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Author
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Topic: Hows this for an idea to save money shipping projectors?
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 09, 2011 01:06 PM
Hey guys!
I came up with a novel way of saving a decent amount of money sending projectors overseas! Well, I'm probably not the first person to think of this, but it's the first I have heard of it.
OK, here's the problem ...
To send a Yashica P810 Optical and Magnetic Super 8 projector to South Africa (I made a trade for three films for the projector), would be, at the lowest price, 124.00 dollars.
Now, the USPS does have a box that, if the projector would fit in it, the projector would ship for only 60.00 dollars, as it is a "one price no matter the weight" airmail economy overseas shipping.
However, with the front cover and knobs on the projector, it comes to about an inch too wide, and one of the stipulations is that it must fit without "bulges" ...
The solution ...
Take off all knobs, switches and the front cover. Ship the main body of the projector in the 60.00 dollar box ...
... send the remainder of the projector in a small overseas pliable envelope which, because of the low weight of this second package, will probably be 20.00 dollars or less.
Therefore, by "dividing up" the projector, you save approximately 40.00 or so dollars! You successfully navigate around the high shipping price the local post tries to screw you with.
Good idea or bad? The buyer of the projector hasn't written back yet to OK this, (I just wrote him yesterday). The downside is that two packages have to arrive .... what if one of the two gets lost in the mail?
However, if both arrive (and as a general rule, they do), the buyer has saved a tidy sum.
You thoughts folks?
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Richard C Patchett
Master Film Handler
Posts: 424
From: Flint Mi 48506
Registered: Dec 2007
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posted September 10, 2011 08:48 PM
Greetings
The break down
Just some of it . Hope this helps
Back to your Idea i too would ship the projector in one piece
5-3/8” x 8-5/8” x 1-5/8 The Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box has a retail shipping price of $5.20 — one price, regardless of weight, up to 70 lbs. for U.S. addresses. The international price, for up to 4 lbs., is just $11.95 to Canada or Mexico and $13.95 to all other countries, with savings of 5 percent for c Small Flat Rate Box ustomers who ship online. Online prices also are lower for shipping to U.S. addresses. The online price is $5.20, and for large volume mailers who qualify for USPS Commercial Base pricing, the price is $5.00.
A quick, easy, and convenient way for you to ship Priority Mail packages. The Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box features predetermined rates regardless of weight (domestically) or destination, similar to the Flat Rate Envelope.
11" X 8.5" X 5.5
Some key benefits: • Can be used for Domestic Priority Mail ($10.95) and International Priority Mail ($27.95 to Canada and Mexico- $45.50 to all other countries, 20 lb weight limit applies)
• Commercial prices are available for postage paid through Click-N-Ship service at usps.com, authorized PC Postage vendors, and other authorized postage payment methods. The Domestic Commercial Base price is $10.50.
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RC’s Classic Collection
16 mm Parts & Service
Elmo, Eiki, Bell & Howell +
http://www.rcsclassic16mm.com/
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Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted September 11, 2011 08:41 AM
It's the USPS APO/FPO flat rate box, Priority Mail box. It is 12x12 and 6 or 6 and a half inches tall.
I might be off on the 60.00 dollars, but it was somewhere very close to that. Fortunately, the Yashica P810 was a very slim super 8 projector, actually, very much much like a super 8 projector "sportscar" in that is a full featured, but having all those functions of the bigger projectors ...
However, the P810, like a sportscar, sometimes suffers from roaring along at top speed but having a, perhaps, short shelf life.
This shipping, by the way, included packing in the box, of course. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
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Winbert Hutahaean
Film God
Posts: 5468
From: Nouméa, New Caledonia
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted September 11, 2011 05:51 PM
quote:
USPS APO/FPO flat rate box
Osi, is your friend in South Africa is an Army or American servicemen (foreign affairs, diplomats, agents, etc)?
If he is not, he is not eligible for using APO/FPO.
CMIIW, APO/FPO is designed for the above people where the senders ship parcels to several offices in US mainland (what I knew is one located in California). Every serviceman has their own FPO number. These offices (APO/FPO) then forward all parcels to overseas destination at government cost. So the shipper only pays domestic postage.
When the servicemen are going to send something from his curent location overseas, they also only pay domestic postage from California to anywhere in the US address.
It is a heavily subsidized postage system but not everyone can use it.
ps: in UK I believe there is also similar system done by Royal Mail, i.e HM Forces Mail Parcel.
my 2 cents though,
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Winbert
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