Sales: truth in weight?

I agree about many of these shipping estimates being inflated, but consider this: I notice a lot of sellers dont't seem to have a manual (which usually gives the dimensions and weight) and they don't keep their boxes and many do not have the remotes that come with the item. I personally don't buy from anyone who can't manage to keep the remote & manual.
Also, a manufacturer's website can usually give the specs for the unit, so it can't be too hard to guesstimate what the weight might be. If the shipping price is estimated too high, I'd pass on those goods!

when quoting shipping, the package dimensions are almost as important as the weight. I find that the shipping calculators listed in ads don't take this into consideration and shipping charges are often more that what was agreed to at time of sale. Sometimes the actual weight of an item isn't known until it is packaged up and again this is sometimes done after payment is made to seller. If people tend to mislead as to weight for profit sake, then they will mislead about the items itself. I will always check at shipping site if things do look right.

I will include packing expense [either double boxing, or a special kind of expandable foam] in my shipping charges, although usually it costs me slightly MORE than what I actually charge. And don't forget that there is usually an extra charge for "oversize" boxes [watch out when UPS and the USPS pulls out their cloth tape measures]! This can substantially add to the shipping charge.

I try to photo first, THEN pack and get a weight and dimensions, so that I can give a reasonably accurate quote for shipping...very easy using the UPS website.

Viridian, your butcher should have been more careful with the cleaver :-)

Interesting post -

I am just waiting for ebay shipping practices to move on to audiogon. Take a look at how often the shipping for an ebay item - regardless of cost - is fixed at $30 or 40 plus insurance etc etc. Talk about buried profit. And also talk about knowing the true cost of doing business...

As Tvad points out with his usual precision, the real cost of peanuts, packing tape etc has nothing to do with what you have to pay to the carrier, never mind the time to organize it all, figure out why a label is not printing etc.

Half my garage is filled with potentially useful packing materials that I recycle from shipments to me. One more reason that with their free materials, free online tracking and total integration with Paypal, USPS Priority is the best deal in town for most smaller items.

There is one other great deal out there if you tend to buy a lot from Amazon, and that is Amazon Prime. Basically a flat fee which buys you two day shipping on every single item you buy from Amazon regardless of size or weight for a year. Trust me, its saved Christmas and lots of birthdays at no cost to me.

Just read the fine print because items that do not ship from Amazon are not eligible.