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Death by Shipping

post #1 of 29
2/9/10 at 3:13pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all,
As some of you may know, I've been trying to sell off some of my audio gear these past couple days. Upon finding buyers for my D2000s and Compass, I was pretty happy with the price I and each of the buyers agreed upon for their respective item. That is, until I went to ship each item out.

Maybe I look like I'm a pushover (I kind of am), or maybe it's just a symptom of the high cost of living where I do, but the shipping I ended up paying for each of those items was absurd. I was quoted a $50 fee to ship headphones! It was only when I downgraded my shipping option from FedEx to UPS that I could get the price down to $30! My "discount" price was $30; that's outrageous.

Then, this morning, I carried the Compass more than a mile down the road (I don't/can't drive) to another shipping center to see if the craziness was exclusive to the north side of town. It wasn't. I ended up paying $50 to ship the unit.

Both of my buyers were within the continental US, so it's not like it was due to customs or something. I honestly don't know what the deal was. Are these rates typical, or did I just get ripped off two days in a row? Also, do you guys have any tips for shipping expensive audio equipment at a reasonable price?

Thanks for reading, and sorry if this thread came off as whiny or annoying, I'm just a little peeved right now.
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post #2 of 29
2/9/10 at 4:25pm
Yes. Ship via USPS. Track and insure. Usually much, much less than FedEx or UPS and I haven't had a problem with it.
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post #3 of 29
2/9/10 at 4:57pm
Yep, try the calculator on the USPS site and the UPS/Fedex sites. USPS is often/usually cheaper.
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post #4 of 29
2/9/10 at 5:00pm
Yeah, USPS is the way to go for me too these days. Just be sure to get insurance and/or a Delivery Confirmation with it if needed.
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post #5 of 29
2/9/10 at 5:27pm
Wow... $50? A couple years ago when I worked at a bookstore, UPS would ground ship 50 pounds of books across country for that price.
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post #6 of 29
2/9/10 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I don't know what the deal is. It also worried me that the other employee in the store (i.e. the guy who wasn't taking me for all I'm worth) was picking up boxes and dropping them from shoulder-level on the floor, one by one. I made sure to get full insurance and then some on that Compass.
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post #7 of 29
2/9/10 at 6:40pm
USPS is the way to go.
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post #8 of 29
2/9/10 at 6:57pm
BE CAREFUL WITH USPS "DELIVERY CONFIRMATION"

As it turns out, it doesnt confirm anything! All it does is show that the driver had the package loaded onto his truck that morning. It could fall out the back, be stolen, get delivered to the wrong address, etc.... and it will still give confirmation! It won't ever tell you what address it was delivered to.

In the end, you can buy the delivery confirmation, and still get screwed by a person ACCEPTING the package, then turning around and saying it never arrived.

This issue cropped up on me after selling some tubes on ebay - I got screwed out of a lot of money


Moral of the story: Always spring $2 for the signature confirmation, or let the buyer know that lost/stolen packages are solely their issue
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post #9 of 29
2/9/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by d0n7bl1nk View Post
Are these rates typical, or did I just get ripped off two days in a row? Also, do you guys have any tips for shipping expensive audio equipment at a reasonable price?
You need to go to an actual Fedex/UPS depot to get the normal rates, not one of those third-party shipping stores that heavily markup the actual freight cost.
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post #10 of 29
2/9/10 at 8:51pm
As you have time to simmer, you will realize your oversight and next time will be a better experience. Sorry to hear your lesson was so expensive.
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post #11 of 29
2/9/10 at 10:08pm
I shipped today from a regular UPS store, and the young lady who helped me gave me excellent service. Cost for eleven pounds from Kansas City to Belton, Texas was $17.87 with insurance. The package contained Stax headphones, a Stax energizer, and a Static Headroom. A sad day, but I needed the money...
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post #12 of 29
2/9/10 at 11:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fitz View Post
You need to go to an actual Fedex/UPS depot to get the normal rates, not one of those third-party shipping stores that heavily markup the actual freight cost.
QFT, I made this mistake once and will not repeat it again. Although as a norm I use USPS not UPS.
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post #13 of 29
2/9/10 at 11:22pm
$50 for headphone within continental US? I think the seller just try to make extra bucks out of you. Shame
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post #14 of 29
2/9/10 at 11:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy Camper View Post
As you have time to simmer, you will realize your oversight and next time will be a better experience. Sorry to hear your lesson was so expensive.
Yeah, I know it was pretty foolish of me to agree to such prices, especially two days in a row. Now I know...
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post #15 of 29
2/10/10 at 12:15am
Priority Mail Flat-Rate is the way to go; up to 70 lbs, 2/3-day delivery, insurance and confirmations available, and there's no zones, all 50 states are the same flat rate
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