Who do you use for shipping kits ?? I'm out of touch with financial reality

[Miotch]

Sold a couple of old kits recently and had to ship them.  First, I just wrapped the boxes in brown paper, but then my wife told me they'd be damaged.  So I made slightly larger boxes to put the kit boxes in (what a PITA--there's a reason I never sell stuff).  So I take them down the USPS, thinking any company is going to be about the same (and they may--I'm not sure).  Well Lord almighty, the Van Loo Chipmunk was $28 and the Buster was $33.  The Chipmunk box was actually bigger than the Buster, but the Buster was going about 1,500 miles further.  Now that did include $100 insurance ($3, I think).  But crap that seems like a ton of money to ship something that isn't heavy and not all that large.  I was honestly anticipating it would cost about half of that.

So, in the event I sell any more, who do you guys use for shipping and please share any tips you have on packaging, because it wasn't easy nor pretty.

Thanks -Mitch

[Steve Helmick]

I've sold and shipped a few kits. Wrapped the kit box with cardboard and left the ends open. If you make the cardboard double layer on one edge of the kit box, that will help a lot to keep it from being broken in half. I've never had a problem with UPS or USPS. Shipping an ARF or ARC is really expensive.

Wouldn't give FedEx any chance screwing up my stuff...I have had bad luck with them in the past. Always state the price you'll take and add actual shipping. I'm not sure insurance is useful, but might make the shipper take better care of your package. I found out that "Fragile" stickers are not a good investment, and might actually be a hinderance to preserving your items.  Steve

[Fredvon4]

Over the years I have slowley sold of my large collection. Initially USPS flat rate then found Pirate Ship

https://ship.pirateship.com/

Get an account. Put in to address and all the dimensions and weight..then decide on who to ship with, Usually UPS or USPS are listed as least cost.

30 Kits sent all over the world and UPS or USPS has not crushed one yet...knock on wood.  I do repack every kit with filler and add a second laye of cardboard around the exterior

[Dan McEntee]

Over the years I have slowley sold of my large collection. Initially USPS flat rate then found Pirate Ship

https://ship.pirateship.com/

Get an account. Put in to address and all the dimensions and weight..then decide on who to ship with, Usually UPS or USPS are listed as least cost.

30 Kits sent all over the world and UPS or USPS has not crushed one yet...knock on wood.  I do repack every kit with filler and add a second laye of cardboard around the exterior

   I echo Fred's advice. Pirateship and several other 3rd party shipping label companies offer savings and some headache. I don't keep a printer at home, but after selecting what rate and service I want, I download the label, put it on a thumb drive and print it at Kinkos on paper, then just tape that to the box. I print a second label to keep for my convenience until the box gets to it's location. When box is ready to ship, just drop it off at the post office. You still have to wait in line but I have them scan it there at the counter and print out a receipt. You can also generally just leave it on the counter if you don't want to wait in line for a receipt. That speeds things up a bit and I have never had a clerk question anything. As Fred says you just need an account, a scale and a tape measure. The shipping companies all started to take size into account more than weight. and the clerks will get the tape measure out for ANY package. Even Pirateship requires a size, but also offer service for envelopes and such.  Dennis Leonahrdi on the forum here recommended it to me and I have used it quite a bit while liquidating some of my Cox and Wen-Mac RTF stuff. And wrapping a kit with corrugated is a big help also. Keeps the size to a minimum and protects the box. It makes more of a sleeve and with practice can be made quite form fitting. Brodak ships their kits in sleeves like this I believe. Some kit boxes today are pretty strong in themselves but older kits like Jetco, Sterling and the others that used cheap paste board for the boxes really need the protection. When those kits were produced, no one evr thought that they would still be around 40 years later or more!!
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Bob Hunt]

The cost of postage, packaging materials, and good light balsa were the three major factors in my decision to close down my Robin's View Productions company and cease production of foam core wings. That was a difficult thing for me to come to grips with as I had been in production of custom foam wings and cores for 53 years. Add to that the fact that my body is now 75 years old and is in need of some rest.

It amazes me that some major companies are able to offer free shipping. You just know that they have made some mutually beneficial agreement with the various shipping companies in order to be able to do this, and you also just know that us pions are picking up the slack and paying way more than we should for shipping. It's the way of the world, I guess, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow...

Soap box stored - Bob Hunt

[Jim Hoffman]

I have had a good experience with pirateship.com for several years

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

I ship about 40 lots per week, primarily kits and engines. 

For kits, USPS is discouraging any package over 30 inches by doubling the price with a $15 "length" surcharge.  For this reason, items over 30 inches but under 50 inches go FedEx ground or UPS.

For example, a kit 38x7x5 weighing 4 lbs is shown below on pirateship from 22030 to 90210 (coast to coast.)

[john e. holliday]

I justsent a package today to Indonesia.  Total cost $16.80.   I asked her if it will get there this year and she laughed.  Of course the first price that came up was $117.00.  I guess the look on my face that is only for parcels sent for over night delivery and high insurance rate.  She picked up my package and asked if I had any thing in it?  I told her it was a model engine part.

[Wayne Collier]

I’m blessed to live near a small business that rents mailboxes, and also packages and ships items. I have always been a stickler about packaging and insisted on doing it myself. I generally shipped stuff USPS. Several months ago I needed help getting some items shipped so I bit the bullet and went into this locally owned place to find out how their process works. Turns out the woman who runs the place is also a stickler about packaging. They provide the packaging materials and pack the items as economically as I could do it myself. They get dimensions and weight and then shop USPS, UPS, FedEx and other carriers for best rate, delivery window, etc.
After the first time, I’m sold on their services. They’re saving me a little money and lots of time. And I feel good about their methods. Especially since it’s getting more complicated to ship packages at the local post office.