Wow, is a mailbox store REALLY profitable?

[Ns1]

So I ship out of the UPS store alot. I need a very specific size box. 17x11x8 or so. UPS store wanted $4 bucks from me. I said f that, $4 bucks times 10 boxes = not worth it

So before I went to staples/OD/OM, I checked out uline.com

63 cents each!!!!! minimum order 25 but who gives a shit, 63 cents each!!!!

Anybody own an MBE/UPS store/equivalent? I knew they marked their shit up, but not THIS much. I imagine markup on boxes + markup on shipping materials + stupid people who don't package their own stuff = PROFIT.



2nd topic - consumer grade packaging materials

Recently I found a great product by 3m. It's packaging peanuts, but they sell it in a flat pack. You break it up and it expands 3x its size. Fantastic. 2.50 a package, cheaper than packaging peanuts.

Are there any consumer grade packaging products available? Here's 3 on uline that are cool:

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Li...c=Foam+In+A+Bag+System

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Li...3B+Air+Cushion+Machine

http://www.uline.com/Browse_Li...apid+Fill%26reg%3B+Bag

might not be worth it for me until I get powerseller though at these rates...

 

[jagec]

This is common knowledge. That's why anyone who ships a lot uses their own packaging.

 

[kranky]

Doesn't seem that bad to me. If I needed one box I would pay $4 and not buy 25 of them. You need 10, so the uline option is better for you.

Just the convenience factor as well as having to stock items which don't sell by the hundreds each week.

 

[Epic Fail]

BB sells 2 cent cable for $20.00.

 

[Sphexi]

Some places will carry their own insurance in addition to what UPS has, and to use it you have to have them package your goods. When I shipped out a Dell server I sold to a guy across the country, I let the guy in the UPS store pack it for me, that way his insurance would cover it if UPS decided not to, and in the case something happened he would deal with the UPS paperwork for me, he'd just give me a check for the amount covered a lot quicker. Didn't cost me anything more than his box and packing material, was worth it IMO for something that fragile and expensive.

 

[oogabooga]

One box at 4 bucks is better than having 25 boxes at 15.75 if you only ship once a year and don't need 24 more boxes.

Mailbox stores usually notarize too, don't forget that's 10-15 bucks for watching someone sign something.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: oogabooga
One box at 4 bucks is better than having 25 boxes at 15.75 if you only ship once a year and don't need 24 more boxes.

Mailbox stores usually notarize too, don't forget that's 10-15 bucks for watching someone sign something.

true i suppose. i'm gonna use all these boxes in the next 14 days ^_^

 

[akshatp]

UPS Store's make ALOT of money. But before you think about running out and opening a franchise in your city, you need to show close to $1m in assets... Plus you have to pass their "application"

 

[arrfep]

I have nothing useful to contribute to this thread other than to say that I've been in one of the warehouses at the ULine complex (yeah, complex) in Waukegan, IL and it is MASSIVE. Could probably park a few A380's inside it. Must make a hell of a lot of different packing supplies.

 

[alkemyst]

Works the same way convenience stores do.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: yamadakun
BB sells 2 cent cable for $20.00.

price of copper has sky rocketed, they're now $45.

 

[wedi42]

i used to buy these giant bags years ago
http://www.uline.com/Browse_Li...ine+Industrial+Peanuts

 

[Jeff7]

Go to Walmart really late at night. You should be able to get all kinds of boxes for free. Toys, Housewares, Health and Beauty, and Hardware - all good departments to get boxes. Hopefully you won't have any problem getting by the greeter with them. Some Watchdog-style greeters might cause a fuss because they want to be the hero to stop the "clever shoplifter" trying to conceal merchandise inside otherwise empty boxes. Just explain that they're empty boxes that you're using to ship stuff, and let the greeter look through them.

Also pick up a good hot glue gun and some glue sticks.

Bring free boxes home, break the seam, flip inside-out, and re-glue seam.

Result: cheap, clean, unmarked, re-used boxes.

 

[Soundmanred]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Go to Walmart really late at night. You should be able to get all kinds of boxes for free. Toys, Housewares, Health and Beauty, and Hardware - all good departments to get boxes. Hopefully you won't have any problem getting by the greeter with them. Some Watchdog-style greeters might cause a fuss because they want to be the hero to stop the "clever shoplifter" trying to conceal merchandise inside otherwise empty boxes. Just explain that they're empty boxes that you're using to ship stuff, and let the greeter look through them.

Also pick up a good hot glue gun and some glue sticks.

Bring free boxes home, break the seam, flip inside-out, and re-glue seam.

Result: cheap, clean, unmarked, re-used boxes.

I've seen Wal Mart workers go postal over taking "Wal Mart" boxes!
They even say on the side how much the company loses on each box if not reused, and they must think it comes out of their paycheck by the way they act.
I wanted some boxes for moving and figured it was the best place to go until the Box-nazis "caught" me.

 

[DrPizza]

Uhhh, USPS will deliver all the boxes you need to your door... FREE

Buyer pays shipping (usually), so why not just ship USPS?

 

[Wreckem]

Originally posted by: Soundmanred

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Go to Walmart really late at night. You should be able to get all kinds of boxes for free. Toys, Housewares, Health and Beauty, and Hardware - all good departments to get boxes. Hopefully you won't have any problem getting by the greeter with them. Some Watchdog-style greeters might cause a fuss because they want to be the hero to stop the "clever shoplifter" trying to conceal merchandise inside otherwise empty boxes. Just explain that they're empty boxes that you're using to ship stuff, and let the greeter look through them.

Also pick up a good hot glue gun and some glue sticks.

Bring free boxes home, break the seam, flip inside-out, and re-glue seam.

Result: cheap, clean, unmarked, re-used boxes.

I've seen Wal Mart workers go postal over taking "Wal Mart" boxes!
They even say on the side how much the company loses on each box if not reused, and they must think it comes out of their paycheck by the way they act.
I wanted some boxes for moving and figured it was the best place to go until the Box-nazis "caught" me.

The "wal mart" boxes you are refering to are the boxes wal mart uses for returns. Not boxes that products are shipped in.