"SHIPPING IN THE NEW CENTURY"

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Depending on what you collect and how bad you want an item has to be balanced with the price of shipping these days. If you collected walkie-talkies for instance, it was a no brainer when you found a model you were looking for at a Buy-it-now price of under $10. A few years ago this was a good deal, but it's not unusual TODAY, to find a walkie-talkie with a $9.95 price tag and a shipping charge of $15-18 dollars!

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Now imagine something much larger, and heavier than a walkie-talkie and suddenly what appears to be a "Good Deal" is marginal or, worse. Of course there are variables like sellers who view shipping and handling as a profit scheme charging an absurd fee, while on the other side of the coin there are honest sellers who go to places like the UPS Store and let them provide the boxes, fillers, labels, etc. But all of that service COSTS!

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Last but not least....there is the shipping calculator on EBAY, which is not always correct - or even close. I can't remember how many times I've written the seller to ask "Why does it cost "X" dollars to send a rig to me, when I know you could ship it halfway around the world for less?"

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Usually, they'll check it out and make a major correction, but if I hadn't asked that question, they would have just assumed that it was correct (and we know what assume means).

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UPS (IMHO) is the worst of the lot. They are expensive, and seem to take forever to get the product delivered. Usually, they take their time, whereas FedEx seems to bust their butt to beat the delivery date. If an item is brought to the UPS Store, it will be much more expensive.

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As mentioned, FedEx seems to go the extra mile. I've found their prices to be reasonable (sometimes GREAT), and their tracking system is better than UPS's. I've had good luck with FedEx Ground as well (both in shipping and receiving).

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Now the US Postal Service is my favorite, especially when using their "FLAT RATE" boxes. Granted, you can't fit a Tram D201 in one of those, but for smaller items it's nice to know that you can quote a price, anywhere in the US and it's good (Plus it gets there in 2-3 days). Maybe FedEx should take a note on this one. The biggest complaint I have about the USPS, is their tracking system, if you can call it that. It will let the buyer know that the item has been dropped off, but there is no stop-to-stop tracking for them to see how close or far away their package is. *NOTE - Many vendors use "PARCEL POST", a very slow means of shipping, thinking it will be the best price. I've found that at least 50% of the time PRIORITY is less expensive, and of course, much faster.

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So what does this mean for you, the buyer? Ask questions. Go to the Post Office and see what the two sizes are for FLAT RATE boxes, so you'll know ahead of time what will or won't fit. EXAMPLE: EBAY auction. The seller lists only PARCEL POST and is charging almost $20. I know that the item will fit in the $9 Flat Rate box, and I write the seller asking him if he would ship it in one of those boxes (he has to go to the Post Office anyways right?). End of story - I save eleven bux in shipping charges and get my item in two days.....not NINE.

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