Large, fragile, valuable items to pack and ship - Help?

[offstreetstudio]

First time on this board and appreciate any specific recommendations!

I have a couple of large mid century pieces (lights) that I cannot pack myself (too large, too heavy, too fragile).

Does anyone have 1st hand experience with a shipping company that is reputable to pack items also?  That is fair in their pricing?  Or do you suggest I have a professional pack the lights and use Greyhound to ship? Any shipping companies are your "go-to" that you can trust your item will make it to your buyer safely at a reasonable price?  Any helpful hints you can provide in this process?

Thank you so much! 

[lancelotme]

you can ask local antique dealers to recommend some local shippers.

[kensgiftshop]

The listing states UPS as shipper, so you would have to use them, unless the buyer is Ok with you using another shipper.

UPS has places that will package the item for you.

[lancelotme]

you can also ask if the buyer has any shipper he prefers to use,professional dealers often have their own preferred shippers whom they trust and may get a discount . .

[missjen831 · Accepted solution]

This type of item is best for local pickup only. Collect cash from the buyer and let them arrange shipping. UPS may not be able to accommodate you here and I would not trust them to properly pack this type of item IF they even agreed to do it. If you arrange shipment, you are responsible for the cost of returning the item if it arrives damaged or otherwise SNAD. 

[lancelotme]

If he pays with Paypal or credit card, INR item not received dispute,you must prove delivery with online viewable tracking showing it has been delivered to his address.
Some freight company does not have such feature.

[southern*sweet*tea]

---

@lancelotmewrote:
If he pays with Paypal or credit card, INR item not received dispute,you must prove delivery with online viewable tracking showing it has been delivered to his address.
Some freight company does not have such feature.

---

Not if the listing is local pickup ONLY with no shipping options. On those types of listings there is no buyer protection since the BUYER is arranging his own shipping, or is picking up in person.

[offstreetstudio]

That's great. Thank you!

[offstreetstudio]

I had no idea UPS may pack for me. I'll look into it.

[offstreetstudio]

So, do you recommend I don't enter a shipping estimate for the Buyer? THAT would be so much easier! Lol. I was just concerned that they may get upset how much it costs to ship some of my items (a few hundred dollars). But it makes sense that the Buyers for some of my items would be designers, etc. Wow, I've made this too hard for myself!

Does the Buyer pay for the item and we just message back and forth to figure out shipping? Thank you!

[offstreetstudio]

I like the idea of staying local. I was just hoping for a solution for people in other states to purchase... but now I know I can make it "their problem" to ship.  : )

Yeah, I'm not confident that UPS would be a good choice for what I want to ship!  Thanks!

[offstreetstudio]

I'm sorry, I don't know what INR is... I did a quick Google search and it looks like some sort of complaint from Buyer?  Didn't find what the acronym means.  But I understand that I should make sure there is online tracking from shipping co. Thank you.

[mr_lincoln]

@offstreetstudio  Take them to a UPS Store but be forewarned, shipping will not be cheap because they charge you for the box, the packing and the shipping cost.  A lot of areas have off brand name shipping stores which operate the same and some even pick the items up ... I've used them when purchasing from an out of state online esate sale and the average price for a decent size package is about $ 50 ...

If your lamps are like parlor lamps with one or more glass globe type shades it will be a big box for sure.

[offstreetstudio]

Perfect! I like not having responsibility!

I've only done "local pick up" once for a heavy, relatively inexpensive item. It ididn't occur to me that I should do the same for expensive items, large, bulky items.  I prefer people not coming to my home, but that's Ok.  Thanks!

[mr_lincoln]

@offstreetstudio  INR = Item not received ... this is a claim Buyers can use in eBay's Resolution Center.  They say they never got the package and without tracking Sellers have no way to prove it was shipped.  If Seller does have tracking they can upload that number to the claim to protect themselves.

Below is a link to the eBay Help pages for acronyms ... many (but not all I think) are there. as it relates to eBay.

https://pages.ebay.com/help/account/acronyms.html