Shipping

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I have a problem....I have probably 300 boxes in my shipping “dept”! Yes, I’m a box hoarder! And, I routinely source swimming pool solar covers that are being thrown out in the spring as a great source of heavy duty bubble wrap by the square yard. The job is really in the packing, and when you list a part, and have it all boxed up and the buyer asks if you have another needed part, the packing can get outright daunting. In the past month alone, I’ve sold no less than 2 dozen parts, some triples and more to the same buyer. Most understand that it takes time to pack stuff, and run it to the shipper to send. My favorite thing is the FedEx shipping.....website is never right, 800 number is now useless, so I take the package right to the store, which is 20 minutes away. I’ve had the price change in the 5 minutes it takes to get a quote, message the buyer, he agrees and I take it right back in. Once to the tune of a $48 difference, and the buyer paid the higher price already. Of course I refund the difference....more work for the shipping “dept”. Starting to wonder what some people won’t ship yet? It takes the dedicated seller to follow through with shipping, and it can be a daunting task, especially when you’re sending dozens of packages a month. And no, it’s not my day job, it’s my 2nd job.
 
hemi71x said:
I get that A LOT, these days, when i have to quote shipping cost, to East coast states, from California, for the rebuilt suspension, and brake parts, that i advertise on these web sites.
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I love how you have all of the explanation in your ads regarding going to the yards, busting parts off cleaning them up and all that. People may think you charge a premium price, but they get premium parts. I've always wished I could pull the trigger on one of your small bolt pattern disc brake setups......I likely won't ever have that much to drop in one place. So, I'm going to have to piece together something like Scarebird. Just know the sentiment is there. You sell some nice stuff.
 
pishta said:
Its a PITA when your hpmebound, don't have boxes. US mail sucks...parts are too big or heavy. Ship a hood or bench seat? Itll take 2 hours to pack it and then run it to the depot? Local pick up only. some peoples time is more valuable than a $30 profit on a part. Then you got insurance, tracking, responsibility of damage claim, etc. It is what it is.
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The above sums it up well.

If it were so easy/simple selling parts, then pretty well everyone would do it as a source of easy income. The back and forth on negotiating the price of the item, finding the packing materials to ensure it’s not damaged in transit, then getting a shipping quote all while realizing it could be a flake buyer who ‘claims’ they never received the package means it’s not ‘easy money’ selling parts off the side of your workbench.
 
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cosgig said:
I have a problem....I have probably 300 boxes in my shipping “dept”! Yes, I’m a box hoarder! And, I routinely source swimming pool solar covers that are being thrown out in the spring as a great source of heavy duty bubble wrap by the square yard. The job is really in the packing, and when you list a part, and have it all boxed up and the buyer asks if you have another needed part, the packing can get outright daunting. In the past month alone, I’ve sold no less than 2 dozen parts, some triples and more to the same buyer. Most understand that it takes time to pack stuff, and run it to the shipper to send. My favorite thing is the FedEx shipping.....website is never right, 800 number is now useless, so I take the package right to the store, which is 20 minutes away. I’ve had the price change in the 5 minutes it takes to get a quote, message the buyer, he agrees and I take it right back in. Once to the tune of a $48 difference, and the buyer paid the higher price already. Of course I refund the difference....more work for the shipping “dept”. Starting to wonder what some people won’t ship yet? It takes the dedicated seller to follow through with shipping, and it can be a daunting task, especially when you’re sending dozens of packages a month. And no, it’s not my day job, it’s my 2nd job.
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I've had FedEx quote a price, then when I came back to ship it, it was higher than the quote... :wtf:

Why is there so much variation in the shipping price???
 
krazykuda said:
I've had FedEx quote a price, then when I came back to ship it, it was higher than the quote... :wtf:

Why is there so much variation in the shipping price???
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I get the usual....”they was yesterday’s price”....or, “it’s after 3:00”. Nothing makes sense anymore, except beer.....that makes perfect sense!
 
cosgig said:
I get the usual....”they was yesterday’s price”....or, “it’s after 3:00”. Nothing makes sense anymore, except beer.....that makes perfect sense!
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Beer used to make sense. I tried that Bud apple beer last nite, nasty stuff.
 
So if you get a FEdex quote and then print the shipping label at home, your done right? Take it to the depot, set it on the desk tip your hat to the clerk and walk away. I dont get quotes there, takes forever. Do they back charge you when the scale they use is 5 lbs heavy? I was back charged a $50 brokerage fee for shipping a Mallory ignition box to Windsor, Canada. That's what I charged for the box! That's not cool that they can do that but Fedex has bailed me out twice on some major shipping SNAFU's.
 
pishta said:
So if you get a FEdex quote and then print the shipping label at home, your done right? Take it to the depot, set it on the desk tip your hat to the clerk and walk away. I dont get quotes there, takes forever. Do they back charge you when the scale they use is 5 lbs heavy? I was back charged a $50 brokerage fee for shipping a Mallory ignition box to Windsor, Canada. That's what I charged for the box! That's not cool that they can do that but Fedex has bailed me out twice on some major shipping SNAFU's.
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Well, first, I have an account at FedEx, and I’m not sure the website would calculate it at the correct rate for account holders. 2nd, the boxes I ship through FedEx are large, sometimes very large, that’s why I use them. When everybody else is in the $100-$200 range, FedEx will almost always be under $100. A large box is almost impossible to deal with on the website, so many variables to make an accurate quote online. And did you know, there is a balloon surcharge for having an item in a cardboard tube from a carpet roll? Because it’s not corrugated cardboard there is a $13 additional fee, which the website does not include or even mention. It’s maddening sometimes, and I always used to call the 800 number 3 times in a row for a single package, just to make sure. I’ve called so many times I can recite the questions in order, and just know if the rep skips a beat, the quote won’t be right. If I can even understand the rep at all, that is. But in the end, it’s all part of doing business and getting the shipping right, my customers appreciate it, so I do it!
 
Shipping costs have went thru the roof, just this week I shipped three sheets of paper from WV to NE in a plain vanilla envelope.
It cost over $8.00 because I wanted tracking on the item.
I could have put it a plain white envelope, and slapped a 50 cent stamp on it, with no guarantee it would get there.
Why the difference, I have no idea.
 
H22A4 said:
The above sums it up well.

If it were so easy/simple selling parts, then pretty well everyone would do it as a source of easy income. The back and forth on negotiating the price of the item, finding the packing materials to ensure it’s not damaged in transit, then getting a shipping quote all while realizing it could be a flake buyer who ‘claims’ they never received the package means it’s not ‘easy money’ selling parts off the side of your workbench.
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THIS^^^^IS WHY YOU USE PAYPAL !!
 
2 guys on here are selling mini starter terminals. 1 quote is $11.60 and the other is $34.75 to me thru the mail. The difference is crazy. Kim
 
oldkimmer said:
2 guys on here are selling mini starter terminals. 1 quote is $11.60 and the other is $34.75 to me thru the mail. The difference is crazy. Kim
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That is crazy.
Also you do not need the terminals to hook a mini-starter up.
I have used a mini on W series trucks and my Duster.
Just split the factory wiring and bolt the wires up.
 
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