@digmygroove When you use a 3rd party service like STAPLES or UPS STORES they are taking a nice chunk of change for themselves. Rates would have been lower shipping direct from a UPS or FEDEX OFFICE location. Setting up an Account with either of these places also offers a significant discount over just walking in off the street.
Shipping fatigue and your audio habits
Hello my audio brethren. Recently wrapped up some sales and purchases and the reality of shipping is hitting me hard. It’s rough! The insurance, packaging protection, and the very high cost these days to move packages over 50 pounds, and for gear over 100 pounds… yikes. 😬 It has put a serious damper on the buy/try/sell habit I have been operating in for years. It’s good in a way as it helps me squash the audio nervosa 🐛 , but man does it sting to really think about the extreme high cost to do business anymore. Curious how this has affected y’all. For us non-dealer audio nuts:are you finding dealers out there that used to offer really great deals offering less of a discount ? For dealers: when buying large orders from your suppliers, if you can share, what strategies have you had to adapt to to keep your operating margins? For us used audio sellers on a’gon and USAM have you adjusted your sales to NOT include free shipping? Local sales only?
The Amazon effect “I want my crap and I want it tomorrow and I don’t want to pay for shipping” seems to be running out of steam. Somebody has to pay the bill. For me I have been much more strict on my sales on USAM. I’m not going to eat the cost of shipping all myself anymore, and more generally I’m pausing big ticket purchases.
Good luck out there and enjoy the music!
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Yep. I’ve got a high custom drum kit I’ve been trying to sell. Lots of interest but I refuse to ship. I’ve told prospective buyers you’re welcome to come buy them, package them yourself or drive ‘em home. Everyone wants me to accept the liability yet they won’t. Just not worth the risk and headache if they get damaged. |
@lalitk nice! 😊 ye it’s been rough on the Mars Tx/Rx $$ roundtrip ;) |
riaa_award_collectors_on_facebookDepending on one's location, there's not always a UPS store near by, so Staples can become the most convenient option. However, when I drop off a Pirate Ship labeled package all Staples is doing is acting as a location for the driver to pick up, they don't get a cut of the Pirate Ship label. |
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