I have always been confused how some sellers can list an item for $12 and free shipping when it weighs 2 lbs. What if it goes across the country!? How do they make any money?
When I was living in the midwest, I would sell some things to CA, and they would pay more than what the item cost to have it shipped. I do calculated shipping, but it is hard to be lower than all of these people with free shipping.
What's the secret?
Is it something to do with Regional FR boxes?
@partial*eclipsewrote:$6.90 is the Commercial Plus price.
The weight limit for a flat rate envelope is the same as other Priority Mail: 70 pounds. I wonder what would be the weight of a padded FRE full of lead, or something even denser like gold.
When you send a 70 lb item in a padded envelope, I want to know. 
@gopetersenwrote:
@*coinswrote:I have always been confused how some sellers can list an item for $12 and free shipping when it weighs 2 lbs. What if it goes across the country!? How do they make any money?
...
What's the secret?
Is it something to do with Regional FR boxes?
Don't assume everyone is making money.
Some sellers don't know how to price things. They come here all the time (after the sale) complaining that eBay fees are too high. They priced the item 10% or 20% higher than what they paid and completely forgot store fees, eBay fees, and PayPal fees. It makes no sense but it happens all the time.
Other people are downsizing. They usually don't make money either but some folks would rather sell it and break even (or perhaps take a loss) rather than contribute to the landfill problem.
There are also sellers who deliberately take a loss to push out their competition (overseas sellers do this all the time). In theory, it works. No one makes money, so they eventually drop out. In practice, it doesn't always work... as soon as the remaining seller ups the price to increase profitability, the other sellers come back.
^^^^
Great explanation!
That was really helpful.
BTW, nice to see you back on the boards, gopetersen.
@partial*eclipsewrote:$6.90 is the Commercial Plus price.
The weight limit for a flat rate envelope is the same as other Priority Mail: 70 pounds. I wonder what would be the weight of a padded FRE full of lead, or something even denser like gold.
If you were to somehow magically pour lead into the envelope then my guess would be probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 lbs. to 75 lbs.
I use 3 different boxes that all fit inside the Padded Flat Rate Envelope.
One of the is a Uline box that is 8" x 4" x 4", and that box fills the PFRE to its maximum volume.
Or at least almost. You can barely get it closed.
Based on that; if instead of that box were a solid lead ingot it would weigh approximately 52.46 lbs
8" x 4" x 4" = .074 cubic feet
Lead weighs: 709 lbs per cubic foot
.074 x 709 = 52.46 lbs
Densities of materials
metal -- lb/in3 -- lb/ft3
water -- 0.036 -- 62
aluminum -- 0.098 -- 169
zinc -- 0.258 -- 445
iron -- 0.284 -- 491
copper -- 0.324 -- 559
silver -- 0.379 -- 655
lead -- 0.410 -- 709
mercury -- 0.490 -- 846
gold -- 0.698 -- 1206
@partial*eclipsewrote:@go-bad-chicken. Thanks for doing all that number-crunching! With illustrations, even!
You bet. 
It is always kinda fun to figure out what can be squeezed into the various Flate Rate Envelopes and Boxes.
@rare_findwrote:
Totally unrealistic response to question A with an answer to question B.
I find @go-bad-chicken's info really helpful. I never thought of doing that.
@go-bad-chickenwrote:
@partial*eclipsewrote:$6.90 is the Commercial Plus price.
The weight limit for a flat rate envelope is the same as other Priority Mail: 70 pounds. I wonder what would be the weight of a padded FRE full of lead, or something even denser like gold.
If you were to somehow magically pour lead into the envelope then my guess would be probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 65 lbs. to 75 lbs.
I use 3 different boxes that all fit inside the Padded Flat Rate Envelope.
One of the is a Uline box that is 8" x 4" x 4", and that box fills the PFRE to its maximum volume.
Or at least almost. You can barely get it closed.
Based on that; if instead of that box were a solid lead ingot it would weigh approximately 52.46 lbs
8" x 4" x 4" = .074 cubic feet
Lead weighs: 709 lbs per cubic foot
.074 x 709 = 52.46 lbs
Densities of materials
metal -- lb/in3 -- lb/ft3water -- 0.036 -- 62
aluminum -- 0.098 -- 169
zinc -- 0.258 -- 445
iron -- 0.284 -- 491
copper -- 0.324 -- 559
silver -- 0.379 -- 655
lead -- 0.410 -- 709
mercury -- 0.490 -- 846
gold -- 0.698 -- 1206
Thanks, that is some awesome info!
Kudos to you.
@ymeagainlordwrote:
I've shipped a lot of boxes inside PFRE, but have never tried one quite that size.
I use 3 boxes that fit inside of the Priority Mail Padded Flat Rate Envelope that I primarily use. I am sure that there are a few other configurations that will fit as well, but these 3 suit my needs.
1 - Uline S-4245 - 8 x 4 x 4" Long Corrugated Boxes - $ 0.32 each
2 - Uline S-11221 - 9 x 6 1⁄2 x 1 3⁄4" Kraft Literature Mailers - $ 0.56 each
3 - And Ocasionaly I use this one as well and its FREE
eBay-Branded Boxes 6" x 4" x 4"
