How Do You Handle Shipping Cost On The Forum

USPS.com, fedex.com and UPS.com have shipping calculators.  Enter origin and destination zip codes, weight and dimensions.  Both will give you a very good estimate of their price.  A listing which includes delivery penalizes buyer who is located near the point of origin.  John

Nick, I use the calculators that John mentioned.  You just need the buyer’s zip code, enter that and the box’s weight and outside dimensions to get shipping cost.

I do the opposite.  I sell for what I feel is a fair price plus shipping.  If I have an interested buyer I get their address / zip and get the shipping price based on actual quote.  That way its just a pass through.  If anything I will round down. i.e. its 11 or 12 bucks to ship so  will just ask for 10 more to cover most of the shipping.  I only sell on the forum though.  If it was a sale to a general public crowd such as ebay I would stick to the quoted shipping price.

Depending on the words you use to search for shippers rates, some of the shipper's ratings sites are overly involved and can get too complicated.

I prefer to use:

fedex.com/en-us/online/ratings.html

Very simple, just enter zip codes, weight, dimensions, value, click for rates.  Done.

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Simple...I always use USPS Priority Mail. Has been my go-to for years selling trains. Reliable, fast (usually), and you can track the item. And I use some of the calculators mentioned above. Main drivers are weight and destination zip code.

Has served me well every time except for once during the infamous slow down this past holiday season when the package ended up in a holding pattern.

fyi - I often use ups.  reason being I that ups comes to my work daily an I can drop off in the warehouse outgoing pile and it will get picked up.

@johnstrains posted:

Simple...I always use USPS Priority Mail. Has been my go-to for years selling trains. Reliable, fast (usually), and you can track the item. And I use some of the calculators mentioned above. Main drivers are weight and destination zip code.

Has served me well every time except for once during the infamous slow down this past holiday season when the package ended up in a holding pattern.

My thinking is USPS Priority Mail has gotten inordinately expensive in the past year. Comparing recent prices, a 8 lb pkg., insured for $350, was north of $50 to LaJolla, and $35 via FedEx Residential.

I like PirateShip.com.  It will search out the best shipping price and often discounts even USPS.

George

I just include USPS shipping in the price I ask. I'm not running a business. Sometimes I just have some stock that is taking up room and not being used. I'm happy to pass it on to someone, while getting a few dollars in my paypal account.

@cjack posted:

I just include USPS shipping in the price I ask. I'm not running a business. Sometimes I just have some stock that is taking up room and not being used. I'm happy to pass it on to someone, while getting a few dollars in my paypal account.

This is how I usually do it when selling on the forum. When selling on eBay I use the calculators mentioned above and get a quote based on the worst case scenario because once you specify a shipping price you can't later make it more money. Recently I sold two cars on eBay for friend. We based the shipping quote on going to California but the guy who bought them was in Virginia. I refunded him the difference which in this case was $17. Unfortunately, the problem I encountered was that I still had to pay the eBay 15% fees on that $17. I didn't know that. Next time I do this I will refund the person the shipping difference but I will keep 15% of it. I don't think it is fair of eBay to charge the fees on the shipping over payment but that's what they do. I know the OP didn't ask about eBay but I thought it was useful information.

I very rarely sell on the forum, mostly purchase on the forum.  When I do sell something, most times I split the shipping with the buyer and I get it all boxed up and then get the actual cost and notify the buyer of the actual cost and what their portion will be.  If its a large ticket item, like over $550, then I usually pay the costs, I think the buyer appreciates it more and might end up a return purchaser in the future.  When you start adding on the shipping costs, especially these days, that might just make or brake a deal for some people.  Just my 2 cents worth which isn't really worth much these days anyway.

I use Paypal shipping calculator. The price paypal quotes is a discount from the counter. If paypal fails and/or I have computer printer issues, i go to my nearest Staples who gives me the same Paypal discount for UPS.

I only buy.  Given that I live at the end of the road in South Texas shipping is always a consideration in buy or no buy decisions.  It has gotten to the point on ebay that I normally don't buy single cars because the shipping is more than the car in some instances.

I just received a car from a guy last week that had tried to be helpful and put a K-Line car in a soft shipper rather that a box.  One pair of trucks arrived in pieces and while the car was sitting on the counter, the other truck crumbled before my eyes.  Since I have had this problem with K-Line trucks in the past  (which is why I buy L-Kine cars when they are cheap) I just swapped trucks off a spare car and moved on.

I have bought a bunch of K-Line sets recently and I don't mind the $125 to $150 for the sets but the $50 to $70 shipping is really pushing the limit.  The 15% shipping fee does not appear to be fair from a consumer viewpoint.  Having been in business where shipping costs are substantial I understand but really?

I vote for the, 'just tell me what it cost at my door price' and I won't have to refrain from buying because of the shipping cost.

Shipping fees have really risen in the last year or so.  They have taken most of the fun of buying on line.  High shipping fees are a big plus for buying at a trains show if you can and not travel too far.

Charlie

I tend to use UPS exclusively for shipping and rather than go to the closest UPS store, I drive the extra few miles to the UPS shipping terminal. Significantly cheaper. Also, on an expensive item requiring insurance as well as shipping eg. a locomotive, I will split the shipping and insurance with the buyer. They seem to appreciate the gesture.

Thanks for all the replies.  I'll continue to ship USPS Priority but I'm going to buy a scale to take the guess work out of  the sale.  I'll also continue to list an item as INCLUDES SHPPING.  Thanks again.

@G3750 posted:

I like PirateShip.com.  It will search out the best shipping price and often discounts even USPS.

George

I also use PirateShip.com.  When I sell on the forum, I indicate that shipping is extra.  Once I have the buyer's zip code, I can get the discounted price from PirateShip.com. 

I never heard of PirateShip.  I’ll have to check that out.

How many times do I reply trying to help someone, and I learn something new on this forum?  Many times!  

@rattler21 posted:

Bill,  I think you will find USPS rates reasonable for one or two cars out to about five hundred miles.  More than two cars(heavyweight passenger car) over five hundred miles generally will be less expensive via UPS or FedEx.  The most I've spent was $97 to mail four GGD heavyweights to Australia. John

Most directions from where I live and you are still in Texas.