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 Replies: 24 / Views: 10,814 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2424 Posts |
I am sure this topic has been asked before,
what is the most cost effective way to ship your coins?
Let assume that I know how to safely package and seal my coins.
For example, I just sold am OBW of Lincoln cents, houses in a plastic coin tube, inside a small bubble mailer - cost me almost $6 for an item I sold for $8.
i am also looking to unload $25 worth of 90% copper Lincoln cents. something I did frequently back in 2010.
I am sure costs have changed since then, but am I correct in assuming that a medium/large flat rate box would be the way to go?
I know my profit margin wont be huge but if I am only going to be making $2-5 on the sale after fees and shipping, forget about it..
so do I throw my copper back into the wild? I am at a point where I cant just sit on it...
suggestions please....
Thanks!
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
The medium and large flat rate boxes are considerably more expensive now, even the small flat rates are like 8 bucks now.
If you can't get it into a small flat rate box go on to USPS and order some of the priority flat rate padded mailers. They're free to order and ship for the same price basically as the small flat rate boxes but they hold significantly more
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Let's first start with the value of your proposed shipment. Every option depends on this.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2424 Posts |
as I have seen on ebays sold listings for $25 worth of copper bullion pennies, there is a range of pricing I have seen: i will just link the listing here https://www.ebay.com/itm/10-Pounds-...AOSwtYZcCXTai wanted to do something similar to this. also, https://www.ebay.com/itm/16-LBS-Cir...AOSwqjhcT3LLnot sure how to break it up, split the weight of a $25 box, 8 and 8 lbs ? or sell the whole box, which is about 16 lbs, goes for $32, free shipping? shipping would cost $8-15? one sale of $19.50, +$7.50 shipping now, the base metal value of copper on $25 is $49.20 not sure I am going to get that price? what would a good starting point be for either $25 box or 10lbs, 8lbs or 16 lbs? and what would the shipping costs be for each? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
819 Posts |
You can get around 20 rolls in a small flat rate box. 8.00
Over that you will need a medium size box. 14.35
I don't know the cost of large box.
Weight limit any size box is 50 pounds
And comes with 50.00 insurance.
Hope this helps
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2424 Posts |
looking at the sales, it looks like some people are taking a $2 profit!lol
sometimes I see a $15 FMV go for $30, but they offer free shipping and there goes your profit....
so is it even worth it to save copper if you are only going to make $2-5 profit>>>?
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
First of all I can't believe there are buyers on the Bay for 95% mixed circulated copper cents . There's still enough of them in the wild to acquire from CRH at face value . I put this next to people buying 50¢ first class postage stamps from Joe Schmoe for 62¢ each . Wattayoufacraze ! But getting back to your original question : I personal don't believe it will be worth your wild . chipjones says you can get 20 rolls of cents into a small flat rate box . But not if you keep your rolls in Nickel tubes , now you'll get maybe 15 tubed rolls . Basebal21 says you can use priority flat rate padded mailers which holds more than a small FR box for the same price but do you really want to put all that weight of 15-20-25 rolls in a envelope ? Just my Two Cents ; whatever that is worth . |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2424 Posts |
thanks T
my wife has been telling me to just toss the back and keep CRHunting with the moneys
eventually in the end I dont think it will be worth the searching, sorting, and back and forth to the bank, post office.
i will have more fun continuing the hunt if I just toss them back, keep the wheats, errors, varieties and silver...
thanks for your input and steering me in the right direction.
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
Basebal21 says you can use priority flat rate padded mailers which holds more than a small FR box for the same price but do you really want to put all that weight of 15-20-25 rolls in a envelope ? Why not? You can put boxes inside the padded mailer which holds more than double the small flat rate box. Just to give a size difference on them, the padded flat rate envelopes can hold two PCGS 20 coin blue boxes in them, the small flat rate boxes don't even come close to one. You have to order the envelopes but they're one of the best kept shipping secrets |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5668 Posts |
You can also pick up padded flat rate envelopes at most post offices, just ask for them. They definitely can hold more than the small flat rate boxes, but I would make sure you add padding so your rolls don't move around.
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
You can get a cheaper USPS commercial rate if you create and pay for a shipping label on ebay or Paypal. Also Amazon, and I would guess Etsy, too. A flat rate Priority small box or padded envelope is about $7.50 that way. The cheapest Flat Rate envelope is cardboard and costs even less, maybe $7 or $7.25. If your item is light enough, you can use First Class. The cost to ship 4 oz or less is under $3. If you go over 4 oz, you pay the 8 oz rate. The next jump is 12 oz if you go over 8 oz. They changed the rates in January, charging more for more distant locations. I'm seeing more than one ebay seller asking less than face value for mint stamps - even whole sheets of older ones. But you could end up covering your box with combinations of odd values, and you don't get discounted rates with stamps. There are now Forever stamps with different values. I've seen post card rate, 1 oz, 2 oz, and second ounce. But the second ounce and 2 oz stamps actually went down in value with last January's changes. Those rates only apply to flat, machinable envelopes and cards, but the dollar value can be used for any package. |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
If your item is light enough, you can use First Class. The cost to ship 4 oz or less is under $3. He was asking about 50 rolls of pennies, that is not even close to 4 oz |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Another idea is to find a coin show in your area. IF you can find one, go there and ask dealers if they want to buy your coins. At such shows people do this all the time saving shipping charges and looking for other items they may want or need at the same time.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Quote:
Just to give a size difference on them, the padded flat rate envelopes can hold two PCGS 20 coin blue boxes in them, the small flat rate boxes don't even come close to one. You have to order the envelopes but they're one of the best kept shipping secrets Thanks good to know !  But is there a weight restriction on that flat rate envelope ? 25 Lincoln rolls is pretty heavy . |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5668 Posts |
Technically the max weight for any flat rate package is 70 lbs, but I doubt you could stuff that much in a padded envelope. With 10 lbs of rolls, I would definitely use lots of extra packing tape!
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Valued Member
United States
325 Posts |
"He was asking about 50 rolls of pennies, that is not even close to 4 oz"
I was writing in general, because a lot of coin shipments are fairly light. What I wrote is applicable, for instance, to sending a few slabbed coins.
I agree that a flat rate padded envelope (with an internal box or some other stiffener) or small box are the best Postal Service options for shipping 50 rolls of pennies, and probably the least expensive of all shipping options. I would think that even the non-padded envelope would work all right. That envelope seems to be available at all post offices. I've always had to order the padded one.
What I'm wondering about is how thick a coin can be and still be shipped in a thin envelope and pay the lowest First Class fee. For instance, it would only cost 55¢ to mail a few dimes or pennies wrapped in a bit of thin-foam padding. But I'm not sure about nickels or quarters. At the post office, they said that the limit is 1/4" (and it needs to be bendable), but I've used the package rate (somewhat under $3) to mail half dollars and 1-oz silver rounds. I haven't mailed anything smaller yet.
Edited by Pauldog
04/13/2019 8:00 pm
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Replies: 24 / Views: 10,814 |
Posted 04/12/2019 7:33 pm
