posted on December 28, 2001 10:34:06 PM new
I will try this with a different title and maybe someone who mails ads or other papers can be of assistance. When I checked out the flat mailers for this size it cost $1.00 each. I might as well go ahead and ship priority mail since it will cost them $4.00 anyway. But, how do you keep papers flat inside a priority box. Even the flexible mailers for this size are 50 cents each. I thought about putting them inside a mailer and then in the priority box with peanuts but that will still cost me an extra $1.00 a box for supplies.
posted on December 29, 2001 12:39:41 AM new
Use your priority box or another box FLAT. Maybe add extra cardboard inside, one on each side of your paper, put in a plastic bag and slide it in the flat box. Type the open edges.
posted on December 29, 2001 08:09:47 AM new
Linda,
You should be able to ship these lobby posters out MUCH easier and cheaper than priority mail. The stay-flat mailers I suggested in your other thread and the bags should come to a cost of $1.00-1.25 First-class postage should also range between $1.25-1.50. That gives you a saving of at least $.75 over priority mail.
The biggest plus with this method, though, is the time involved. It takes me a little over a minute to slide the ads into the bag, close the mailer, address the mailer and put "Please do not fold or bend!" on the back. If you were to cut cardboard to sandwich the papers in, rearrange and tape up boxes to mail them in... I imagine you'd be looking at 4-8 minutes per package. I don't know about you.... but that time is worth BIG money to me! I figure that with my packing experience, I'm worth at least $15.00 an hour for packing. That means the extra time involved in packing would cost me a good $1.00-2.00.
Bottom line... while the stay-flat mailers are a little hefty in cost, they really are the cheapest method to safely send paper merchandise. You'll be able to charge your customers less for shipping, and keep things quick and easy for yourself. Just because priority supplies are free does not always mean you're saving yourself money shipping that way. Hope this helps!
posted on December 29, 2001 09:18:41 AM new
I have shipped thousands of items of that size with priority mail box's.
You do not need to form it in the shape of the box.Just slide the item in with the priority mail box flat.Bend over the ends,easy to do and makes it nice and rigid and tape over the ends.
You need to use the bigger box sizes to do this.Sometimes you can slide the smaller ones into the bigger ones.Take off one end of the bigger ones and seal it.That way you cah sip for 3.50
I can do that in under a min and the mailers are free so I never have to go out and search for supply's.
Then I ship priority I charge 4.50 never get and complaints,feedback over 3000,have many repeat customers and they get the items sooner.
posted on December 29, 2001 09:54:18 AM new
imabrit and richierich: Thanks. That was what I was looking for. I didn't know you could ship the large priority boxes flat.
eauctionmgnt: I appreciate your suggestions, and am sure it would save me time. But, if all I am going to save the customer is 75 cents, I am sure they would prefer the priority mail. Also, I can get the free priority mail confirmations that way.
I have over 2,000 of these to list so it would cost me more in packaging supplies than the product did if I were to invest in the mailers. Also, I need to put them into something safe as I list so as to be sure there is no damage done after the fact. I can order several hundred priority boxes without any up front money.
posted on December 29, 2001 10:43:54 AM new
I have shipped thousands of items of that size with priority mail box's.
You do not need to form it in the shape of the box.Just slide the item in with the priority mail box flat.Bend over the ends,easy to do and makes it nice and rigid and tape over the ends.
You need to use the bigger box sizes to do this.Sometimes you can slide the smaller ones into the bigger ones.Take off one end of the bigger ones and seal it.That way you cah sip for 3.50
I can do that in under a min and the mailers are free so I never have to go out and search for supply's.
Then I ship priority I charge 4.50 never get and complaints,feedback over 3000,have many repeat customers and they get the items sooner.
