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Hi Paul,
Have you ever gone to that Bi-Monthly auction in Upland? I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the trip.
Thanks
I’ll generally lower the price, even if it’s only a dollar, send an offer and put the ball in their court. Sometimes, they already want it, but just need a push. If not, I’ve made the effort.
I keep the messages short and simple.
The Flat Rate Boxes you are referring to are Priority Mail and generally 3 to 5 days. You can also order a variety of Free Priority Mail Boxes from USPS.com that are not Flat Rate. If you haven’t done this yet, I encourage you to check it out.
I use First Class as my default, that way if I forget to enter the appropriate method when listing, I get an error message and have to correct it before the listing goes live.
I get the error message, because the item is too heavy for first class. It’s like a fail safe.
You may find that even if you change your store name, the URL will remain from the old store.
I changed mine a while back and it happened to me.
Government regulations, laws and subsidies have a lot to do with what’s profitable.
It wasn’t very profitable for the car manufacturers to start putting Smog equipment on their cars 50 years ago, but I think we’ve all benefited as a result.
The recharge issue could be handled if an effort was made. It’s not rocket science. There could be quick charge stations, battery swaps and of course roof integrated solar panels on the body. It wouldn’t have to be a 100% solution in the beginning.
It’s a matter of the right people making the correct decisions. The problem is that progress rarely happens unless it is profitable.
I was a truck driver for years. My truck, like many had a sleeper. In order to keep yourself warm or cool. depending on the weather, you often had to run your truck while parked. An idling truck burns about 1 gallon of fuel and hour. You can imagine the air pollution and noise in the truck stops with all the trucks running. It’s also a quick way to wear out an expensive engine.
There were some feeble attempts made to solve this problem. In fact in many places it it illegal to idle your truck when parked. The reality is, if they wanted to solve it, they would have. The solution is fairly simple. It’s just not a priority and worth the effort to them.
I think the same can be said of the electric car.
Uber is already using self driving cars as we speak. I really don’t think they’re that faraway. I don’t think where you live is really going to matter, although I have to wonder how well they’ll deal with snow etc.
I also think electric cars could be mainstream today, if there wasn’t so much resistance. Battery technology is getting better every day. All you have to do is remember how well the cell phone batteries were 15 years ago. There would also need to be a way to get them charged away from home. If it were a priority, it would be done.
Think about all the sci-fi movies and predictions you’ve ever seen. They predicted flying cars and instant food (microwave?) and of course the video telephone system. Did any of them predict the smart phone.. or even just the cell phone. I am amazed at how quickly this product was developed and improved. It is a complete game changer in society, probably as big as the original telephone was 100 years ago.
I don’t believe the US dollar has been backed by gold in quite a while.
I think a stable economy and government has more to do with the trust in the dollar than anything else. Also it doesn’t hurt that we have an incredible amount of natural resources.
Jay is correct, you may end up making your own box. Bubble wrap the picture, then card board over front and back, Then plastic wrap. Then put it in a box (you may have to connect more than one box together for an item that big.
Foam rubber or the stuffing/cotton from old pillows is nice stuff inside first box. I like to layer. Then take that box and place it in a larger box and again use packing materials. I break up old styrofoam or use newspaper at this point.
I use an old pairing knife and metal yardstick to cut and score boxes.
It takes time and is a project. After you’ve done a few it becomes routine. You’ll end up using a lot of tape too.
I don’t bother with handling fees, they complicate my shipping policies. I make sure the purchase price is high enough to compensate for the shipping hassles and time.
Taking to a professional is not a bad idea , but I don’t mind packing, as long as I have the time.
I just bought an old Honda motor cycle (not running) for $150. It’s been sitting a very long time outdoors. I have the same bike, so I’ll keep some of the parts, but there are a lot of big money parts I don’t need and I’m going to list. It was a no brainer can’t lose situation.
The owner said “I’m glad it’s going to someone who has the same bike and can make use of it. I’d hate to see all the parts end up on Ebay” ……
What do you say to that .. “Check out my store.” He’s a real nice guy and gave me a great deal. the only saving grace is that he probably won’t check Ebay, or he’d have never sold it so cheap.
Life can have awkward moments.
I generally don’t add a note to the packing slip, unless there’s something special they need to know about the shipment. I place the packing slip in the box, when the item is being packed. I then basically write a note on the box..ie: red hat.
As indicated above, I weigh it, print the label and attach the label. Then, I go on to the next one.
My shipping table and a lot of my items are stored in the garage, with my extra scale. My main scales and computer/printer are in my house in an office. I used to have a printer and another computer in the garage, but it took up too much space and was just redundant.
Recently I purchased an item which happened to have a Monster logo on it. After purchase, the seller said he couldn’t find the item and offered to refund me, or send me a version of the same item without the Monster Logo.
I accepted the version without the Logo.
Shortly there after, the item was removed by Ebay, and there is notification on my recently purchased list indicating so. It also said, if the item is already on the way, I can keep it, or open up a case if, I don’t receive it.
I began labeling items in storage that may be wrapped or boxed for safety, so I don’t have to start unwrapping items to see what they are.
When an item sells, I print the packing slip and note the location and shipping method on the lower corner. These slips get moved to my shipping area and put on a clip board, until I’m ready to pack.
Everyone seems to have their favorite method, and none is right or wrong. The key is to find the one that works for you.
