling for autograph signings. Get ready to take your autograph collecting journey to new heights with Signature Success!

https://powerssportsmemorabilia.com/

Transcript

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Alright, you are getting ready to send in your first item to one of our autograph assignings, but you are scared to death. You are gonna do it wrong. This video is for you. In this entire uh video, item will show you exactly how to label all your items, how to ship them, and to make it an easy process for you. There will be some chapters here in the bottom where you can just scroll to the exact item that you are sending in, save you a bunch of time here. But this video will be very helpful for you if you have never sent in an item to an autograph signing before. I promise you it is very, very easy to do. You can't screw it up, but then you can. So this video will make it easy for you. If you are purchasing an item from us, say you bought one of our jerseys, you do not need to uh obviously send any information to us. This is only if you are sending an item to us for a signing, so one of your items. If you have any specific instructions on how you want something signed for one of the items that you purchase from us, you can put those in your order notes, or you can email Natalie, which is Natalie at powersportsmobilia.com. All right, so first off, let's talk about when you are sending in your item to one of our signings. Why are we labeling items? Why do you have to do all this? Okay. First off, it's very important to tell the athlete and to tell the handler, okay, the person who's standing next to the athlete, handing your item to them exactly what you want done. If we don't label items, the athlete does not know what you want done. Okay, our goal is to get your item signed exactly how you want it done. And the way we accomplish that is through labeling the items. All right. Also, when you are sending in your item, don't forget to include your submission form. Basically, just helps us um translate some information if you forget to leave it off. And that way we don't have to reach out to you and ask you questions. For example, the submission form has your uh pen color and the exact inscription that you want on there. So we can just reference that in case you do leave it off of your labeling. And the submission form is located in the athletes page right there in the description. All right, so also when you are sending your item, make sure that you put your order number on the shipping label. So when it is received, we know that that order number is associated with the items that are inside of that box. All right, now that we got all that out of the way, let's talk about the things that you want to add to your labeling. Okay, this is on every single item. It does not matter what item you are sending in, they always need to have this information on every item. All right. First off, you want to include your name, our name, and your order number. Okay, so for example, John Smith slash powers. I would just include powers for Power Sports Mobility. Everybody knows who we are, so you just put powers on there, all right? And then slash your order numbers. So order number 1000. Okay, so John Smith slash powers slash order number one thousand. Okay, make sure you have that on your item. You also want to include your pen color and your pen type if you have a preference. For example, blue sharpie. If you don't care about the pen type, then just put blue and we can pick one for you. If you are unsure which color you want, that's fine. Just put a suggestion that you have down there and then put something on there saying, hey, I'm open to other color suggestions. Okay. If you're unsure, also, hey, reach out to us beforehand. We can help you pick a color and a pen. Just know that Sharpie is probably the most consistent pen out there. Paint pens can pop, meaning they're going to be a little bit more bolder. They have kind of a little more exuberant colors to them. For example, a pink Sharpie is not gonna look great, but a pink paint pen would. So if you have any questions on colors and pens, be sure to reach out to us before and we can advise you on what we would do in your situation. If you want authentication on your item, make sure that you mark where you want that authentication sticker to go. Just know that the sticker is about oh, about three-quarters of an inch by about half an inch. So make sure you leave enough room for that sticker to go onto your item without having to move your notes around. If you do not want authentication on your item, for example, a lot of cards and tickets. Some people don't want authentication because they're gonna have them graded by PSA, for example. Then you want to make sure that you write on your notes no C O A. Just like that. No C O A. Okay. Inscription, if you were having one added, this is anything that's written in addition to the athlete's autograph. For example, if you wanted something personalized, to Matt, or you wanted to add their Hall of Fame year, make sure you write that out exactly on your item and where you want it to go. Don't just write inscription here. We see that all the time. The athlete will write inscription there. If we didn't change that for you, that's what they would write for you. So make sure that you label it the exact inscription. So if you want it to say to Matt, make sure you put that on your notes when you're labeling your item. We'll talk about how to do that here in just a second. When you want to put a little arrow, say right here, and then you go to Matt. Okay. That's how you want to do it. Make sure you write out the exact inscription that you want the athlete to write. One little tip that I would do is I would probably create a second note on your item with that inscription so it doesn't get missed. Oftentimes people put a whole bunch of different information on their notes, and we can kind of sometimes miss that inscription. So I would either circle it or I would put it on a completely separate note. That way uh everybody knows exactly what inscription you want and it does not get missed. Uh, if your item is being signed by more than one athlete at the same time, for example, if you are sending in an item for the Mark Maguire and Sammy Sosa signings that we've had done, and you want to get something dual sign, meaning signed by both athletes, make sure you label on your item exactly where you want each athlete to sign. So, for example, Mark McGuire, sign here, okay? Blue Sharpie. All right, that would be just an example for you. The biggest tip that I can tell you when labeling your items is to make sure that you leave enough room for the athlete to sign and do whatever it is that you want them to do, whether you want them to write an inscription, also make sure that you put the notes off to the side so we don't have to move the notes. For example, and I'll get to it here in a second cards and photos, we use post-it notes. Okay, don't put the post-it note exactly where the athlete has to sign. Okay, then we've got to move it, and sometimes that can get lost, and sometimes we don't know what you want because it got moved. So make sure that the athlete can sign your item with all of your labeling still on there. One other tip to think about is how big is this athlete's autograph? For example, Dennis Rodman has a very large and sloppy autograph. So you don't want to put the post-it note right next to where he's gonna sign because he might hit your post note, and you don't want that. So make sure that you move it off to the side and give him enough room to sign your item. Also, don't ship any items with COAs from previous signings, don't ship anything you want to get lost, okay? All we need from you is just your item. So don't ship the box that your shoes come in, none of that stuff, okay? If it's important to you, keep it. We just need your item that you are going to have signed. All right. All right, so let's move on to the types of items that people send us for signings and how to label them and how to ship them. All right. First off, cards and tickets. These are probably the most popular items that we get. Use a small little post note on them. All right, typically these are signed in sharpie, blue being the most popular color. However, darker backgrounds, we can use a silver sharpie or a white paint pen, for example. Do not ask us for a white sharpie. This is a common one that we see from people. They think it's gonna look good. White sharpie will basically fade into the item. Okay, we are not gonna use white sharpie. We will reach out to you if you do label white sharpie and change you might change your mind. But if you do want white, I would suggest doing a paint pen. All right. The COA for the authentication will typically always go on the back of a card or a ticket. Again, make sure you leave enough room for the athlete or for the uh authentication company to place their sticker on your item without having to move your note. We're just trying to make it as easy as possible for them. Just draw a little arrow saying COA here and uh leave enough room for that. Again, the authentication sticker is roughly about three-quarters of an inch by half an inch to give you an idea. And you're gonna want to ship the cards in a penny sleeve and a uh top loader or a card saver and tickets. You can also ship those in just a top loader, for example. All right, and then I would put some cardboard in between and then put them in a flat mailer. Okay, pretty straightforward. Just make sure that they can't be bent. If you can bend it while you are shipping it, you probably need to add some more packaging, such as more cardboard. All right. Photos and canvases. Label these with a post note uh canvases. You can do with painter's tape if you choose to. I would not put painter's tape on your photo. The COA for these usually goes into the bottom left or bottom right corners. However, you can have it placed on the back of the item if you want to. Sharpie or paint pen works well on either one of these types of items. If it is a 16 by 20 or smaller photo, so for example, an 8x10, 11 by 14, 16 by 20. If you have a top loader, I would ship it flat in a top loader and then put some cardboard in between there and put it in a mailer or a box. Signing flat items is always our preferred way. That way we don't have to hold the item open for the athlete. Less chance it rolls up and smudges your autograph. We don't want that. So make sure you, if you can at all possible, ship flat. If your photo or canvas is bigger than a 16 by 20, then yes, you can go ahead and roll those up. We would actually prefer to have them rolled, and then you put those into a shipper, uh, shipping tube. Okay. Also, when you're shipping a tube, make sure you tape down each of the caps there so your thing does not pop out and get lost. All right, jerseys. Label these with painter's tape, no post notes, they will fall off. Make sure you label in the direction that you want the athlete to sign. So, for example, if it's a number one and you want the athlete to sign from the bottom of the number to the top of the number, make sure you put it on the right side of the note. Okay, so that when the athlete turns the thing, he can sign it just like you want it. All right. Again, I would do a separate note for an inscription if you have one. If the number is a screen printed number, those have to be signed in Sharpie. Any other type of number, a sewn-on tackle tool number, we can do those in paint pens or sharpies. But if it's a screen printed number, for example, a Nike game jersey, they have to be done in Sharpie, otherwise, they will not dry. The authentication sticker will always have to go on the number that is being signed, unless uh you have a number that is uh where the authentication sticker cannot stick to. In that case, it will be placed on the front tag of the jersey if there is a front tag. If not, then it'll go on the tag inside of the jersey. Uh you always want to ship a jersey in a plastic bag, keep from getting dirty, and then just throw it in any standard box. Okay. Basketballs also label these with painter's tape. No post notes, gonna fall off. Typically do these in paint pen. Silver is the most popular color. However, we can do them in uh black. You can do sharpie on these. Paint pen is just a better choice, it kind of pops a little bit better than a sharpie wood. If your uh basketball is a white panel basketball, you must sign those in Sharpie. Paint pens will not dry on those. And always ship them in a plastic bag in a box. Football is very similar to uh basketballs. We're gonna be doing painter's tape on those. No post notes, they will fall off. Uh, typically do these in paint pens with a silver paint pen. And we typically sign them on the panel underneath the NFL logo on those authentic footballs. And again, you want to ship those in a plastic bag and then also put it in a box. Magazines are similar to uh the photos. Okay, we want to label it with a post and note. COA typically goes in the bottom corner, typically on the barcode, or you can put them on the back of the magazine, or the COA you can put on the inside cover if you want to. All right, there's a lot of flexibility uh with those. Sharper paint pen works really well. Uh ship it in a uh flat mailer, okay. Make sure you put it in some sort of plastic thing to protect the magazine. Uh if you want to put it in a flat rate mailer from the post office and then put it in another mailer, you can do that too. Also, just know that if you are shipping us a 40-year-old magazine, you see this all the time with Larry Bird. It's a 40-year-old magazine that's going to be going in the mail, okay? There are staples that are obviously keeping that magazine together. It's a 40-year-old magazine. Your staples might come undone in shipping. It depends how hard someone's throwing your box when they're trying to deliver it to us. We don't control that. We will do everything in our power to make sure that your magazine that's 40 years old stays in together, but sometimes they do come undone. So just know that if you're shipping us a Larry Bird Indiana State magazine, just know that, hey, listen, we're gonna take care of it like it's our own, but it's a 40-year-old magazine, all right? It's not in great shape. All right, Funkos. This is how we like to have Funko's shipped to us. Take the Funko out of the box, flatten the box, and just ship us to the box. It's the great best way to protect, not sure, make sure the Funko doesn't get damaged, but also to make sure that your box doesn't get any uh damage as well. Shipping them flat just kind of eliminates a lot of that. Post the notes, fine. We always sign these in paint pens, not sharpies. And then the COA sticker goes on the right side window. That's typically where we put them, but it's entirely up to you. But that's the most popular spot to send those in. All right. Uh figurines. So if you've got some sort of wrestling figurine, like a starting lineup or something like that, you can label these with a post-it note. COA typically goes pretty much anywhere you want, but can't go on the side. We like to sign those in paint pens just like the Funkos. And then you want to ship these uh intact, okay? So obviously don't take out the figurine, ship them intact with uh you know a bag, and then make sure you put it in the box, okay? Uh bobbleheads, uh, these are the trickiest item to get signed just because of this the size of them. Such a small area and it's bumpy. Typically, they're signed on like the hat or the base. You can label these up with painter's tape, you can do sharpie or paint pen on these. The COA will typically go on the back of the hat, I've seen that, or on the base, or you can put it underneath the base. Okay. And then just make sure that if you are shipping us in the bobblehead box, that's fine to do, and that's actually probably okay. The little styrofoam thing that it comes in, just make sure that you put some bubble wrap around the box and then obviously put it in another box, all right. Shoes and gloves. Label these up with painter's tape, unless it's like 40-year-old leather. Okay, you got like a Larry Bird game used shoe, old Converse. Obviously, we don't want to put any painter's tape on that. The leather is already falling off of the stuff. So if the leather is already falling off, don't label it. I would just take a picture of your item and then label the picture and then uh attach the picture or put it inside the box for what the shoe is. Okay, that's the best that we can do on those to make sure that your item stays in great condition. If it's a modern shoe, an Allen Iverson shoe, it's perfectly fine. If you're, you know, if your leather's not falling off at all, then you can label it with painter's tape, okay? Typically do these in paint pen and sharpie. It really does not matter. You can do it either way. And then ship it in a plastic uh bag and then in another box, okay? Don't ship us the shoe boxes that you come in, okay? We don't want to lose those and we don't want to give them to someone else. Just ship us the item that you want signed. Uh, baseball bats label these up with painter's tape. Typically get these signed in Sharpie. Uh, we can do paint pen as well, but Sharpie is uh, in my opinion, a better uh pen for this. The COA sticker can go on the knob or on the barrel. And we typically sign these on the barrel of the bat. And then you want to ship them in a plastic bag and in another box. Or if you have an old sock, believe it or not, I'm not joking here. An old sock, pull it right over the barrel. That will cover the signature spot, which is all we really want to protect with the bat. And also, it's great, easy thing we can just slide on there after it's signed. Baseballs, tricky one here. This is the only item that we don't physically uh label itself because the painter's tape will rip off the leather, and also a post and note doesn't stay on it because it's a round surface. All right, so how we do these is we just want you just to label the box itself. Okay, Rawlings has a little box that they typically put these in. If it's uh if you're buying one of the balls that come in the cube, you can label the cube. This is the only item that we will relabel entirely, no matter what you do. We have our own little Avery labels that we put on the boxes. If you don't have a box, we have brown boxes that we will supply. And uh we will make sure that all the information goes onto that Avery label, which goes on the box. Okay. Uh, these are always signed on the sweet spot if it's a major league baseball, if it's a logo baseball, such as a World Series ball or a Hall of Fame logo, we will sign those underneath the logo. And then the COA sticker typically goes on the other side, right by the Rawlings logo. Wrestling belts, you can label these up with uh painter's tape. Uh no posting though, it typically falls off on those. Uh you can do sharpie, paint pen, just make sure that you ship it in a plastic bag and then in a box, and they typically fold over, kind of like this here. Um, so just make sure that you put it in a big enough box to where it won't get damaged. Hockey pucks, uh, label those with a post note. COA typically goes on the back of those. And we can do these in Sharpie or paint pen, typically do Sharpie kind of above the logo. If you have an inscription, then we do that below the logo. All right. And then you want to put those in a bag and then also in a box. Also on the baseballs, too. If you're shipping one to us, make sure you put that in a bag. We will put in a bag if you don't uh send us one, but a sandwich bag will work perfectly. Uh, newspapers, very similar to photos, labeled with a post-it note, COA goes in the corner. Typically do these in Sharpie, ship them flat, put them in a little bag, put some cardboard around it, put them in a mailer, and you should be good to go. Uh helmets, so football helmets, batting helmets, label these up with painter's tape. Uh, you can do Sharpie or paint pen, it's entirely up to you on those. COA sticker typically goes on the back of the helmet. If it's a football helmet, we sign the side of the helmet where the face mask is pointing towards the right. So if you're looking at the helmet, face mask pointing this way, that's the side that we normally sign. Batting helmets, we sign on the top of the bill of a helmet. Okay, we can sign on the side if you want, it's entirely up to you. But typically that's the most popular spot. Uh, if you are doing a batting helmet, the COA sticker can go on the back. You can also go underneath the bill of the helmet as well. Make sure you ship these in a plastic bag. We get helmets all the time with people that don't do that, and their autograph they have on the item that they ship to us. It's a multi-signed item, gets smudged. Then we got to reach out to them and say, what do you want us to do? So make sure you put everything in a plastic bag. Hats, okay. Uh, typically those can be done with a sharpie or a paint pen. It just depends on the color you want to do. Uh, we they get them signed on the top of the bill of the hat. C away sticker we usually put underneath the bill. And um, you know, you want to make sure you ship these in a plastic bag and then in another box and label them up with some painter's tape, okay? Home plates, bases, label these with painter's tape. You can do sharpie, paint pen, see away sticker, same thing, can kind of go on the side of the base or underneath the home plate or uh underneath the base as well. And then make sure you put a bag and of course put it in a sturdy box because those things can weigh a lot. And the last item, I'm sure there's some items I missed here, but the last item we've probably seen is a trophy. You can label these with painter's tape. Uh, typically do Sharpie or paint pen. COA sticker can go on the back of the trophy if you want or on the base, entirely up to you. And just make sure you ship those in a plastic bag. Sometimes those trophies come in like a pre-made box with styrofoam and all kinds of stuff, kind of stuff. That's okay to ship, no problem at all. We want to make sure that your stuff gets here on time. So, like bobbleheads and trophies, the ones that come in those boxes with the styrofoam, those are okay to ship to us as is. All right, hopefully this covers everything. On, you know, if you're sending us an item, this is a little more in detail. I know it seems scary. We have a team in place that will check all of your items. And if you do something that is completely out of the normal, we will reach out to you and just confirm that that's what you want. For example, on a baseball, if you want it signed in a black Sharpie, some of our Asian customers really like that, and that's okay to do. I actually kind of like it, but most collectors want it in blue ballpoint. But if we get something kind of funky like that, we will always reach out to you, get you to confirm that that's what you want, and we will do everything we can to get it done exactly the way that you want it done. We always have a team opening your stuff up, checking everything. Just know that when your item gets to live on a Friday, we're not opening it on a Friday, okay? It doesn't take us maybe two to three business days to get to new boxes. We will always send you a confirmation email if you give us an email at checkout. Okay, so once we get your item, it's processed, everything looks good. We will say, hey, we received your you know Jerome Bettis jersey, okay? And we will let you know that we've got it. If you've got any questions, we'll reach out to you. So if you want to give us an email at uh checkout, make sure you do that. That's the only way that we will send you confirmation that we received your item. Otherwise, your tracking number to us will tell you that as well. When we ship your item back to you, you always get a tracking number. We ship 99% of stuff via post office, but uh, you know, more expensive stuff, stuff that needs a signature required, we typically will send UPS. So if you've got like a multi-signed 40 signature football helmet, we're not gonna send that through the mail for you. Okay, we'll do it UPS with a signature required. If you guys got any questions in the meantime, again, reach out to Natalie. Her email address is Natalie at powersportsmemorabilia.com. You can also give her a call, eight one six eight six, eight twenty three ten, or you can also text that number and she'll get back to you as well. You guys got any questions? Let us know. Again, don't forget to visit the website, powersportsmemorabilia.com. Also give us a follow over there on Instagram at powers autographs, and we will see you on the next episode.