Shipping prices and buyers...

I have come to veiw shipping as this. I consider it my responsibility to get it there in one piece. If that means not bending on the price as much or to pay a little out of my own pocket for better packaging then I will. I will also not send something that isnt insured. We are only really talking pennies.

If it comes down to the buyer not wanting the product packed right to save a couple of dollars then I will not deal with him or I will pay for the extra shipping materials myself.

I have had many problems with ups and if it gets damaged the buyer is going to be upset no matter what they said. I feel that its a common headache thats easily avoided. Even if you have insurance. I dont want to put up with the fight over the claim. I just want a smooth transaction.

Packaging can be expensive. When I lived in a house with a garage, we could save all the popcorn and bubblewrap and outside boxes, but now I live in a condo and there is no place to store any packaging, so if I sell something, I am going to have to go down to mailboxes, etc and buy the boxes and popcorn. I expect that expense to be part of the price of the unit. The easiest way is to probably just build that into the selling cost and just discuss shipping with the buyer. I ALWAYS double box and no problems with damage so far......thoughts? -aj

Jeff's entaglement is a good example of a time when a potential buyer sends signals that should cause the seller to cut the cord. I have respectfully and tactfully told quite a number of potential buyers that I did not wish to sell to them. If they can't afford to pay for double boxing, they don't have their priorities in the right place. Likewise, if a buyer is overly concerned with some cosmetic aspect or asks questions that indicate a broad lack of familiarity with a product these can all be signals that we are about to go down a very bumpy road. Just as a seller has the obligation to fairly and accurately describe the condition of the gear so too does the buyer have an obligation to be a thoughtful and proactive participant in the transaction.

Perfectimage. Exactly!

I think when you ship the boxes via ups you should just assume that it will be dropped from 8 feet up onto a concrete floor. After this, another box weighing 100lbs will fall upon it. If you pack with this in mind you will be fine. Packaging from companies like audio research and pass labs are like this.

This is also why I just sell some items as 'local pickup only'. My 80lb subwoofer for example. I cannot figure out how to pack this thing without spending $100 on materials and putting it into a washing machine sized box. So, I just wait for a local buyer - not worth my time to be concerned with it.

I sympathize with the cost of shipping materials. I have put out $70 for packing materials on a heavy item. I now save any throw-away computer packaging from my company.