posted on December 15, 2000 07:54:50 PM
LOL! Another hilarious thread!
My very first sale ever... I auctioned a cat pen... what is a cat pen you ask? A HUGE wire crate/cage-type thing to keep cats in for boarding, etc. It had two attachable beds in it, room for cats to play in, etc. I was shocked when I got TONS of bids and even people warring and sniping for it last minute too, and ended up with a GREAT price for it - $115! And luckily I had weighed it and was able to give the seller pretty much the correct amount for shipping so I didn't lose anything there. It folded up to be only 8 inches thick - but even flat it was still 4 feet by 3 feet! I went to Mailboxes Plus and they said "Sorry we have no boxes that big." Everywhere I went, same problem, no big boxes! I felt like you, Nanastuff, with your big FISH!!! I had this cage all folded and tied & taped up in my livingroom with NO box and I kept saying "WHAT was I THINKING?!?!" I was WAY stressed now, the seller was getting a little impatient with me, and after all it had been a few days I had her payment, and I WAS communicating with her, but I had had NO idea it would be so hard to find a box when I had first listed this item! And I was BRAND NEW at this! Finally I dragged this sucker to UPS which cost me $22 in car service! (We don't own cars here in NYC) The UPS guy said he THOUGHT they just HAPPENED to have one box that size!! (Just happened to? What if they didn't happen to?) Well they DID have a box - WHEW!!!! But wait, here's the best part... so this really nice UPS guy and me got it all boxed up with newspaper, tape, etc... then I went to fill out the UPS form... and realized - to my horror - I HAD LEFT THE BUYER'S ADDRESS AT HOME!!!! :-/ Oh my god how bad did I want to bang my head repeatedly against the counter. Luckily the UPS guy let me keep the package safely there (so I didn't have to keep lugging it around in car service!) and I went back home on the subway, cursing myself and my stupidity the whole time. Almost home, I see this car with a bumper sticker that says "We're All Dysfunctional. Get Over It." I laughed right out loud on the street and then I didn't feel so bad anymore. Long story short, I returned to UPS, filled out the address, and sent the package. AND even got a positive feedback!! It had all paid off, but I will NEVER send a package that big again. Sticking with my CDs, cassettes and videos.
Rocker
posted on December 15, 2000 10:07:52 PM
When I first started on Ebay I packed everything myself. I thing I remember very well was a set of 1960 Lionel trains mint in its orighinal FLAT box. Each piece of the train set needed to be packed and all pieces had to be put back into the box. Then I needed a real large box that I went crazy looking for the size was...3 ft sq. and 6" high. It would have been better to ship if I didn't have the original box.
And there were many more nightmares, that I really would not like to even thing about.
Now what I do is in my listing I say: If the item is very large, or very fragil I perfer to use a perfessional shipper. Since it is an antique item my buyers don't have a problem with this. And just think about all the savings in packageing material because they would be paying the shippers for the material, but we don't get paid for the shipping material, and sometimes the profit is not enought to even cover your cost of packing material, WHAT'S THE ANSWER, DOES ANYONG KNOW.....
posted on December 15, 2000 10:37:15 PM
Set of dessert cups in their original box, which of course wasn't sufficient for shipping, so I individually bubble wrapped and newspaper wrapped each one (there were 8 total), and then bubble wrapped the box, and then placed it in another box, and then added peanuts inside yet another box. Ack. It was overkill, I'm sure, but my first breakable item and I was deathly afraid of breakage.
They came from my MIL so were free, but ended up costing me money because I undercharged for shipping. Very nice bidder (an AW member, btw) noticed and offered to send me the difference (which I declined, but loved the gesture).. but from then on I, too, stick to non-breakables for the most part, and definitely factor in 'shippability' when shopping for stuff to sell!
Mostly I do clothes, videos, books and the like. Much easier, though the antique books give me a bit of a headache because I'm ultra-careful with them.
My mom keeps finding BIG stuff for me to sell and I keep having to tell her that if SHE wants to pack it, then fine, I'll sell it.
When I'm broke enough, though, I reconsider this. I'm currently eyeing the excessive amount of oversized little tykes type stuff around here right now that hasn't been played with in years. Hmmmm.
I have one breakable listed right now, but I tend to now OVERquote the shipping, just to be safe, then refund the difference when I send the package. Tired of ripping myself off!
posted on December 16, 2000 07:14:48 AM
Shipped a service for 12 Limoge dinnerware with all the serving pieces. Ended up in 12 different boxes. Also just recently shipped a guitar. It always seems like a good idea when you put these items on until reality sets in when you're packing them.
posted on December 16, 2000 07:19:36 AM
Boy I need to learn how to type or a least edit before I post! The Post Office sent the banner. They are great folks here who have taught me a lot about shipping stuff.
I see a lot of comments about sending bikes. I listed an old Schwinn once. Lucky for me nobody bought it!
posted on December 16, 2000 01:43:44 PM
I sold a 4 foot tall Harley Davidson stuffed pig which went for $8, I paid $20. We stomped that sucker down into a huge box, he was bulging out everywhere, and went to mail it. We hit the PO oversize limit on it, and it ended up costing $30, if I remember correctly, to ship. I more than made it up on the other things I bought at the same auction, but that really hurt. Never heard a word from the buyer or received a positive feedback. They made fun of me at the PO over that one for a year, and I still have yet to live it down 2 years later. Occasionally they ask if I am shipping any more pigs. Word of advice, if you find a pig who is wearing a bandanna and an eyepatch who is 4 foot tall, pass him right on by.
posted on December 16, 2000 02:15:09 PM
I have actually had 2 packages from hell!
First was a pair of marble/? art deco lamps. We were selling them for FIL, got a great price for them ($1125) and of course, the bidder used I-escrow. We double boxed the globes used what seemed like 300 feet of bubble wrap and other packaging stuff. We thought we had done an oustanding job. Yep, they arrived broken!!! I-escrow was providing insurance at that time and actually suggested that you didn't have to purchase postal insurance. HAHA It took over a month to get our money from I-escrow. Well, my father-in-law's money that is.
The second was an upright Defender video game. We got shipping estimates before it was even listed, as well as crating. Almost 550 dollars! We finally got all of the details worked out, and then the trucking company lost the video game. Now how can a trucking company lose a package that is 6 feet tall? Well, they did. And it took them almost a week to find it. Then when they delivered it to the buyer, they wouldn't take it up the driveway, but said their union rules stated that a package that heavy had to be left where the truck stopped (curbside) and the buyer's husband was at work!! Now that whole package was a nightmare!
posted on December 16, 2000 02:47:10 PM
Every now and then you lose your mind and list something that you wish you had never seen much less sold. I've been doing this 3 years and still screw up.
Earlier in the year (seems like yesterday as it made an indelible impression) I sold an older telescope with a tripod for $9.99. I expected more but eBay was down or something.
After it sold I had a heck of a time finding a box for it and finally settled on a golf club box. But to get it in the box and safely ship it, I had to entirely disassemble the tripod legs, disassemble the telescope removing the finder scope, lens assemblies, etc.
Then when I finally got it almost packed I figured it was going to be too tightly packed. So I had to go out and find a bigger golf club box, cut it down and repack it.
All in all I figure I had at least 3 hours in addition to windshield time for this $10 sale. And to add insult to injury I underestimated shipping by a couple dollars.
But by far the worst ship I ever had was an old balloon tire bicycle which had to be totally disassembled.
posted on December 16, 2000 04:56:30 PM
It is soooooo comforting to read this thread!....I thought I was the only one who undercharged & overworked for less than pennies!.....It's wonderful to know that I'm not alone!
posted on December 16, 2000 05:57:43 PM
Ok....still pacing floor, banging head on wall, biting nails, ect., over this @!*& FISH!!!! I feel all your pain!! lol
posted on December 16, 2000 06:30:35 PM
Let's seeee.....An LV steamer trunk to Japan. I didn't pack it but had endless e-mail communication with the fellow in Japan. I wasn't sure how my English would translate on his computer so I wrote all my e-mail in this weird simplified borderline goof-ball English almost politically incorrect....a 45lb dinosaur bone....again all I did was hand it to the people at my favorite locally owned gift shop/post office and they just got all frothy over the thrill of packing it!....I packed a 200 year old Mexican santo holding thingy case /wood /and glass/ and knobbys that break...off to PO...oversized...cost me $69.00 dad-gum bucks to send it to PA!...a pre-Columbian rock thing to Puerto Rico...a Zippo to Hong Kong.....just had a NPB for $1200.00 from a guy in Taiwan... truly annoying...A Dunhill lighter to Japan again I think made gobs on it...Have allsorts of packing challenges up-coming starting end of auction tommorrow...sigh....however the debt she is a dwindlin'!!!
Just saw this thread and had to add my 2 cents, I had a lamp that I thought I could just unscrew the finial and then pack it. Well it wouldn't unsrew and I was stuck with an almost 4 ft lamp. The day I was finally going to refund the money my neighbor threw out a DOUBLE boxed box set that housed I don't remember what, but it was made to order. In general I love Fridays because that's when they collect the paper recycling and that's when shameless me goes "box shopping". The lamp fit in with just enough room for the bubble wrap. Squeaked by that one and I hope I learned my lesson.
posted on December 16, 2000 08:14:03 PM
nanastuff,
Go to a local moving and storage business and get a twin size mattress carton. If they have any used ones, you can probably get it for nothing. Set the box up and cut it in the center to make two four foot boxes. You can wrap the fish in a couple paper furniture pads and bubblewrap and put in one box. Use the other piece to telescope over the first, in effect making a double box. I once sent a stuffed sailfish to Arizona when I was in the moving business. Had to modify a king size mattress carton to pack that sucker.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on December 16, 2000 08:19:51 PM
Hey sparkz!! Great idea.....the auction closes tomorrow night and you bet I will be out and about tomorrow doing just that. Thank you!!
posted on December 16, 2000 09:05:34 PM
My second package from hell was a vintage metal lamp shaped like an elephant. He was good sized and dang heavy! But the problem was the light bulb that was screwed into the socket...and the bulb was the whole reason the buyer paid so much for "Jumbo". The bulb was an old bulb that had a figural filiment shaped like..yup..an elephant.
I had only turned the light on once to see if it worked and didn't try to remove the bulb from the lamp when I bought it.
Went to pack this thing and realized the bulb was stuck tight into the socket. I was afraid to use any force to unscrew it for fear of breaking the bulb..so I had to figure out some way to protect the bulb from the weight of the lamp in shipping. Took me half a day to jerry-rig a box around the bulb in an effort to protect the fragile glass.
But all went well..Jumbo got to Alaska from California all in one piece. Now the dark winter days of my Alaskan buyer are brightened by an elephant light bulb!
posted on December 17, 2000 03:50:18 AM
uhhh, it would have to be the motorcycle fairing. That is the big figerglass thingie on the front with a windshield. After building a box and packing it weighed 180#
Had to call several freight companies to get prices. It went COD for the shipping from FL to CA. It truly was a nightmare, but worth the effort because it is GONE.
posted on December 17, 2000 06:42:01 AM
I once listed a childs desk, chair and lamp. After it was listed, hubby asked "How the @#.. are we going to ship it?". I never thought about that. Thank god we got no bids.
Right now I have a 3ft by 2ft table hockey game to ship. I have a box. I know it is going to Canada. Does UPS go to Canada or do I have to use USPS? It is going to the Montreal area probably.
The UPS guy said he THOUGHT they just HAPPENED to have one box that size!! (Just happened to? What if they didn't happen to?) Well they DID have a box - WHEW!!!! But wait, here's the best part... so this really nice UPS guy and me got it all boxed up with newspaper, tape, etc... then I went to fill out the UPS form... and realized - to my horror - I HAD LEFT THE BUYER'S ADDRESS AT HOME!!!! :-/ Oh my god how bad did I want to bang my head repeatedly against the counter. Luckily the UPS guy let me keep the package safely there (so I didn't have to keep lugging it around in car service!) and I went back home on the subway, cursing myself and my stupidity the whole time. Almost home, I see this car with a bumper sticker that says "We're All Dysfunctional. Get Over It." I laughed right out loud on the street and then I didn't feel so bad anymore. Long story short, I returned to UPS, filled out the address, and sent the package. AND even got a positive feedback!! It had all paid off, but I will NEVER send a package that big again. Sticking with my CDs, cassettes and videos.
