Looking For Shipping Supply Ideas

katlupe · #1 09/02/11, 08:09 AM

I would like to send vintage photographs, black and white snapshot types, through the mail. I am having trouble packaging them up. I do not want the shipping to cost very much. They only weight about 1-2 ounces. But I need to protect them, so I put the photo between two pieces of cardboard. It works because it adds thickness to the package and to have Delivery Confirmation you have to make it thicker than it really is (darn Post Office rules!). And then I put it in a bubble mailer the size for a CD.

Sounds fine right? Wrong! It cost $1.75 to mail them! Is there a product that I don't know about that might work for this? I thought about using thick greeting cards for the protector inside the package. But if it isn't thick, I can't get the Delivery Confirmation. Now what? Any ideas?

Pelenaka · #2 09/02/11, 09:57 AM

It must be because of the size not just the thickness - last piece of mail I got that had delivery confirmation was a business size envelope with one piece of paper.

Can't you just pass some or all of the cost on to the customer ?

~~ pelenaka ~~

Ifistav · #3 09/02/11, 11:43 AM

would that qualify as media mail? I don't know if it would be cheaper though.

As a separate note, If you're doing this as a business, if I were to be charged $2 for s&h, I wouldn't mind it, it's not that much. So you should consider passing the cost to the customer.

Ifi

WildernesFamily · #4 09/02/11, 12:35 PM

Walmart sells photo mailers. A cardboard envelope size mailer. Would only fit regular size photos though... and the price of that would up the overall shipping price. I can't remember what they cost.. 29c for one maybe?

katlupe · #5 09/02/11, 01:06 PM

I don't believe photographs are considered Media Mail.

The post office gave me little board that has a slot in it. The package cannot fit in the slot to be able to have delivery confirmation. Cannot be thin books, or even the guitar strings I sell, we put extra padding in if it is only one package of strings. I'd love to use the rigid mailers but have to use delivery confirmation.

I am including the cost of the shipping and shipping supplies in my price to the customer so I can offer free shipping. And still try to keep the price low so they will buy from me. Not easy to do!

Maybe some post offices let it go, but we have had our packages rejected due to being too thin for delivery confirmation.

equinecpa · #6 09/03/11, 08:59 AM

Is delivery confirmation worth the additional cost? Do you print the pictures yourself? Perhaps go without the delivery confirmation ? If someone claims they didn't get a photo just resend them one? You could try this and see which way ends up being cheaper.

$1.75 doesn't actually seem that bad to me, how much do the prints sell for?

homstdr74 · #7 09/03/11, 09:31 AM

I have sold and mailed many "antique" photos to my eBay customers. Most of mine are small pictures, so I don't worry too much about heavy cardboard protection, just the thinner cardboard such as you'd find on, say, a dry milk box, or a folder, or something like that. Sometimes I use regular envelopes, sometimes a small manila envelope, occasionally an envelope with built-in protection. I've never had a complaint about bent pictures. Oh, and I have never done Delivery Confirmation, but I've never had a complaint about the merchandise not showing up, either.

**clovis** · #8 09/03/11, 10:26 AM

If I were shipping those pics, I'd fold a piece of paper around them. Then, I'd take two pieces of cardboard and sandwich the pic between them.

Tape and address, then ship first class mail. Shipping should cost less than $2.

katlupe · #9 09/03/11, 12:34 PM

I guess the way I am sending them will have to do. Yes, I must have delivery confirmation as I am selling them on eBay, and I think it is worth the cost. It is the only thing that has stopped me from selling international at the moment.

I am sending them first class, in a bubble mailer between two pieces of cardboard. Today, I wrapped a thinner piece of bubble wrap around it, and it gave me the thickness I needed for delivery confirmation. It cost $1.75 and the one I sent out today I had put the price up a little bit for the buy it now and it sold. So it must be acceptable to the buyer.

Thanks for the ideas everyone!

sashay · #10 09/08/11, 06:07 PM

I think that what you are doing is fine...but I agree with the other posters. You absolutely need to pass this cost on to the customer. Most ebay sellers multiply the actual cost of packing and shipping by 2 or 3 (sometimes more!) and that is tacked on to the price of the object sold. sometimes I have purchased items that the S&H was more than the actual item I bought. Customers expect to pay for S&H. I would not forego delivery confirmation either. Most folks are honest...but for the 1200 that are not...they could break a small business pretty quickly. Pretty cheap insurance for the delivery confirmation...and it is a tax deductible business expense anyway.

Good luck!

mypatriotsupply · #11 09/13/11, 07:56 PM

I know they claim the 3/4" thickness rule, but I send padded envelopes that are much thinner (started out doing it accidentally) with DC on them and have never heard squat about it. Another option might be to put some bubble-type cushion around them to make the package larger...we get unlimited amounts of bubble wrap from a local company who saves it for us...usually if you post on your local free cycle or equivalent you can find a local source of packing materials for free.

katlupe · #12 09/14/11, 02:37 PM

Thank you for you info! I have been wrapping bubble wrap around it to make it fatter. That seems to work and also protects the photos. I have just raised the price of them to include the DC in the price. I see others selling their photos for much more than I do, but not getting a lot of bids unless it is something spectacular as a nude or famous place in time. My post office does check the size of it and so does the other post office in the next town. So I best abide by their rules.