[R-390] How much should it cost???

[Barry Hauser]

Is this a '390 we're talking about, or a grand piano?  Also, from whence
does it shippeth?

Sounds to me like this:  This is being "professionally" packed at a certain
type of franchised storefront operation which shall remain nameless.
Familiar with hundreds of them, but the numbers are still extreme.  Those
places typically charge a lot of money for poor packing materials - flimsy
singlewall cartons, used peanuts and bubblewrap.  But the corker is that
they mark up the UPS or postage anywhere from 15 to 100%, unless you've
found a new high there.  I think UPS coast to coast runs about $75-80 for an
80 lb. package taken to UPS directly or called in on a next-day pickup.
FEDEX ground is somewhat cheaper, but might be a day slower.  Some of these
places will gladly charge you double that -- like $160, even though they pay
a lower daily pickup rate and get volume discounts -- so the markup is
really more than 100%.

Don't know how they got to $70 for packing -- about $40 was the highest I've
heard for packing it poorly.  (Flimsy carton, bubblewrap and peanuts -- the
"beanbag 'n bolts special" I call it.  Maybe $70 is for packing it OK.  Of
course, many sellers will pack for free -- in the price, or charge $10-20
for materials.

Maybe the seller is throwing in a set of encyclopedias.

Barry


>
> I'm new to this list and I haven't got my radio yet, but they're telling
me
> it's $250 to ship it which is almost as much as I paid for the thing.
This
> includes $70 for the packing which seems O.K. to me but $180 for the
> shipping.  Does this sound reasonable?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
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