Compulsive 2x2

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Originally posted by national dealer

Shipping is one of those things that can easily be controlled. I know of many dealers who ship everything in bubble envelopes and some that only ship priority mail. I think that the decision should be based on the amount of the coin in question. For my "big" coins, only priority mail with insurance is used. If the customer is spending thousands of dollars, a few more bucks for shipping should not be an issue. Now for run of the mill coins, a small padded envelope is fine. I can ship anywhere in the country for $2.35 Most coins can be shipped in a standard envelope with a mailer for protection. This drops the rate to around 85 cents.

Now speaking solely for myself, I have little desire to make money on shipping. Usually I lose a few cents. I make money buying coins. If you buy right, you can sell right and make money. I only deal with a few ebay sellers and they also try to make their money on the coins, not the shipping.

My suggestion is using a seller or dealer who offers a wide range of options in mailing so that you can make your decision based on what you like. Standard mail should never be more than $1 and insurance and proof of delivery should be actual.

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While I agree with just about everything you said here, Standard mail (which to me is First Class) is perfectly reasonable at $2 (especially if the seller takes the time to always use new materials, reholder the coin, and will ship multiple coins for the same price.) The only reason we are able to not lose money on shipping is that the shipping charge is the same for a single coin or multiple single coin auctions. This means that, while we will lose money on orders of 10+ coins, we make a little bit to cover those losses on a single - for the record, on a single coin, after we take into account materials, we only make about .50.

Like most or all on the forum, I prefer not to make money off shipping; makes for a bad first impression. Most of my sales are for single slabbed coins. Postage is usually 83 cents for First Class, 55 cents for Confirmed Delivery (mandatory in my opinion; saves on legal fees and accusations), 14 cents for the self-stick cardboard Safe-T-Mailer, and (the biggest variable) maybe 60 cents for the bubble-padded 6"x9" envelope. I don't spend a lot of time shopping around for cheaper envelopes, but take whatever Walmart has on hand. A couple months ago when I decided to make Confirmed Delivery mandatory (for its stated purpose plus online tracking), I jacked up my shipping/handling rates to a flat rate $1.95. Insurance is extra and is by USPS rates. For multiple coin shipments, I have to guesstimate what the postage will be, but I have a little postage scale which reduces the guesswork.

I also use shipping rates charged by a seller as an indicator of his integrity and greed. If s/he is charging $7.95 exclusive of insurance, then I know s/he is out to make a buck wherever s/he can and that his/her auction might also be suspect. Excessive shipping rates make for a bad image.

Previously, I offered Confirmed Delivery as an option. Almost no buyers selected it and I was throwing it in anyway, so I included it as part of the shipping rate. Nobody has yet complained.

Getting back to the 2x2 question. I am a three crimped staple man. With the Right - Left- Bottom staple and the fold at the top I feel that my coins are secure.

I use 2-3 staples, but for most of my coins they are in sets or flips--and in other holders.

Speedy