Post by thedeisel on Jul 21, 2011 19:46:23 GMT -5
Recently I have gotten PM's on both MIA and AO on how to ship things.
Some people don't ship because they don't know how, or are afraid to deal with shipping.
Depending on what you ship, you may save time and money compared to driving to a city.
Lets get of to the basics; shipping services.
USPS: a very cheap and easy method to ship small to large items. It tends to be a pain to ship large items with no box(like a rifle). They offer tracking that is delayed for a couple dollars, and insurance. I always go priority for a few dollars more so the buyer gets it in a few days. ;D
DHL: don't even use them, they are a waste of time. They are dirt cheap, but takes them over a week to ship something that normally takes a couple days. They tend to half-ass things by handing it over to USPS without any tracking or notification.
UPS: very good shippers, and fast too! They offer packing for a few extra dollars, so it's very convenient for rifle shippers. but it costs twice as much as USPS to ship something. But all packages come with "Free" tracking that is very up to date, and $100 insurance that can be increased for some extra pennies.
Fedex: They are good shippers. They are like UPS, but some differences. Their shipping is a little slower than UPS, and their tracking is a little slower than UPS, but way faster than USPS.
Before you post your ad, check all the shipping services to find which you think would be best for that item. Their websites offer shipping calculators to figure out what the costs would be. Then add that to your asking price. but don't go too high, or people think your prices are insane. Keep your shipping/item price balanced.
USPS' calculator: www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=home_header&page=calculatepostage
DHL's calculator: dct.dhl.com/input.jsp?langId=en
UPS' calculator: wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request?loc=en_US&WT.svl=PNRO_L1
Fedex's calculator: www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en&locId=express
*NOTE* DO NOT SHOW YOUR GUN IN PUBLIC! ENCLOSE IT IN A BOX OR CASE. ASK THE SHIPPER IF THEY SHIP AIRSOFT GUNS FIRST.
They will say yes, but pulling out a gun without asking is a big NO.
When you ship it, do not just use the gun's box. The manufacture's box is not designed to be shipped by itself. get a bigger box for that one, and fill it with packaging peanuts. DO NOT EAT THE PEANUTS.
Make sure you have everything in the box before you tape it with packaging tape.
And fill out the address on a piece of paper like this, and take it to the shipping service. some will just type it in the computer, and some just have you tape it on the package. I like to have it just in case.
I have sent/received hundreds of packages, and after a while you'll get the hang of it.
If you ship a pair of goggles, batteries, or even a pistol, I would use a USPS Priority Flat Rate Box for a couple of dollars, and add tracking.
For rifles I would use UPS for the convenience, and fast services. Remember the buyer can give you bad feedback for shipping badly. He's not paying $200+ to get a gun that takes a week to get to his door.
And any gun I ship either a pistol or rifle, I add insurance.
If you still need help, you can PM me, or ask your local shipper for assistance. They would be happy to help you. ;D
I hope you try shipping, and enjoy this guide.
And I hope more people will expand their ads by offering more options that will attract more buyers, Which will sell your item faster.
Thank you,
THEDEISEL
Some people don't ship because they don't know how, or are afraid to deal with shipping.
Depending on what you ship, you may save time and money compared to driving to a city.
Lets get of to the basics; shipping services.
USPS: a very cheap and easy method to ship small to large items. It tends to be a pain to ship large items with no box(like a rifle). They offer tracking that is delayed for a couple dollars, and insurance. I always go priority for a few dollars more so the buyer gets it in a few days. ;D
DHL: don't even use them, they are a waste of time. They are dirt cheap, but takes them over a week to ship something that normally takes a couple days. They tend to half-ass things by handing it over to USPS without any tracking or notification.
UPS: very good shippers, and fast too! They offer packing for a few extra dollars, so it's very convenient for rifle shippers. but it costs twice as much as USPS to ship something. But all packages come with "Free" tracking that is very up to date, and $100 insurance that can be increased for some extra pennies.
Fedex: They are good shippers. They are like UPS, but some differences. Their shipping is a little slower than UPS, and their tracking is a little slower than UPS, but way faster than USPS.
Before you post your ad, check all the shipping services to find which you think would be best for that item. Their websites offer shipping calculators to figure out what the costs would be. Then add that to your asking price. but don't go too high, or people think your prices are insane. Keep your shipping/item price balanced.
USPS' calculator: www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm?from=home_header&page=calculatepostage
DHL's calculator: dct.dhl.com/input.jsp?langId=en
UPS' calculator: wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request?loc=en_US&WT.svl=PNRO_L1
Fedex's calculator: www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en&locId=express
*NOTE* DO NOT SHOW YOUR GUN IN PUBLIC! ENCLOSE IT IN A BOX OR CASE. ASK THE SHIPPER IF THEY SHIP AIRSOFT GUNS FIRST.
They will say yes, but pulling out a gun without asking is a big NO.
When you ship it, do not just use the gun's box. The manufacture's box is not designed to be shipped by itself. get a bigger box for that one, and fill it with packaging peanuts. DO NOT EAT THE PEANUTS.
Make sure you have everything in the box before you tape it with packaging tape.
And fill out the address on a piece of paper like this, and take it to the shipping service. some will just type it in the computer, and some just have you tape it on the package. I like to have it just in case.
I have sent/received hundreds of packages, and after a while you'll get the hang of it.
If you ship a pair of goggles, batteries, or even a pistol, I would use a USPS Priority Flat Rate Box for a couple of dollars, and add tracking.
For rifles I would use UPS for the convenience, and fast services. Remember the buyer can give you bad feedback for shipping badly. He's not paying $200+ to get a gun that takes a week to get to his door.
And any gun I ship either a pistol or rifle, I add insurance.
If you still need help, you can PM me, or ask your local shipper for assistance. They would be happy to help you. ;D
I hope you try shipping, and enjoy this guide.
And I hope more people will expand their ads by offering more options that will attract more buyers, Which will sell your item faster.
Thank you,
THEDEISEL
.
(Thanks to this site being grammar Nazis I notice everything now.. 
)