Bill Powell wrote:

To-date, I have found VERY FEW (eBay) people who have the FOGGIEST
idea of how to properly pack a boatanchor. Especially the "trust me -
I'm an eBay professional" types.
So... I've been insisting on (and paying for) double boxing and heavy
cardboard boxes.

Well, you're the exception.
You priced packing material lately?
And please, guys- don't start with "the stores give it away,"
cuz it ain't so around here. You can get arrested for
retrieving boxes from the dumpster. I've asked several stores
and they quote "liability concerns." Wal-Mart will still give
you boxes, but they don't usually have good sizes or
strong-walled boxes. If you want *good, sturdy* boxes,
you still have to buy them and they aren't cheap.

I get tired of whines about packing fees.
I don't have a problem with packing well;
I *DO* have a problem getting people to
accept the fact that packing an ART-13 transmitter
or a DX-100 can easily cost $12-$14 or more.
And if you try to double-box a biggie,
you can easily box yourself right out of
USPS or UPS. Truck or bus is risky, expensive
and a show-stopper for most buyers.

Nothing is free, and that includes packing.
I add a piddling $1-$2 to my auctions to help defer
the packing costs (that's about a third to a half of
what it actually costs me),
and people still whine and complain about it.

D.S.