Shipping Question ?????

[Hobgoblin]

Hey, anyone know how much it would cost to ship a long box full of comics within the United States?

 

What would be the best way to package/ship a long box?

[Jack Anderson]

As far as packaging, I think the best way would be to package groups of about 20 comics (bagged & boarded) between sheets of stiff cardboard. wrap tape around the cardboard sheets to make a sandwich. Then just find a box in which all the bricks will fit into, using packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper for extra padding.

 

As for how much it'll cost, it all depends on the shipping method. I don't know if Media Mail is a viable option for a package of that weight, but then you've got First Class, Priority, Registered, etc. Not to mention UPS, FedEx, DHL.

 

If you're going the USPS route, once you pack it up you can weigh it, measure it and go to USPS.com. They have a page where you can punch in the dimensions, weight and destination, and it'll tell you how much it'll cost via the various shipping options.

 

Or you can wait here for someone to spell it all out for you

[Hobgoblin]

I was basically wondering if anyone has ever shipped a large quantity of books like that before, and how much it cost them to do so.

[divad]

Box within a box within a box via UPS ground - whatever their rate is.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Hey, anyone know how much it would cost to ship a long box full of comics within the United States?

 

If the comics are bagged and boarded it's going to be about 46 pounds. The dimensions are fine for any major shipper. Media mail is much cheaper than UPS but you have to be ready to waste a trip because you have a very good chance of getting a clerk who will not let you ship comics media mail. Bound printed matter rate is out of the question because it has a 15 pound limit.

 

Priority mail would be wildly expensive. First class is only available up to 13 oz, then it becomes priority btw.

 

Your best bet is probably FedEx ground--I believe they pick up and believe it would cost $20-23. Plus insurance is probably half the cost of the PO.

 

Oh, you'll want to pack it very well because it is very easy for comics to be damaged when shipped in long boxes. At the least newspaper or bubblewrap on top and both sides of bagged and boarded comics.

 

Cheers,

Marc

[kahml]

Depends on the books...

 

If they are "readers," you can basically get away with putting some newspaper on the bottom and under the cover and duct-taping the top on it.

 

If they are in better shape - and you want to take the time, re-packaging them into bundles and boxing them is about the best way to go.

 

USPS Media Mail is the least expensive mode. Last year, a fellow forumite sent a long box from Flordia to New Jersey for less than $15.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks for the input. Trying to get rid of a long box to make some room. Gonna see if the LCS in my new town will buy them, since they might've lost some backissues in a "fire." Although the shops next door don't seem to have any damage. Must've been a very small fire ... like in a trash can.

 

Anyway. It's all a bunch of stuff that might be hard to sell on eBay or to board members. Really just a bunch of late 80's & early 90's material. A few recent minis though. And a near complete run of Spider-woman.

[ComicSupply]

Hobgoblin,

 

We get about 700-1000 long boxes coming and going per year.

 

What I find that works, and is very easy to do. As long as the box is a good long box you should have no problems.

 

Tape the lid down around the top of the box 3 times vertically. Each tape row should be about 5 inches apart.

 

Then, tape the lid again horizontally 2 times across the whole area where the lid meets the box.

 

What I tell people to do is put a few boards where the holes are for peoples hands.

 

Taping it this way will prevent the box from coming apart. If a box is going to to apart, its going to come apart at the corners, but if its taped around 2-3 times horizontally it will be very difficult for that to happen.

 

UPS are zoned rates, meaning the farther away the more expensive. It can be as cheap as around $12, but as expensive as $45

 

USPS Same story for rates Priority and Parcel.

 

Media mail isn't zoned but you risk the chance of not being able to do it. If

[toro]

Just remember, even if your post office lets the box go out media mail it can be opened anywhere along the way. If it is, and they reject it the person receiving the books must pay the added cost between media mail and parcel post.

 

On many heavy items these days I will use Fedex ground, it is probably as fast as priority mail and way cheaper too!