posted on May 22, 2006 07:26:22 PM new
I see several people sell shipping peanuts, and have free shipping. Since they are oversized, they must be making zilch on the peanuts (and why would they do that, since then they have to pay a percent of shipping to ebay?).
These are usually shipped USPS priority mail. I can't figure out how they are making money, since the item is big (even though they are light). Anyone care to enlighten me, on if there is some way to ship these and make it worth selling them? I'm in NYS, so if someone from CA buys them, shipping could be pretty pricey. Thanks.
posted on May 22, 2006 11:05:08 PM new
yes, please tell us. I am loaded with packing peanuts again. I can't get rid of 'em! Are they really cheap to buy now or something?
posted on May 23, 2006 05:17:48 AM new
I collect free peanuts from everyone I can find and never have enough. Last I bought was from a company and it cost me $11.00 for a huge bag good price I guess but don't know how they ship priority and make any money??? Never tried to buy on ebay just how much they selling for anyway?
**************
Some minds are like concrete,
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
posted on May 23, 2006 06:40:28 AM new
To answer the OP's question: The only way to make a reasonable amount of money on these is to be located in the center of the country so that shipping is never more than say $5-7 or whatever.
From NYS, it would indeed be pricy for you to ship any further than say Chicago. The small cubes don't go into oversize (those at the $13 and change ones) and probably don't weigh much more than a few pounds. They ship without a second wrapping, so all that's involved is to slap a tag on, and go from there. The reason they ship priority is that there is no surcharge to go anywhere in the US, which means Hawaii and even Puerto Rico or Green Acres, USA, 40 miles from the nearest small town. The smallest bag they offer really isn't that big -- think a medium trash can liner. You will see that the bags they sell are tall and reasonably skinny -- just enough to get under the magic oversize number.
It's all about volume in this case, and looks to be a pretty competitive market. My shipper charges me about $4 for a large garbage bag full.
posted on May 23, 2006 06:41:02 AM new
We always take them when someone offers, but lately we seem to have hit the mother load, and the attic is full. I thought I would try selling a few of the big bags on eBay, but maybe I'll just sell them at a local garage sale.
posted on May 23, 2006 07:15:13 AM new
Good Luck selling them at a garage sale! I had terrible luck with that. You put out the bag and a little sign. It starts gettin windy and WHOOSH! There is goes. People in this area don't seem interested in packing peanuts during a garage sale. Maybe in your area it's different. I hope so.
posted on May 23, 2006 08:28:43 AM new
Well, they cost me nothing, and I have some really tall garbage bags to sell them in. I'll try the garage sale (I don't think they would fly around, as the bag is about 5 feet tall, and I can clip them to a clothes line). I'd rather sell them on eBay. One auction I'm looking at is selling 60 gallons with free Priority shipping for $16, and they are in TX. Maybe 60 gallons isn't as big as I think. I wonder though why they don't lower the price and chanrge shipping so their ebay fees would be lower.
posted on May 23, 2006 10:43:58 AM new
When I buy a bag it is about 5 feet tall and about 30 inch in diameter very large I think way over the size for a post office. It cost me about 12 something with tax at a Paper and supplies company. Only thing wrong with that is I have to travel 65 miles to get them. I can get them delivered to my work but that would cost me about 16 dollars. So I pick them up if I have to make a trip there anyway for other things.
Don't you know the post office would just have a cow if the shipping in a garbage bag broke or tore and the little devils went everywhere. LOL I can just see it.
**************
Some minds are like concrete,
thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.
posted on May 23, 2006 11:21:59 AM new
Someone really needs to invent a new kind of packing peanut. One that comes in a granule and when you add water or maybe better, heat it poofs up to a hundred times it's starting size. Or even better would be if they come in a can and when you open the can it poofs up to fill a large garbage sized bag, kind of like those joke peanut cans with the springy snakes in them type idea. Think of the posibilities. I'm gonna go noodle with this one, or maybe I already am noodle. Whadaya think?
posted on May 23, 2006 02:13:41 PM new
But popcorn leaves a greasy residue on everything and who would want to buy a comforter that smells like butter?
posted on May 23, 2006 02:56:53 PM new
Why would you use packing peanuts to protect a comforter?
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
People put their hand on the bible, and swear to uphold the constitution. They do not put their hand on the constitution, and swear to uphold the bible.
posted on May 23, 2006 03:10:35 PM new
I rarely use packing peanuts. Usually only in the spring for a PITA customer in the south where there is a high probability they will have a ceiling fan running at top speed when they open the box.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
posted on May 24, 2006 04:21:28 AM new
piinthesky - My husband is already working on that canned stuff idea. Next to duct tape that canned foam is his favorite tool and he's trying to find a way for me to use it in my ebay business. Can't you just see someone peeling that off their Ming Vase?
posted on May 24, 2006 06:57:02 AM new
Ladyjewels2000, that canned foam is along the lines of what I was thinking about. In the can it's a liquid but when it comes out of the nozzle it poofs up and becomes a fluffy solid, perfect for a packing cushion but it doesn't exactly dry immediately upon contact with air.
There are other products that may do what I am thinking of but it would probably take a Chemist to come up with just the right formula.
