Is it OK to put the photo in a toploader before mailing it ?

[johnnyc9000]

Is it OK to put a photo in a toploader before mailing it to the
celebrity to be signed ?

I just got a photo back in the mail today and the post office
bent the cardboard envelope even though I wrote "Do Not Bend !!"
on it twice. I want to avoid it in the future.

[MW1221]

Is it OK to put a photo in a toploader before mailing it to the
celebrity to be signed ?

I just got a photo back in the mail today and the post office
bent the cardboard envelope even though I wrote "Do Not Bend !!"
on it twice. I want to avoid it in the future.

Yes, with 4 qualms:
1) The extra weight will increase your postage costs
2) Some celebrities have been known to sign those, as well as protective sleeves, instead of the actual photo
3) When you do that, if they ship it back to you as you sent it to them (which is likely, but not guaranteed), you're increasing the risk of a smudged signature if they put it in before the ink is dried
4) When they see that, they may automatically think "dealer"

That said, there are the obvious benefits as well.

So, to sum up:

Yes, people have done it.
Yes, it will help protect the photo against bending, as well as water damage in transit.
No, it is not a 100% foolproof perfect idea.

Should you decide to do it, make sure they're archival quality, and, in order to help prevent the ink from sticking and causing it to flake off (which can happen), you may also want to stick the photo in an archival photo sleeve before putting it into the top loader. Using the sleeve will also help you remove the photo from the top loader without breaking the top loader or scratching, ripping, and/or otherwise damaging the photo.

[johnnyc9000]

Is it OK to put a photo in a toploader before mailing it to the
celebrity to be signed ?

I just got a photo back in the mail today and the post office
bent the cardboard envelope even though I wrote "Do Not Bend !!"
on it twice. I want to avoid it in the future.

Yes, with 4 qualms:
1) The extra weight will increase your postage costs
2) Some celebrities have been known to sign those, as well as protective sleeves, instead of the actual photo
3) When you do that, if they ship it back to you as you sent it to them (which is likely, but not guaranteed), you're increasing the risk of a smudged signature if they put it in before the ink is dried
4) When they see that, they may automatically think "dealer"

That said, there are the obvious benefits as well.

So, to sum up:

Yes, people have done it.
Yes, it will help protect the photo against bending, as well as water damage in transit.
No, it is not a 100% foolproof perfect idea.

Should you decide to do it, make sure they're archival quality, and, in order to help prevent the ink from sticking and causing it to flake off (which can happen), you may also want to stick the photo in an archival photo sleeve before putting it into the top loader. Using the sleeve will also help you remove the photo from the top loader without breaking the top loader or scratching, ripping, and/or otherwise damaging the photo.

Am I just better off putting a piece of cardboard inside of the return envelope as kind of a "backing board" to make
it harder to damage ?