Selling Equipment? Know Your Shipping Costs!

Terry Soloman

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I have bought and sold a lot of used and new equipment, and from experience I know it costs $20-$30 to ship the average metal detector anywhere in the United States via United Parcel Service (UPS). What I did not realize, was how much an “Oversized” parcel costs to ship. :?:

Case in point – My used, four-pound, 48” long handled RTG 6” Aluminum Sandscoop. While I knew I would take a beating on the shipping because it is long, I did not realize it would be $60.00 :shock: from New York, to South Carolina. After cashing in my $99.00 USPS money order (Asking price for scoop thinking I would keep around $70) and paying UPS, I got to keep $31.87. :wow:

Now, my wallet is assuaged by the fact that “Scooper,” pulled well over $3,000.00 in gold while I owned him and I certainly got my original $145.00 out of him, but my mind is telling me I need to be more careful when figuring shipping costs into my asking price. Let my mistake be your heads up! :cool:
 

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I mail out big packages every day - it seems like you could have cut that box down to save some dimensional volume

even still $60 is WAAAAAY too much - there must have been an error somewhere....or you sent it Priority Mail (although Parcel Post may have charged a baloon surcharge)
 
If that is a UPS store they charge a little more than going directly to UPS because they are privately owned..
 
Yep that seems outrageous, you got taken for a ride somewhere..
 
my own experience with USPS this year was a shock as well- mailed some xmas packages, 1 to Maryland and 1 to Alabama...........the Maryland Package was average size, maybe 8 pounds cost me around $12 to mail, the Alabama package was a little larger and weighed only 5 pounds........here's the kicker, because of the "zones" the postal service now uses my Alabama package had to go 'air freight", as opposed to ground.........that cost me $35 to ship.........the USPS is going broke, they are finding creative ways to get more cash from us..........always found Fed Ex to be the best option regardless......shipping is quicker, better tracking adn they dont seem to mangle as many boxes as UPS, USPS
 
Something as sturdy as that, I would have slapped a sticker on the handle and formed cardboard around the scoop and just duct taped it as tight as possible as to not cut anyone or get bent.
 
Sent a NEL coil to the Ukraine last week. It was $18 and change with no insurance or tracking. To get insurance, default of $69 dollars worth, it would have cost almost $50.00 and still had no tracking.

I went with the $17.00 option and am crossing my fingers.
 
Yesterday I shipped a 6lb long handled sand scoop for $15 and some change via USPS parcel post. I boxed the scoop portion with a fairly tight box and put the handle in a box designed for shipping maps and joined the two with spare box pieces. Franken-box looked like a functional sand scoop, but it was well packaged and very space efficient. Yeah, it took me like 45 minutes to box it up, but at a certain level is was kinda fun.

Earlier in the year I took a massive beating at a UPS store. I will never, ever use them again. I was in a state of shipping shock for like a week after that. :shock::shock::shock: I was in way too big of a hurry and should have told them NO when I heard the price.

Tim
 
I used to send packages out via ups when I used to work. You could've just wrapped the scoop with cardboard then shrinkwrap and tape it so it doesn't unravel. Attach the shipping label and you're good to go. You paid a lot extra for the packaging materials. If your package exceeds 108" in length + girth you go into the oversize category. Mucho dinero my friend.
 
I think there is a way to print out the pre paid labels on line you just enter in all the info for it and pay for it online they give you a label for your thing you print it out and slap it on the box
 
Oversize

Never take your package to a UPS Store,take it to your closest Ups building,the UPS store cost's more,in addition the insurance rates are more,over size,i just learned this lession shipping a package to California from Baltimore,UPS 59.00,Usps priority more,so i shipped it regular usps 29.00,i could have packed this item in 2 smaller boxes,to subside with the oversize,but didn't have the material,and tape,also i think all the companies made what is considered oversize demention's smaller,so Terry i know what you mean,this also factor's in what you buy now,plan on keeping,cause selling could cost you money for shipping,Earl
 
my own experience with USPS this year was a shock as well- mailed some xmas packages, 1 to Maryland and 1 to Alabama...........the Maryland Package was average size, maybe 8 pounds cost me around $12 to mail, the Alabama package was a little larger and weighed only 5 pounds........here's the kicker, because of the "zones" the postal service now uses my Alabama package had to go 'air freight", as opposed to ground.........that cost me $35 to ship.........the USPS is going broke, they are finding creative ways to get more cash from us..........always found Fed Ex to be the best option regardless......shipping is quicker, better tracking adn they dont seem to mangle as many boxes as UPS, USPS

USPS has the $5.35 rate boxes. If it fits in the box it's $5.35 anywhere in the country regardless of the weight. They had the commercials on tv all during the holidays. Look into it next time you ship anything out USPS. I could be wrong on the rate but it was a low flat rate.
 
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Ups

UPS = Universal Package Smasher :laughing:

I have shipped and or received over 1,000 pulse packages most of them from UPS were damaged in some way.

Go FedEx ground the items usually gets their in 3 days or less.
 
For a larger package FedEx is the way to ship. I do a lot of shipping of motorcycle part and the large heavy items such as frames and engines always goes FedEx. I can ship a complete triumph frame to SC for $60!
 
Something as sturdy as that, I would have slapped a sticker on the handle and formed cardboard around the scoop and just duct taped it as tight as possible as to not cut anyone or get bent.

I checked into that at the UPS distribution center in Elmsford, NY. Had I shrink-packed it myself and taken it over, it would have cost about $3.50 less than having the UPS store send it. The box, foam pellets and packing cost me $10.00 - which I think is a bargain.

Check your costs. Shipping costs a lot more since January 1st!
 
Yesterday I shipped a 6lb long handled sand scoop for $15 and some change via USPS parcel post. I boxed the scoop portion with a fairly tight box and put the handle in a box designed for shipping maps and joined the two with spare box pieces. Franken-box looked like a functional sand scoop, but it was well packaged and very space efficient. Yeah, it took me like 45 minutes to box it up, but at a certain level is was kinda fun.

Earlier in the year I took a massive beating at a UPS store. I will never, ever use them again. I was in a state of shipping shock for like a week after that. :shock::shock::shock: I was in way too big of a hurry and should have told them NO when I heard the price.

Tim

Come try that in New York! The same package will cost you $40.00 here and will disappear unless insured!!
 
I use to work shipping for ten years if you can any time cut the box down do so it will be cheaper. They always go by dimensions of the box 12x12x12 = what ever and they divide that by 164 and that gives you your weight and that's what you pay. It's a good scam.
 
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