Best/Cheapest Way to Ship?

[bigbluesd]

Getting ready to complete my first trade and I'm just curious what you guys have found to be the most inexpensive way of shipping and how much it normally costs?

Edited December 19, 2013 by bigbluesd

[Jantrix]

Just use the good old postal service. The only times I have ever gotten a mangled box is from UPS or FedEx. Just use the cheapest possible delivery. It's usually around $7 to mail one kit and I've shipped across the country in four days or less.

[iBorg]

Here's my advice and I ship a fair amount. Go to the post office and get a Priority Mail Shoebox. I can ship a normal kit in it cross country for eight dollars or so.

Whatever you do don't waste your money buying a box. The post office has several sizes for free based upon you shipping it priority mail.

Mike

[Casey]

Here's my advice and I ship a fair amount. Go to the post office and get a Priority Mail Shoebox. I can ship a normal kit in it cross country for eight dollars or so.

Whatever you do don't waste your money buying a box. The post office has several sizes for free based upon you shipping it priority mail.

Mike

Better yet, go to USPS.com and order Priority Mail boxes. They will ship them directly to your mailbox-- FREE. Nine time out of ten Priority Mail is cheaper than Parcel Select for most packages I ship, so combined with free shipping boxes, it's an easy decision. Plus, printing labels online means the mail carrier picks them up and there's no need to stop at the Post Office. Did I mention purchasing shipping labels/postage online is cheaper than purchasing it at the Post Office?

[Erik Smith]

Better yet, go to USPS.com and order Priority Mail boxes. They will ship them directly to your mailbox-- FREE. Nine time out of ten Priority Mail is cheaper than Parcel Select for most packages I ship, so combined with free shipping boxes, it's an easy decision. Plus, printing labels online means the mail carrier picks them up and there's no need to stop at the Post Office. Did I mention purchasing shipping labels/postage online is cheaper than purchasing it at the Post Office?

Yes, all of the above. You save considerably paying and printing shipping labels online. Almost 10% or so? Ship much and that adds up.

Priority is the way to go - tracking, $50 insurance, usually gets across the country in two, maybe three days.

[DPNM]

I concur with those suggesting the USPS. I also do a fair amount of shipping and I purchased a printer and a 0 to 25 pound scale so I can print and weigh my own packages. I use the USPS online service and you do get a discount and I have the package scheduled to be picked up at my house. I do not have to make the trip to the PO.

I ship Priority Mail and I supply my own box as it is cheaper than using the USPS Priority Mail box. Usually one plastic kit sent that way (in my own box) costs less than $6.00. (Depends on weight/with the discount) If you are only going to ship an item every so often I would still suggest using your own box. If you are going to ship heavier items (like diecasts, etc) where the box is pretty heavy, that would be the time to use the "If It Fits It Ships" box.

I have sent packages from Pittsburgh to the west coast that have been there in 2 days and the cost was less than $7.

Edited December 20, 2013 by DPNM

[Rob Hall]

Better yet, go to USPS.com and order Priority Mail boxes. They will ship them directly to your mailbox-- FREE. Nine time out of ten Priority Mail is cheaper than Parcel Select for most packages I ship, so combined with free shipping boxes, it's an easy decision. Plus, printing labels online means the mail carrier picks them up and there's no need to stop at the Post Office. Did I mention purchasing shipping labels/postage online is cheaper than purchasing it at the Post Office?

Yes, definitely the best way... I have a scale at home to weigh things, print the postage, then drop off USPS packages off at the neighborhood UPS store (my mailman won't pick up packages left outside).

[DrewCfromSC]

I use UPS through my work and it coasts about $8.00 or less to ship to the lower 48 states with $100 insurance. I hate the attitudes of the employees at my local post office and refuse to deal with them.

[Greg Cullinan]

Flat rate works well if it's close.

[Casey]

I ship Priority Mail and I supply my own box as it is cheaper than using the USPS Priority Mail box.

Just FYI, USPS.com lists many Priority Mail box sizes, which are different (and much cheaper when it comes time to mail them) than the Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes they stock at local Post Offices.

[Tom Geiger]

Just FYI, USPS.com lists many Priority Mail box sizes, which are different (and much cheaper when it comes time to mail them) than the Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes they stock at local Post Offices.

The flat rate boxes are only a good deal if you are mailing something small but heavy. I have a whole selection of priority mail boxes that they delivered to my door.

[zenrat]

Don't forget to pack it all properly. I ask sellers to open the box and stuff some packing inside if there is room to stop bits rattling around.

A wise man once told me "if you can't throw it down a flight of stairs without breaking it then it isn't packed right".

[Tom Geiger]

Don't forget to pack it all properly. I ask sellers to open the box and stuff some packing inside if there is room to stop bits rattling around.

A wise man once told me "if you can't throw it down a flight of stairs without breaking it then it isn't packed right".

Tell me about it! My sister and I always get each other cheap but interesting stuff for Christmas. I got her a 1963 board game Po-Ke-No that she recently was talking about, a game my parents had when we was kiddos. So I found a perfect mint condition one on eBay... and how does the numpty ship it? He took a piece of cardboard and folded it in half, and taped the edges. Opened it and the entire box was split in the corners and ruined! So I email the dolt and his reply is, "So what? You can still play the game!"

I just filed a Paypal claim on it. Nasty feedback is coming!

[Stonisgear9]

The price of shipping a car varies depends on the level of service you seek, and the service and shipping providers you choose. Expect anywhere from about $50 (short distance, slower shipping, and do your own packing) to upwards of $250 (longer distance, faster shipping, professionally packed).

You can also check pricing for car shipping on citizenshipper as they have biding system for shipment. This way you can get good idea for transporting a car.
You can also do these small things before shipping car like:-
Wash your car
Clean the inside of the car
Disable the alarm
Lock the car

 

[iBorg]

This back from the dead post apparently was hijacked....

[iamsuperdan]

On 10/11/2020 at 12:18 PM, Stonisgear9 said:

The price of shipping a car varies depends on the level of service you seek, and the service and shipping providers you choose. Expect anywhere from about $50 (short distance, slower shipping, and do your own packing) to upwards of $250 (longer distance, faster shipping, professionally packed).

You can also check pricing for car shipping on citizenshipper as they have biding system for shipment. This way you can get good idea for transporting a car.
You can also do these small things before shipping car like:-
Wash your car
Clean the inside of the car
Disable the alarm
Lock the car

 

Although this post reads suspiciously like a bot, I'll respond anyway.

The OP from 7 years ago was asking about shipping model cars, not real cars.

I'm going to assume he has figured it out by now.