Best Shipping Prices

[DerekG52]

I believe games can go in media mail, specifically because on half when you order by default it has media mail selected. I have also shipped them via media mail (on ebay w/paypal) with no issues. It could be I printed from home and didn't have to use USPS workers. You can also get your standard delivery number and insurance if needed.

[pumpkinpie65]

This seems like the most appropriate thread I can find for what I want to ask.

I want to start selling a lot of my old toys and stuff on ebay to clear out my room and get more space and funds for my newly expanding video game collection, but I'm having a hard time finding good advice on how to ship things. What's the best way to ship things that aren't games? I ordered 10 medium flat rate boxes from usps.com, but as I was figuring out how to print labels it said shipping would be $10.50. Does that sound right? Is it cheaper to do it by weight or something? And how to I actually package stuff? Should I just like... fill the box with packing peanuts?

I feel like such a n00b asking all this, but after searching around the internet for quite a while I couldn't really find anything that helped me. I greatly appreciate any and all advice. Thanks!

[Hobie-wan]

The point of flat rate boxes is that it costs the same amount no matter the weight. Sometimes this is to your advantage or the fact you have a free sturdy box is great. If you're mailing something flat and sturdy that doesn't weight a lot, a bubble pack and first class might be cheaper.

Peanuts are fine for filling up holes, but the thing should still be padded before putting it in the box as the peanuts might shift if not packed just tight enough, leaving your item sitting against the side of the box. Bubble wrap is good too as you can put it around the item like gift wrap and layer it so you have a nice cushion that stays put. I can tell you from experience of idiots shipping things to my work that balloons are not acceptable. They will deflate and pop in transit, especially when used for shipping a PC.

If there are removable pieces that stick out or fall out easily, remove them and put them in a bag. You don't want a small gun/hairbrush/antenna/whatever to fall out a dinged corner of the box if it gets abused a lot in transit. Offer insurance if a buyer wants it. Always use Delivery Confirmation so you can prove you sent something and see if a person got it in case of scammer trouble. Likewise, keep your postal receipts as proof you at least mailed something of reasonable weight to the zip code of the buyer.

[Menegrothx]

It's weird how big differences there can be in shipping prices.
I was going to buy a used 3DO game from some one in Florida (East coast, closer to Europe). The game itself was cheaper, as it was used and the box was sort of damaged etc. However, shipping was so much more expensive that it was cheaper for me to buy a new, factory sealed copy of the game from a guy who lived in Oregon or California. One would assume that shipping from West coast to Europe would be more expensive!
I'm looking at the US eBay right now for a copy of Earthworm Jim 2 (Sega Saturn). Lukie Games (ftw) asks 3.95 dollars for international shipping, while some other guy who's selling the game for 3 dollars cheaper is asking 39.50 dollars for international shipping!

[pumpkinpie65]

Thanks for the help! So peanuts and those weird balloon things = bad. I will stick to bubble wrap then. And I've definitely noticed that shipping prices can vary a lot. I guess I really just need to dive in and go for it. The only thing I have to fear is fear itself.

So if I didn't use a flat rate box... I just take my box to the post office and they weigh it and tell me how much it'll cost? How do I get a quote for something like that? And can I basically just put an address on any box and ship it? Or are there weird guidelines about that sort of thing?

Thanks again for the advice!

[Hobie-wan]

Peanuts are fine to fill in the gaps after you stuff your bubble wrapped thin in the box. They can be ok if the thing is big enough to mostly take up the box so it is unlikely to shift. I just use them as filler myself.

If you're going to ship a bunch of stuff, get hold of a scale. It can be a cheap kitchen scale or whatever. Even if it isn't super accurate, if it is close and you add an ounce or two to be safe it will help. That way you can to a test packing of items and get a weight. Then go to USPS.COM and there's an estimation tool that will ask the weight and zip codes. If you're ebaying I'd probably just pick something on the other side of the country to be safe since you don't know where the buyer will be. As for boxes, any will do. You'd just need to cover up any old addresses, bar codes, and any safety warnings that no longer apply if for instance you were using a box that had delivered spray paint to a hardware store or something. The USPS site should have info if you go read up there.