[Boatanchors] Estate Sale on eBay

[Kim Herron]

Good Morning Gang,
         Here's my two cents on this
>That's the way it appears in my books as well.  If i sell something and 
>have to ship it i have two choices.  I can take it to a packing/shipping 
>place and pay them for the materials or i can run all over the area 
>looking for and buying stuff that is required to handle this one item. Now 
>i've got more time and gas involved in the cost of doing business. Besides 
>i don't know what my future shipping needs will be.

         Most of us have opted to sell items here (and other reflectors) 
due to convenience, costs, etc.  But the cost to ourselves has gone up due 
to shipping
prices.  UPS, FEDEX, DHL, et. al. prices haven't gone down and they don't 
work for free.  Most of us don't work for free.  I can't afford to and I'm 
betting most of us
can't or won't even if we could.  As Larry has pointed out, shipping 
supplies ad to the mix.  Some people are where they can get supplies for free.
Some of use have to buy them.  That too raises costs.  If some elderly 
widow's family has to sell items via E-Bay and they don't have time to do 
either,
the shipping and packing charges might seem way out of line.  But I go back 
to "would you work for free?".  Today, in the over-burdened work world we 
live in
People can't even find enough time to eat together as a family, let alone 
deal with trying to divest themselves of a huge pile of gear that they 
aren't familiar with,
and the logistics of the project.  I'm speaking here of an estate being 
liquidated by somebody.  So, I guess the way to deal with it is, ask ahead 
of time what
they want to ship it.  If you don't like the answer, then don't bid on or 
buy the item.  The way E-Bay allows to a seller to make money shouldn't 
even come up for discussion.  That's a different subject entirely.
         I was looking for a Heath Phone patch here recently and put a 
posting on the Heath reflector for one.  Found several and was quoted from 
$4.50 to $12.00
shipping for the same item.  We're talking about an item that packed is 
less that 5 lbs and would ship for $7.70 flat rate USPS anywhere in the 
US.  Go figure.
         The point here is that if YOU want the item, and somebody quotes a 
shipping price that you don't like, then be glad that you asked first and 
keep going.
Your energy is better aimed at doing something constructive, rather than 
wasting you energy complaining about something that you can't do anything 
about anyway.  If you get that frustrated about shipping and packing rates, 
go put that tower up that you've putting off, while you still have enough 
steam power on
board to hoist those sections into place.  You'll feel better about it 
later and you'll have something to show for you efforts.  That's something 
that you CAN do
something about, have something to show for it and you'll be satisfied with 
the fruits of your labor.  E-Bay and somebody's way of shipping and 
charging for it is something that YOU"LL NEVER CHANGE NO MATTER WHAT you do.

Thanks!!

Kim Herron  W8ZV
1-616-677-3706
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