Beyond the basics of E-Bay what I want to know is how to determine the shipping price. Should I go to the UPS store before the auction and have them professionally pack it and weigh it so I know how much it will cost? I always screw myself on the shipping in E-Bay auctions.
I use a bathroom scale to figure the weigh and once you know that, you can check the shipping price via the UPS website.. Over pack it.. Jeff
DO NOT HAVE THE UPS STORE PACK IT. My friend has a totaled Twin Reverb sitting in his bedromm that was "professionally" packed by the UPS store. I begged him to tell the seller not to do it that way..... he didn't listen. Packing an amp well is not difficult. Its not cheap either. I just shipped a very expensive heavy amp. I used a ton of bubble wrap and good quality boxes. Shipping the amp was about $30.00 (Fed Ex Ground). Supplies cost about the same.
yup, people underestimate the cost of packing materials. Even if you find the right box, it takes a load of bubble wrap to finish the job. Never had a problem, but the extra $ and time packing will save on headaches bigtime. I don't even remove tubes usually, but pack it so UPS can "drop" ship it.
EVERYIME I've ever shipped an amp I underestimated (and had to eat) the shipping costs. If it's packed correctly it'll cost more than you think.
I have actually had a couple of amps packed and shipped by the UPS store. I only had one get "damaged" and come to find out all it was was a speaker wire coming loose. The buyer just couldn't figure it out. The one thing I like about having UPS pack is that they can't come back and say that packing was done incorrectly, in the event that there is damage. I have heard this many times that UPS says a packing was improperly and therefore the insurance wont cover it.
Exactly. I use the 9 foot rule. If I can drop it 9 feet with no problems it "should" survive shipping. It takes a lot of tape and bubblewrap but 300 Ebay and Forum transcations later I have YET to have a single item damaged in transit. BTW, I use Fed Ex Ground exclusively. Some hate 'em but I will NEVER use UPS. Used them for 5 transactions, all 5 had BS tracking issues and runaround. Fed Ex, never a problem.
Because 99% of the time the packing wasn't good enough. I wrap 'em like mummy's in bubble wrap. I have seen too many un-caring UPS store employees pack amps and guitars in ways that would make your blood curdle. Sure they may cover the damage but I would rather have NO damage than have it covered. It is much easier to have them do it, I just don't trust them at all.
Your best bet on shipping is to get an estimate from the UPS or FedEx website. You should get a box ahead of time. The box size sometimes will override the weight when it comes to cost. It can make a big difference in the price. If you know you have a 30x24x16 box, 80 lbs, $800 insurance you will get an exact number for whatever location you ship to.
Very good advice. A box just one inch over the size/weight limit can double the shipping cost. Cut the box to fit better.... save a bundle.
Double boxing is a good safety technique. Put the amp in a somewhat tight fitting box. Then put that box in another box that leaves at least 2 inches on all sides. Fill the gaps with foam peanuts or bubble wrap. DOn't forget to have this extra packing material under and over the amp as well - not just on the sides. FedEx ground is my preferred service.
In cases where you don't think you can determine the exact charge in advance, put in the ad that shipping expense will be actual cost but buyer must pay an amount of $XX on winning and any excess payment above the actual shipping cost will be refunded to the buyer once actual shipping cost is determined. You might be talking an extra $10-$20 on an amp worth maybe $1,200, so the buyer really shouldn't be too concerned.
Please don't tell people to use foam peanuts and definitely not the Styrofoam, non biodegradable ones. They make a huge mess. They get into everything on the amp, especially speaker cones and many times they shift in the boxes and move away from an area that needs to be protected. Plain old, free wadded up newspaper works great.
