To all those who have listed in the past, have presently listed, and will list in the future, classified for sale ads.,—why do so many of you insist on excluding the 2 non-contiguous states in this great nation, from being able to trade our money for your wares?
If it’s the high cost of shipping—, why not just pass it on to the buyer or in the case where shipping is included, deduct that cost from the shipping cost to whichever state it’s destined for?
Trust me, the one thing we, outlaying states realize early on is the limitations set upon us due to our geographic location.
Is it returns that you fear? Easy. “All sales are final”
Is it the mysterious possibility of things suddenly disappearing in Bermuda-triangle-esque fashion mid-flight? You know that Pacific Ocean, it’s whacky and unpredictable. Hell, we haven’t lost a fully loaded plane since ‘48 (that’s a joke).But even In the off chance that it were to go “missing” (read stolen), is it really easier to go through the claims process if the package was lost 200 miles away versus 2000 miles away? This really is a problem that tends to solve itself. Ex. If I want to buy a high-end PCP from a fellow forumite in Florida, and the cheapest rate either of us can find is say $200 for shipping, then that issue solves itself, ‘cause I sure as hell ain’t paying no $200 for shipping.
Here’s something that mainlanders might not know as it relates to shipping offshore. Whereas, the prices of FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS, and whomever else is out there, are competitively priced, in the contiguous 48, this is not true where I live. In Hawaii the USPS is significantly cheaper than anyone else. So much so that the other shippers aren’t even in the conversation most of the time . I’m 51 years young, and have never in my life shipped anything via FedEx.
Now of course there are an exceptions (Years ago I got something through UPS in 2 days,—but the fact that I still remember this, is proof of how rare a circumstance this is.). Exceptions to rules and all that.
Here’s something else that judging from a few of my interactions (mostly in the musical instrument world, another hobby of mine ) I’ve had with past transactions, that may not be common knowledge . Anything packed into a USPS priority mail bag/box/envelope, will cost the same whether you’re shipping it to Kalamazoo or Mauna Kea.
Now I see an issue arising if you’re like a small business that advertises “free returns” without any sort of contract with a major carrier, but with a few well crafted words, you could avoid anything that might cause your business to lose money.
I love listening to music and have been collecting vinyl for years. Any LP that I buy through eBay will automatically take around a month to get to me. The only good thing about that is whenever I get an album I’m always pleasantly surprised, because I have throughly forgotten that I bought the damn thing.
Was going write this in the other thread about the high cost of shipping but figured this needed a thread of its own.
