Bartertown.com

1) I've got a large lot of things about to go up for sale/trade, but I'm lost on how to do shipping. The minis are all in bags and blisters and such, not packed in shipping containers. I was thinking of, as things are sold, taking the lots over to the local UPS store and shipping that way. I can get a price estimate online for them once I have a destination address.

2) What are the suggested ways to exchange money? I have a PayPal account but have never used it aside from buying from web stores - this would be my first guess. What does Bartertown suggest?

Thanks!

Check this thread out: viewtopic.php?f=40&t=30000

May answer all or some of your questions.

Good God, don't use UPS.
If you have them pack your box, it'll be expensive as Hell to ship!

You can get appropriate shipping boxes all over the place. If you're sending via Priority Mail, USPS will GIVE you Priority boxes for FREE. You can buy white "trading card" or "baseball card" storage boxes. You can often get them free from your (or a parent's) place of business.
Drop a few bucks on bubble wrap and/or foam peanuts.
These can also be bought online cheaper than at a store.
Packing supplies can also be obtained from employers (when we get supply shipments, I grab the vacuum sealed air pillows and boxes I think I can use that come in the shipment). Typically, these are just being thrown away, anyway. Be sure to ask the appropriate people before just grabbing them (unless they are in or are somehow labeled as trash).

If you are just selling a couple books and/or blisters, you can get bubble envelopes @ Walmart, USPS, etc. Also cheaper online. No need for extra packaging.
Walmart or other similar stores sell packing tape. It is NOT possible to over-use packing tape. It *is* possible to UNDER-use it, however.
I always put a bit of packing tape over the shipping addreses, just in case, to protect them from... whatever...

Anything not in it's original packaging should be carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, tissue, etc. Anything NOT wrapped in bubble-wrap should be protected with air pillows, foam peanuts, etc.
If you have/get any pluck-foam carry cases, save your plucked foam. It makes EXCELLENT packing material.
Save packing materials and good boxes from your online purchases.

It is ILLEGAL to use the free Priority shipping boxes for anything except USPS Priority Mail. That said -and I'm not saying I do this or suggest that YOU do it- many people will take USED Priority boxes and turn them inside out. Some Priority boxes have "PRIORITY MAIL" stamped all over the inside. Some don't. Obviously, they only reuse the older ones that don't. They don't feel any guilt over this, since the boxes would just make their way to the dump, otherwise. This way, they're recycling the box to get more use out of it, rather than just cluttering up the planet. USPS (and, probably, the courts) disagree with this p.o.v... but it's there.


Eric