Have you ever tried thinning the herd?

[Greg G.]

Ebay's running a special for free ads for a while and I decided to take advantage of it and try my hand at selling.  If they don't sell, I'm not out anything.

With just a mental inventory, I counted about 12-18 phones I could part with.  As I examined each one and took better pictures for ebay, one by one I kept thinking "no, actually this one is kinda nice, I'll think I'll hang on to it" or "I may not particularly like these kinds of phones, but it is very collectible, I'll hang on to it as an investment."

Right now it's down to only 5 phones.

On a side note, I'm understanding the frustration with shipping costs works both ways.  The cheapest rate, Parcel Post, is not an option for me because it involves going to the Post Office and standing in line to have it weighed.  With  Flat Rate, they send me the free boxes, I can buy packing material across the street from me, I schedule the pickup and pay online, easy-peasy, but it's frustrating that I have to ask for around $15 shipping for a $10-$12 item.

[Jim Stettler]

I am almost certain you can click-and-ship Parcel. They will pick it up.
I always drop my packages at the post office. You walk past the line and drop them at the counter, and say Thanks, see you later. The looks you get from the linestanders is priceless.


The only Rate  that is "iffy" is media rate.
If you get paid thru paypal you can pay media rate online.
It is not an option to on the usps sit.



Jim

[KeithB]

I think paying $10 to $15 for shipping is about right, considering a 500 set weighs about five pounds and requires a medium box.  I just factor it into the overall cost of the item, and try to keep the total cost below $40 if possible.

Payphones are a whole different thing. The coin vault weighs a lot, and they typically charge about $25 to $30 to ship.

[Greg G.]

I am almost certain you can click-and-ship Parcel. They will pick it up.
I always drop my packages at the post office. You walk past the line and drop them at the counter, and say Thanks, see you later. The looks you get from the linestanders is priceless.


The only Rate  that is "iffy" is media rate.
If you get paid thru paypal you can pay media rate online.
It is not an option to on the usps sit.

Jim

I looked at the rates on the USPS website, you can't pay Parcel Post online.  Do they bill you?  Maybe I missed that.  Besides, I have them all boxed up in flat rate boxes now.  I'm not sure, but I think those boxes can only be used for flat rate.

[Jim Stettler]

You can Parcel post online if they pay with Paypal. I am a big fan of paypal shipping.

To buy postage online you have to open an accout. If you already have an account for free boxes then log in and go to calculate postage.

You pay with a credit card. With paypal shipping you use you account or a card.

Flat rate boxes can only be used flat rate. Parcel is usualy pretty affordable on big heavy boxes of phone stuff.
Jim

I remember when a priority flat rate "shirtbox" cost $3.00, and you could buy the stamp out of the machine and deposit the package after hours.

[LarryInMichigan]

Briny,

There is a supermarket near here which provides postal services at their customer service counter.  It is far more convenient and faster than the post offices.  Check if there is anything like near you.

Larry

[Phonesrfun]

The only thing thinning around here is my hair.

[LarryInMichigan]

My wallet has been thinning.

[Greg G.]

I think paying $10 to $15 for shipping is about right, considering a 500 set weighs about five pounds and requires a medium box.  

I couldn't fit a 500 type phone into a medium box and still allow for the handset and body being wrapped separately in small bubble wrap, plus padding on all sides.  A large box just barely.

[KeithB]

Almost all the 500s I've received from eBay have arrived in medium boxes, but the sellers have been good about wrapping the handsets separately and placing them alongside the wrapped base, rather than over it.

[Greg G.]

Almost all the 500s I've received from eBay have arrived in medium boxes, but the sellers have been good about wrapping the handsets separately and placing them alongside the wrapped base, rather than over it.

Maybe I'm being too generous with the padding.  I think I have a medium box here, it would be worth another try.

[Greg G.]

I just tried it, they fit in a medium with just enough small bubble to wrap the handset and body separately and still enough room for padding.  I don't know why I was thinking a large, I was probably over-padding.  Guess I'll be re-packing some of these.

[KeithB]

I have two bags full of foam packing peanuts.  Whenever I received anything shipped using them, I couldn't bear tossing them in the garbage.  I've found they're good for stuffing into odd spaces (like around phones) when packing things, and they provide reasonably good protection if over-stuffed and then compressed.

Of course, there will ALWAYS be UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. workers who ram things into boxes.  In those cases, I'll eagerly skewer and roast the shipping company for their utter lack of respect to customers' shipments.

[Jim Stettler]

I have two bags full of foam packing peanuts.  Whenever I received anything shipped using them, I couldn't bear tossing them in the garbage.  I've found they're good for stuffing into odd spaces (like around phones) when packing things, and they provide reasonably good protection if over-stuffed and then compressed.

Of course, there will ALWAYS be UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. workers who ram things into boxes.  In those cases, I'll eagerly skewer and roast the shipping company for their utter lack of respect to customers' shipments.

HANDY HINT:
Pack the peanuts in small bags. tie or seal them shut.
Use these packing "pillows" when you ship.It keeps the peanuts from making a mess and the receipient will probably re-use them as well.
JMO,
Jim

[bingster]

Good tip, Jim.  That also prevents the item from settling through the peanuts to the bottom where damage is almost certain.