New to TTM

[theVAkid]

My name is Thomas. I'm 15 years old and I sent my first ever TTM back in July of this year.
I sent to Stan Musial an got a success bak on an ROMLB. Feedback on websites say it usually takes him a week to reply. It took about 5 weeks to get returned. Now, I have about 20 ttms I sent out about 2-3 weeks ago. I did everything right but, is that normal? Is it because of the enevelopes I sent? I sent the ones you have to wet to seal. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I sent out a bunch about 3 weeks ago hoping they would comeback so I could give some presents out to some friends. I was really hoping I could get my Jerry west 8x10 back before Christmas (for my father) he was a massive lakers fan he was born and raised on the beach in long beach. ANYWAYS, one last question. I see people with unlicensed photos they send in the mail all the time. Do you guys just print them out at home or what? If so what resolution would I need and what type of paper would I need to print the stuff out? I sent out a puck to Wayne Gretzky about 2 weeks ago. I'm super nervous/excited about it. Anyway thanks for all the help. If you could give me some tips on sending ttms or what type of envelope I need to send, it would be MUCH appreciated. THANKS GUYS

[Sean SJazz]

My name is Thomas. I'm 15 years old and I sent my first ever TTM back in July of this year.
I sent to Stan Musial an got a success bak on an ROMLB. Feedback on websites say it usually takes him a week to reply. It took about 5 weeks to get returned. Now, I have about 20 ttms I sent out about 2-3 weeks ago. I did everything right but, is that normal? Is it because of the enevelopes I sent? I sent the ones you have to wet to seal. I'm not sure what I did wrong. I sent out a bunch about 3 weeks ago hoping they would comeback so I could give some presents out to some friends. I was really hoping I could get my Jerry west 8x10 back before Christmas (for my father) he was a massive lakers fan he was born and raised on the beach in long beach. ANYWAYS, one last question. I see people with unlicensed photos they send in the mail all the time. Do you guys just print them out at home or what? If so what resolution would I need and what type of paper would I need to print the stuff out? I sent out a puck to Wayne Gretzky about 2 weeks ago. I'm super nervous/excited about it. Anyway thanks for all the help. If you could give me some tips on sending ttms or what type of envelope I need to send, it would be MUCH appreciated. THANKS GUYS

HI thomas,
welcome to this fantasitc hobby, it is really fun but i ahve learned that it takes time to get really good at it. for exaple i used to find any pics on sites such as google and have ot cut and crop photos to fit, btu they did not come out as good. then i learned that, when doing google search for photos if you do a large size something like 720+ they come out better. i myself use Photo Paper i find that Kodak or any type of photo paper they come out better. i myself use the 8x11, but that is just me i guess. but i have been told there are site where you can order unsigned 8x10's like ebay or what not. but i find it better to use my own that i find on google. again that is just me. also even though this is such a great and fun hobby it does have some down size. such as it can get expensive. when you factor, Paper for LOR, (Letter of Request), SASE (Self Addressed Stamped envelopes) i myself use 2 sizes one for sending and one for the return. Photo Paper, Ink, and of course Stamps. also the part that is the worse is the waiting game. it does take time to get a reply back. i myself have gotten Autographs, that have taken over a year and some only a week or two, or some not at all those are the worst in my opinon. it also depends on who the celebrity or athlete is and how popular they are. i myself find myself sending to people that are not as known or have not done much in awhile. people like Wayne Gretzky will take awhile due the heavy volume of fan mail they get, so it might take a while to hear back. i have sent things to people and never heard back, so it happens to everyone. so dont be discouraged if you dont get a reply. i guess that is all i can think of, i hope this has been helpful. any question please free to ask, me or anyone on here, i have learned much from just asking and listening to the other people on here that have been doing this longer. i have been doing this now for 1 year and i have learned much, and to be honest i am still learning. best of luck, and Happy Holidays!
Best Wishes Sean sjazz

[dancingirl1]

First of all: WELCOME!

Ok, let's get to the good stuff. It' doesn't matter what you printed it on. They will sign it. (Glossy paper, plain paper, ECT.) HOWEVER, the timing you can never predict. You may think that someone on the Lakers doesn't get a lot of mail or whatever, but you never know what they like to do as far as fanmail. They may not even sign TTM. Research before you send as well. And patients is the key when it comes to this hobby: ==> BIG TIME. Next time you want something for Christmas, sent it a YEAR in advance.

Some requests take 2 weeks.
Some requests take 2 months.
Some requests take 2 years.

Some requests take LONGER than 2 years......
(AND I'M NOT KIDDING)

As far as photos: I print mine @ CVS. And it all depends on the size you want. FOR EXAMPLE:

If you wanna print an 8x10, the res should be at least 900 x 1100 for CLEAR QUALITY.
If you wanna print a 5x7, the res should be at least 600 x 800 for CLEAR QUALITY.
And so on and so forth.

What else would u like to know? (BTW if someone tells you that your sig is fake (AND IT WILL HAPPEN) don't take offense to it. They (we) are telling you for future reference. They don't want you to trade/ sell a fake.

Anything else?

[theVAkid]

Wow! Thanks guys! I needed that!