Hey everyone. I've been quite active on trading this year. As everyone who trade knows, it gets quite expensive. Does anyone have any trick up their sleeve to reduce shipping costs? Is there a specific box dimension that works well? How about weight? I am an engineer by trade so if I can maximize trade content for the minimum amount of price in shipping that would be ideal. I figured I'd ask here. Thanks.
This saves me a good amount of money. When I send cans (or bottles that wouldn't be a total pain to replace) I use the flat rate USPS boxes. Large are $18.75 anywhere in the country in 2 days. Faster and cheaper. I know a few people that can fit 12 cans into the large flat rate box. I have sent about 40 this way and have not had any issues.
I don't know how urban the area in CT where you live is or how often you make it to Boston or NYC but I almost exclusively make IP trades at this point unless there is a beer I must have and don't get any bites on the regional forum.
How I save money shipping: Send FedEx not UPS. Create an account and ship from there. Use lots of bubble wrap, and don't use boxes that are too huge. Bubble wrap is very light, cardboard is heavy. Cans are much cheaper to ship than bottles. I think a can of beer is 12.5 oz, a bottle of beer is about... 18 oz? Be aware of "dimensional weight". In other words, a large box that is light could cost the same as the same box with more stuff in it, to a point. The cost to ship is either going to be volume-bound or weight-bound. Insurance up to $100 is free. Sometimes I do more insurance, sometimes I don't. Ship to a business address if you can. Huge way to save money, over time, is to never have anything break. I had 1 small bottle break, and the next box I send with the replacement beers + shipping was almost $30. So don't let that happen if you can.
