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Game Shipping Advice, please
I was more comfortable coming here and asking you fine folks, but I've accepted my first trade on TOS and I've never shipped a game before. I just wanna make sure that it gets there to him as safely and inexpensively as possible. I'm shipping Mystery Rummy: Jack the Ripper - which is pretty small, so it shouldnt be too much, but I really have NO clue what prep work I need to do (packing materials? Box?) or can I just take it to the USPS and they'll have what I need there?
I appreciate all your forthcoming advice.
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Wrap the game itself in a small bag of some kind. This is to keep it waterproof in case the delivery guy is a maroon and leaves it on the porch in the pouring rain.
Make sure you have room in the box to at least put bubble wrap on all sides. Box touching the sides of the box--not good, because if it's dropped or punctured, guess what--your game is too!
Fill in the rest of the box with newspaper (cheap) or packing peanuts.
After you trade for awhile, you'll start to accumulate bubble wrap and packing peanuts. Save 'em, and reuse them. Save you some cash down the road not having to run to Wal-Mart or Office Depot for this stuff.
Small games are easy to deal with, and not bad price-wise to ship. Bigger boxes need special care, but all of the above apply--make sure the interior contents are secure and won't fly around the box, make the box big enough for padding on all sides, fill in the rest of the box with newspaper or packing peanuts. You should be good to go.
Extra care will always be appreciated more. Trust me on this one.
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Contact the person you are sending to and ask if there are any shippers to avoid. For example, DHL leaves my packages outside my fence basically on the street. Everyone else walks to my door. In other places, the post office sucks, or maybe UPS leaves things that have to be signed for, etc.
Long story short, find out his local issues with shippers.
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Here is an easy and cheap tip (I like my advice the same way I like my women:
Contact the person you are sending to and ask if there are any shippers to avoid. For example, DHL leaves my packages outside my fence basically on the street. Everyone else walks to my door. In other places, the post office sucks, or maybe UPS leaves things that have to be signed for, etc.
Long story short, find out his local issues with shippers.
Oh god yes, please do this. My apartment buzzer doesn't work, so if somebody sends me UPS/FedEx I have to either prop the door open (pisses the neighbors off) or stare out the window for days on end waiting for the delivery man.
USPS on the other hand, the mail man has a key to the apartment so he can leave the package on the steps. I will often request USPS even if it is a little slower/few bucks more.
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- ChristopherMD
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I generally keep a few boxes of different sizes from incoming game shipments to re-use when I sell stuff. As well as a garbage bag full of used packing peanuts and bubble wrap in my closet.
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Ended up having a spare amazon box left over from christmas and was able to use the packaging + news papers to insulate the game pretty well I think. Cost 5.75 to ship Mystery Rummy, so that wasn't too bad.
Appreciate all your suggestions - no special shipping but I'll remember to ask whenever I ship something to someone.
Maybe this will give me the confidence to sign up for the Arms Deal going down...
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Another good way to save is to buy your postage online from FexEx, UPS or the USPS. Just set up an account with their website and you can buy and print the postage at home, which will save you a couple of bucks/package. The fees some of these places like UPS Stores and Kinko's tack on are complete bullshit. Cut out the middle man.
-Will
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