So far the only complaint I've had about it was from this one jerk who accused me of scamming him on the shipping cost for a LCD screen that he needed "immeadiately" and demanded via lawyer that instead of post (<20 days, $20) or sameday courier (<18 hrs, ($45) I send it bulk freight (<4 months, $2).
Evidently after the original complaint was closed, made new complaints because "cardboard" was inadequate protection for four months of sitting in a sealed cargo container.
Edit: This was the last jerk I dealt with on e-bay before moving exclusively to local classifieds- yes the money is only 1/3rd what I would get from auction- but people are more pleasant when you can always punch [meet] them personally.
i always make a point to pack the things i sell on ebay as well as i would want them packed if i were getting them. we get a lot of packing material from a local furniture store so i have plenty of that white foam stuff and heavy duty bubblewrap, makes my life easier lol
I try to keep all the boxes and packing material that I get and reuse it when I sell stuff. I can tell when its been a while since I've bought something when I start running low.
humakabula1 wrote:i just received a bulk lot of retro stuff and it was packed with plastic bags. like 100's of them.
im like wut.
I've used a few in a few packages usually along with foam beads and/or newspaper, but they're really heavy compared to other materials, because they won't really hold any shape; they'll all just compact together. I have received a few packages packed exclusively with plastic bags.
vskid wrote:I try to keep all the boxes and packing material that I get and reuse it when I sell stuff. I can tell when its been a while since I've bought something when I start running low.
Same here. Aside from newspaper, I've never payed for packing materials. I've never purchased boxes (if I don't have one at all close to what I need, it's probably going priority mail, anyway, and those boxes are free), and I've only had to buy envelopes a handful of times. And I sell a LOT of stuff.
Kyo wrote:"does anyone here know how to fly a plane?"
There was a lens in there. Surprisingly, the lens was fine. However I just use that as a testament to the quality of older Nikon lenses rather than the quality of packaging.
My mom's birthday present, a camera (an inexpensive point-and-shoot) came packaged from Tigerdirect in a huge box with a piece of that crumpled up packing paper. Just one piece. Didn't even come close to filling the box.
--John (and please call me John, it's really weird to be called by my username)
Fight MS Paint abominations! If you don't have a camera, go here, and pick something 3 megapixels or higher.
weaponepsilon wrote:Q: how thick was that cardboard?
Regular corrugated box thickness, I'd say maybe 1/4" thick. The box was pretty strong at one point in its journey...
--John (and please call me John, it's really weird to be called by my username)
Fight MS Paint abominations! If you don't have a camera, go here, and pick something 3 megapixels or higher.
Out of curiousity, Does anyone know the actual OCR-B font size that Canada Post wants.
The stupid website says "Only one size" then completely fails to specify what the [edit] it is.
[edit] bastards! Why couldn't they atleast linked to the complete specs for packaging provided by their "consumer guide" areas of their website. My effing package made to the exacting specifications given by their customer guides is in clear violation of those further descirbed by their postal standards guides.
Cardboard boxes may have difficulty entering our mail processing machines. In certain cases, boxes are
acceptable if enclosed in an envelope or wrapper that covers their sharp edges enough to enable a
smooth entrance into the machines. If you plan to include cardboard boxes in your mail items, we
recommend you first have them assessed by a Canada Post representative
Enclosures
are uniform in thickness. Enclosures that vary in thickness are acceptable provided the thickness of the thinnest enclosure is no less than half the thickness of the thickest
cannot damage postal equipment or other mail or cause injury to postal employees
a low-slip coating
a thickness of at least 0.03 mm
an electrostatic charge retention of less than 2.0 KV, determined through anti-static treatment using method
D1003 of the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTV)
the address label is firmly attached to the outside of the wrapper, or, if affixed to the contents under the
wrapper, is clearly visible to the human eye and can be read by Canada Post's automated equipment
the sealing line of the wrapper should be on the back of the mail item. If placed on the front, it must not
obscure the address, even if the contents shift position
the wrapper fits reasonably tightly, in order to prevent excessive movement of the contents. The wrapper
must not exceed the length or the width of the contents by more than 20 mm, or by more than 40 mm in
length and 10 mm in width.
Address
Reccommended fonts are Courier, Courier New and Letter Gothic (OCR-B does not appear on the most recent list.)
Font size shoud be between 2.3 and 5 mm (nominally 3mm)
Font spacing should be a minimum of 0.3 mm and no more than the width of a "M"*
Line spacing must have a minimum of 0.5 mm between lines, and (no more than 4 lines per inch?)
Address labels must be no longer than 40 characters 6 lines (nominally 30 x 4) and may contain no blank lines
"quiet" space on address labels is 15mm,10mm,6mm,10mm (L,R,U,D)
Address label be placed within the margins of 15mm,15mm,40mm or 1/4,35mm (L,R,U,D)
Postage
top right area, 74mm (120mm for meter impression) by 40 mm
Return
top left corner, max 1/4 height
-or-
centered at top of back
Barcode (Canadapost)
light coloured/blank area 150mm x 35mm at the bottom right (will be labeled and printed on by CP anyways)
Wrapping (where I the html is copulate)
A UV content level of less than 1%, or lower luminescence than either “Century Premium Opaque Cover” or “Mayfair Cover Antique Britewhite” when compared under a UV light.
Luminescence is the emission of light by a substance, and is a term used to measure the brightness of paper. If the paper is too bright, it will blind the camera/scanner when processed on Canada Post’s automated equipment.
An opacity of 80% or greater. (within the Quiet Zone around the address block)
A measurement of between 55 and 380 Sheffield Smoothness Units. Avoid using paper with raised or projected areas. (How well the paper receives ink is affected by the smoothness of the surface.)
A reflectance between 45 and 96%. (within the Quiet Zone around the address block)
Reflectance is the amount of light reflected or transmitted from the paper’s surface as seen by a spectrophotometer instrument. The reflectance requirement ensures that both people and machines can read addresses and barcodes.
Label coverings
enough transparency to allow visibility with a maximum haze of 75%
no wrinkles, creases or blemishes
a gloss reading (on the side facing out) of 159 gloss units or less.
* Physically impossible when OCR-B specs a nominal character spacing of 0.1" and the type size specification is less than twice that with a silver ratio type faces specified.
Surprisingly, the lens was fine. However I just use that as a testament to the quality of older Nikon lenses rather than the quality of packaging. 