[Milsurplus] Scarce Items and the Coming Demise of Ebay "Hobby" Selling.

[Edward Greeley]

There is something WRONG with your picture. The T.O. lists the weight of 
one transmitter as 8.3 pounds. Call it 10 pounds to allow for reasonable 
packing. From my ZIP code in Mobile AL to one in Lake Charles LA that is 
326 miles away per Google, the USPS Web site gives me $11.03 to ship the 
10 pound box by Parcel Post. Insurance for $100.00 (ridiculous!) would 
be $2.25 additional.

Shipment by Express Mail, the highest rate USPS has, would be $41.40. 
WHY would anyone ship an old ARC-5 transmitter by Express Mail?


David Stinson wrote:

> Ebay has made many scarce and even rare items available
> to collectors and has saved thousands of pieces from the dumpster.
> However- those days may soon end.
> Shipping restrictions are becoming prohibitive
> and costs are climbing quickly.   I recently sent an ARC-5
> transmitter to a gentleman in the next state.  The Post Office
> demanded nearly $40 to ship it, and that price is going to go up.
> People already bid less or not at all because 
> shipping has become a major part of the expense of collecting.  
> There are many modest-sized items
> I can't ship internationally due to stricter box size
> and weight restrictions.  
> And the no-explanation discontinuance of  "surface mail" 
> as an option has also damaged the hobby 
> collecting of our friends overseas.
> "Hamfests" are no answer.  They are few and far,
> and as we all age we will be less willing (or able) 
> to participate.  Moreover, a hamfest is a severely 
> limited, local market.  I can go to every hamfest in Texas
> for the rest of my life and I will never see that RAV
> receiver someone's kids in New Jersey threw into the dump
> because they couldn't  market it.
> What to do in a world where shipping an  ARC-5 
> a lousy 300 miles costs $40?  
> Your thoughts?