Before he got sick, my son Logan set-up a Reverb Store to sell items in my collection. The funds will be donated to the Habitat project in New Orleans for displaced musicians. I got a special dispensation to permit a tax-free exchange. That means while I cannot take a deduction for an allowed donation, I will not have to incur capital gains tax. That makes it possible for an additional $210,000.00 or so to be dedicated to the Habitat, instead of capital gains tax.

Logan was going to list 10 or so items under $100.00 for starters, to generate a good review rate. Can't list $50,000.00 plus guitars, yet.

We have ordered 50 custom guitar/bass boxes (have over 200 for sale, eventually) and have smaller boxes for other items. We use UPS daily for the business. In over 20 years, we have never had a lost, damaged or late shipment and we ship and receive every day. We have a dedicated person who has been shipping out of the business for years. Most items are literature or other things that are not prone to damage.

When I shipped a guitar to Nigel a year or so ago. Regular shipping, plus stated value insurance was $125.00 or so.

Questions: 1. Is there a cheaper way to ship? 2. How do you set charges for shipping? Is it better to charge one price, regardless of the ship-to destination?

We will not get going until Logan is back on his feet....about 6 weeks from now, if he progresses as expected, so I'm not in a hurry.

HELP, HELP!

Russ (guitar junky) Lay

85 looks and no responses? I thought a bunch of you sold stuff on line. I never have, not even once.

If the subject is not right here, could you send me a private PM?

Thanks,

Russ

If You Are Shipping Something 2 Lbs Or Heavier With A 5 Day Delivery Window…

FedEx Ground or UPS Ground will almost always be cheaper than USPS Priority Mail. Between FedEx and UPS, FedEx will be cheaper than UPS out of the box because they provide you with an instant 15% off all shipments just for creating an online account(Note: The level of discount will vary but there’s always a discount program).

Editor’s Note: Both UPS and FedEx charge for what is called “dimensional weight”. Basically what this means is that if your package is large or oversized, then the shipping charges will be drastically increased.

The dimensional weight calculation for UPS is currently L*W*H/139. So for example, if your package is 20X20X20 and weighs 10 pounds, then you would be charged for a package weighing 20*20*20/139 = 57.55 lbs instead of 10 lbs.

Using the box example of 14in X 12in X 3in, the dimensional weight for this package is 4 lbs which means you’ll get charged for 4 lbs no matter what. Otherwise, packages below 5184 cubic feet will be cheaper than USPS in this category.

The only exception to the above rule is that USPS offers 3 flat rate box shipping options, small, medium and large. If you can manage to shove merchandise that is heavier than 2lbs into a small flat rate box (unlikely), you can save about 10 dollars.

However more realistically, you will need a medium flat rate box to ship something weighing 2lbs or more. Assuming that you aren’t getting hit by dimensional weight, the break even point between FedEx or UPS Ground and a Priority Mail flat rate medium box is approximately 3 lbs.

At exactly 2 lbs, FedEx/UPS is slightly cheaper. Above 2 lbs, the USPS medium flat rate box is slightly cheaper than FedEx or UPS Ground.

The break even point compared to FedEx and UPS for a large Priority Mail flat rate box is about 5 lbs.

If you need a large flat rate Priority Mail box, make sure it’s heavier than 5 lbs. Otherwise, FedEx or UPS Ground will always be cheaper.

Let’s sum it all up.

If your item is heavier than 2 lbs, try to fit everything into a USPS flat rate medium box.
If your item is heavier than 5 lbs, try to fit everything into a USPS flat rate large box.
Otherwise, Fedex and UPS will be cheaper for heavier packages.

Note: You can receive significant discounts on USPS shipping by signing up for a ShippingEasy account. ShippingEasy also works with FedEx and UPS so you can easily compare shipping prices. Plus it’s free for up to 50 shipments per month!

If You Are Shipping Something 2 Lbs Or Heavier With A 5 Day Delivery Window…

FedEx Ground or UPS Ground will almost always be cheaper than USPS Priority Mail. Between FedEx and UPS, FedEx will be cheaper than UPS out of the box because they provide you with an instant 15% off all shipments just for creating an online account(Note: The level of discount will vary but there’s always a discount program).

Editor’s Note: Both UPS and FedEx charge for what is called “dimensional weight”. Basically what this means is that if your package is large or oversized, then the shipping charges will be drastically increased.

The dimensional weight calculation for UPS is currently L*W*H/139. So for example, if your package is 20X20X20 and weighs 10 pounds, then you would be charged for a package weighing 20*20*20/139 = 57.55 lbs instead of 10 lbs.

Using the box example of 14in X 12in X 3in, the dimensional weight for this package is 4 lbs which means you’ll get charged for 4 lbs no matter what. Otherwise, packages below 5184 cubic feet will be cheaper than USPS in this category.

The only exception to the above rule is that USPS offers 3 flat rate box shipping options, small, medium and large. If you can manage to shove merchandise that is heavier than 2lbs into a small flat rate box (unlikely), you can save about 10 dollars.

However more realistically, you will need a medium flat rate box to ship something weighing 2lbs or more. Assuming that you aren’t getting hit by dimensional weight, the break even point between FedEx or UPS Ground and a Priority Mail flat rate medium box is approximately 3 lbs.

At exactly 2 lbs, FedEx/UPS is slightly cheaper. Above 2 lbs, the USPS medium flat rate box is slightly cheaper than FedEx or UPS Ground.

The break even point compared to FedEx and UPS for a large Priority Mail flat rate box is about 5 lbs.

If you need a large flat rate Priority Mail box, make sure it’s heavier than 5 lbs. Otherwise, FedEx or UPS Ground will always be cheaper.

Let’s sum it all up.

If your item is heavier than 2 lbs, try to fit everything into a USPS flat rate medium box.
If your item is heavier than 5 lbs, try to fit everything into a USPS flat rate large box.
Otherwise, Fedex and UPS will be cheaper for heavier packages.

Note: You can receive significant discounts on USPS shipping by signing up for a ShippingEasy account. ShippingEasy also works with FedEx and UPS so you can easily compare shipping prices. Plus it’s free for up to 50 shipments per month!

Hope this helps,

Gary

https://goshippo.com/?utm_source=bingads...ace793e72b3d9b9

Sure there are a lot more out there. Maybe you could ramp up selling prices and always offer free shipping - which makes one feel they're getting a better deal.

Hope all is well...back in the saddle for you

Me too ... bought, but never sold ...

Hi Russ,
If shipping is anything like here, be careful with charging a flat rate.
I got caught out with my PA 3X. I allowed just say $150 for shipping to capital cities here in Aust. I knew some destinations would be a bit more expense than others, so I picked an average. The guy who bought it was basically in one of the cheaper destinations, but he lived about 50 miles out of the city, so I told him I’d still do it for the same price. How much extra could 50 miles possibly cost on a 1000 mile journey . Wrong, I got charged nearly double.

Captain Russ,

Gery pretty much nailed it in great depth.

For quick'er' turn around sale on-line, 'Free Shipping' does attract more buyers instantly and so having flat rate inbedded in your item's cost seems to work best ... if shipping within the USA.

For international shipment, it is best to ALWAYS use the on-line calculator offered by most of the shipping companys. Your buyer simply enters in thier location and based on the dimentions and weight of the item, they instantly know what price to pay for shipping alone. Also, when dealing with international shipment, folks like DHL seem to have way better prices so check them out.

If focusing on Guitars, I would rule out USPS and stick with FedEx and UPS (in that order and from our experience).

Thanks,

AJ