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Post by josef on Nov 6, 2023 12:18:59 GMT
My neighbor who is an E Bay seller has been kind enough to post items I wish to sell. I had her put my trackage up that was formally my storage trackage in a closet which connected to my layout. There were several 3 way switches, tracks, bumpers. None of which I no longer needed. They sold and needed a large box for this. 25"x 14"x 13", weight was 8#. USPS wanted 70.35. FedEx was 38.50. UPS was 25.75.
You can guess which way I shipped. All were ground shipping prices. I was surprised how much USPS charges were. Also noted that several decades ago their custom USPS small box which I use to ship VHS tapes, shipping cost then was 2.75, today they charge over 10.00 for same size box.
Besides shipping, their delivery service is very questionable. Myself and our neighbors almost weekly have to deliver mail that was put in wrong mailboxes. Complaining has done no good in over a year.
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Post by curtis on Nov 6, 2023 13:18:17 GMT
I think shipping varies by area a lot. I can go 18 miles in the north east direction and get a quote for UPS. Then go 32 miles in the north direction and get a way cheaper price. Funny part is they bring my name up on the computer at both locations. I also think how packages are handled varies greatly. My niece has actually video taped the postal delivery woman throwing packages with FRAGILE in big letters about 6 feet to the porch. Took them at the post office. Result ZERO! This is the same person who can not get the mail in the correct mail boxes when they are less than a foot apart. I get my neighbors mail mixed in constantly. Amazon delivery people can not read the delivery instructions on the label. (Says delivery to side door) Same issue here with just throw it to the front porch. Surprisingly my FedEx person is the best. She actually remembers that I have a huge square trash can by the garage door and she is the ONLY ONE that uses it. When I see her I always thank her. Tried tipping her once and she refused saying it is her job. What planet is she from? lol
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Post by keithb on Nov 6, 2023 14:50:14 GMT
Wow, big differences.
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Post by jackson1966 on Nov 6, 2023 22:36:52 GMT
Two thoughts:
First regarding shipping charges: I have found the easiest least expensive way to ship is using a company called PirateShip.com. By going to their website armed with size (L,W,& H) and weight of the package you're about to ship along with the recipient's ZIP, you will get comparison quotes of the various USPS versus UPS pricing. Make your choice, pay with a credit card, and print a shipping label. With small USPS packages I simply hand leave them on my mailbox with outgoing letters; bigger boxes I simply drop at the counter at my local Post Office. For UPS packages I either hand them to any driver of a UPS truck and they scan it right there OR I'll take it to the nearest pack & ship store and hand it to them. ALSO when buying either from an individual or on a auction site I ask that the seller ship via PirateShip.com as well. It saves money, and as a late friend (Scots) used to say, "It's a lot easier to save than to earn". FYI I have NO financial interest in PirateShip.com.
Second regarding packing: I learned to pack for damage free shipping in a summer (of 1962) job while in college. The company I worked for opened a branch in Puerto Rico and I had to pack and ship (LCL) between 50 and 100 sewing machines to be used in the branch's operations there. I had to make double thick corrugated cardboard boxes and pack the machines in them. Never had one arrive damaged. The trick? Use a STURDY box; be wary of reusing damaged or those light weight boxes Amazon is using, and PLENTY of packing material (crumpled newspaper, AirPak, plastic peanuts, bubble wrap, foam wrap, etc.) around ALL sides of the item and seal the box LOTS of good tape (leaving NO unstuck ends to tear the box open). Finally shake the box unmercifully to be sure nothing moves inside. Then shake it again even harder! It should be able to withstand most abuse.
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Post by guitarmike on Nov 7, 2023 14:33:50 GMT
I have been selling 60-125 items per week on Ebay for the past 20 years and hands down, shipping through Ebay is the most cost effective way to ship something sold on Ebay.
USPS is almost always the cheapest for packages under 6-7 pounds and not too big as all carriers use dimensional weight for light items. UPS is the lowest cost for bigger items. When I checked into various third party shippers, none offered a cost savings over simply running the package through Ebay's shipping program. "25"x 14"x 13", weight was 8#. USPS wanted 70.35. FedEx was 38.50. UPS was 25.75." - This is consistent to what I experience when the carriers use dimensional weight to compute shipping charges.
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Post by trainman9 on Nov 7, 2023 15:18:53 GMT
I bought a novelty item at York and wanted to send it to my brother in law out in California. It was a model of the Wildwood “Tram Car”. It was about 15 inches long and about a couple of inches in width and height. It weighed less than a pound. Because of the size FedEx wanted $60.00 and UPS wanted about the same. Those prices included a box. I ended up putting it into a Lionel engine box which it fit and sending it USPS for less than $10.00. The product only cost $13.00.
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Post by guitarmike on Nov 22, 2023 14:39:19 GMT
I apologize for the delay, I was asked to compare pirate ship to eBay's rates. I do not have the time to rerun the study I did before but here is a recent example:
I shipped a 4 pound box (15" x 8" x 5") from 53132 to 21236 via USPS ground advantage for $9.35. Pirate ship's lowest price for the same was $10.61. Let's say for sake of discussion I ship 10 boxes to that zip code, I saved approximately $13 through eBay. Using eBay's shipping saves me $1-5 per shipment. I am not an eBay fanboy, I would use a shipping service if I could save money, so far none of the shipping services can beat eBay on pricing.
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Nov 23, 2023 1:28:33 GMT
I apologize for the delay, I was asked to compare pirate ship to eBay's rates. I do not have the time to rerun the study I did before but here is a recent example: I shipped a 4 pound box (15" x 8" x 5") from 53132 to 21236 via USPS ground advantage for $9.35. Pirate ship's lowest price for the same was $10.61. Let's say for sake of discussion I ship 10 boxes to that zip code, I saved approximately $13 through eBay. Using eBay's shipping saves me $1-5 per shipment. I am not an eBay fanboy, I would use a shipping service if I could save money, so far none of the shipping services can beat eBay on pricing. Just curious: I've used eBay shipping as a seller, but can you ship through them at the same rates for non-eBay transactions? I'd assumed not, but that would be handy if there's a way . . . 
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Post by guitarmike on Nov 29, 2023 19:54:21 GMT
You can ship more items to any recent customer but you can't randomly ship through them, agreed, it's a bummer.
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Post by eddieg on Dec 2, 2023 2:06:13 GMT
I have been a Ebayer since 1999. I ship everything either Priority mail or Fedex. I don't like UPS.
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