Thanks guys for the input. I have NEVER suffered a loss or damage yet, but had always wondered who ends up eating the $48 shipping. I see that it is more or less arbitrary and some careful planning and common sense goes a long way!!
If anybody out there that doesn't do much shipping but cares to know a few tips that have always worked for me for many years so that I've never had a single claim yet after dozens of boxes I've shipped from sales that I've made on GunbRoker and Ebay.....here's the tips;
1) I only ship rifles in plastic gun cases, and I cover the case with cardboard. (when you see a store throwing out boxes, make it a point to drag home and save large oversized cardboard boxes for a good source of cardboard.....and also save white scrap shipping foam boards or foam blocks). When I'm at a gunshow, I will cease the opportunity to buy any $10 used plastic guncases I see available. I try to buy guncases that are square in shape and don't have a radius shaped handle bulging out. It's easier to make an outer cardboard box for it when they are rectangular.
2) Sheeesh.....USE SOME COMMON SENSE; Don't send an exposed plastic gun case, and don't spell out anything in the address that gives a hint that it's firearms related. (for example, I would alter the mailing address "Jim Smith Arms Inc" into "Jim Smith Inc." or "Jim Smith A. Inc") You have to confide this to the carrier at the counter, but you DON'T have to advertise it all over the box! I had a gentleman who worked at FedEx recently buy a $2,000 AR15 from me. He gave me a pre-paid self addressed label to his FFL that was printed "Practical Firearms LLC" (for example). When he scanned and emailed the label to me, and I printed it up and I saw the shipping address name, I almost had a stroke! I was so upset about this, that I threatened to call off the deal. When I spoke to him over the phone about it, he had no clue he had done anything to cause concern.
3)Always print labels for legibility and double check the address twice . I'm currently waiting over a month now for a package from a clown in Tampa Fla who spelled my Street address as "Baltimore" instead of "Balmore"......and to top it off, he wrote "77009" instead of "77069". In the past my Post Office has figured out one error and made delivery, but not two errors like this. My advice is DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, OR DON'T DRINK AND SHIP..... I'm guessing that marijuana and other drugs would probably cause the same retarded effect too!!!! LOL.
4) Cushion and wrap parts and assemblies with some kind of stuffing so they don't rub and/or scratch. It's not uncommon for me to slip an old cotton athletic sock over a muzzle, and a dry-cleaners plastic bag over the whole rifle. The butt end already has a recoil pad on it and is well cushioned. I then put foam board on both sides of the rifle so it can't ramrod through the box.....especially the muzzle end.
The only resemblence of a complaint that I've ever received was a buyer telling me that he was disapointed that I didn't send him the other sock too.
5) DON'T VERBALLY SPELL OUT THE ADDRESS TO THE OTHER PARTY over the phone if you can avoid it. Politely explain your concern and offer to email it to him instead. About 10 years ago I dictated my mailing information to a buyer over the phone. I was selling a Sako Sporter rifle for $975. The buyers check took 2 weeks to turn around and go back to him undeliverable. He wrote the wrong street and wrong zip code. In the meantime, he was stressing out that I had run off with his money.
6) With USPS, I will ONLY ship a rifle worth over $1,000 via insured and registered mail. I've never had a buyer yet turn down the purchase of a $1,900 rifle yet because of the $75 shipping charges. (ie; plastic gun case included in the charge)
Guys, trust me when I say that I've learned most of this stuff the hard way. Unfortunately, I learned most of this from the sellers and shippers who I have less control over when I'm the one on the receiving end.
