TRADING Concerns About Postage Costs for 5-Pin Packages
stratasfan
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I'm posting this for all the traders who might not want to be part of these blind trade packages anymore or are afraid to say anything in fear of unkind replies. I don't mean to sound as negative as this is going to read, but many traders are on tight budgets where pins are concerned. That's why we've got different types of trade packages for different types of traders. Unfortunately, when you sign up for one thing, and it's not what it's supposed to be, you're still stuck paying to send the package forward -- whether you can afford it or not. I'm hoping this post will help all of us understand how necessary it is to think about the people on down the line and stick to the size of the trade promised. So, please let my comments speak for myself and others who've contacted me to say what a hardship this has been.
It's just a pin trade, I know, but we're supposed to be happy with these trades. I'm sure no ill intent was meant by the original sender. In fact, I'd say it was meant to be a nice surprise for everyone on the list, but we need to be careful not to burden anyone here. And we don't want to lose the few traders who join the fun! So, here goes . . .
Just received the @TonkaToy trading box in the mail. Wait, box?! This exchange was clearly stated as being a small envelope, and that's what we all signed up for and expected. There's usually a larger, fuller pin-box exchange going around on this forum for those who want to risk the higher price of heavier shipping. Personally, Sis and I always sign up for and love both kinds. But we definitely wouldn't have signed up for a small amount of pins like this at such a heavy weight. $15 to ship a box with the hope of adding even one of the expected five pins to our collection wouldn't be something we'd ever sign up for. On the other hand, mailing a few pins on cardboard with some bubblewrap around them in an a less-than-one-pound bubble mailer is a great way to inexpensively share the fun more often. A large, very heavy wooden board with the added weight of pins (with no pin backs) should have been posted as such and not under the lightweight-5-pin-package thread. But let's use this as a learning lesson and make something positive out of it for future trades.
This was supposed to be a 5-pin-trade envelope that weighed less than 16oz. to ship via USPS Ground Advantage (used to be called First Class Mail). These small trades keep trading affordable for a blind-trade situation, where each person receiving this would only be out about $5 for the opportunity to possibly make a small trade. (Remember, blind trades of any size are a fun gamble, and what everyone can afford to gamble varies from person to person.) Instead, this is a 3-pound box containing a heavywooden/felt board with more than five pins on it. The heavy board was mailed in a box inside another box. It's going to cost me $15 to mail this box to the next person, and that's only to Florida from Ohio, not cross country like many earlier traders have had to mail. Signing up for one thing and doing another means that anyone who was disappointed by this experience is unlikely to sign up for another trading package in the future. So, this affects all of us who only get to trade via Mail. When a 5-pin package ends up with 6, 7, or 8 pins . . . no problem, since that can be mailed in the same small envelope, but when it has to graduate to a box weighing more than a pound . . . there is a problem.
Spending an unexpected $10 EXTRA to mail a heavy board with its several pins was not meant to be part of the deal with these small trading packages. Not only was it unexpected to those who signed up for another small package, it isn't good for other traders who might be experiencing this for the first time and think they're going to have to pay a box rate for a pin or two (or even NO pins, as often happens). Depending on how far this box travelled each time, the traders on this list ended up paying a total of $80-100 EXTRA to the Post Office. For those of you who are thinking, "It's only $10!", I'm respectfully asking you to keep your thoughts to yourself this time. Many people don't have an extra $10 between paychecks, and we don't want to embarrass them or make them feel small.
One last point about ZAPs for people on the list. Out of courtesy to everyone after you, please only include ZAPs in the package for the next person on the list. While ZAPs are great fun, it'd be better to send them separately for people further down on the list. Again, we don't know who's on the list down the line who can't afford the extra ounces (which can even send the package into the next pound).
I've removed the pins from the board and will mail them in a small package to the next person. If the original sender would like the heavy board mailed back to them, I'll gladly post it to them when they pay the postage cost (an extra 2#) from Ohio. (Please let me know what to do with it.)
Again, I'm super sorry for having to post this at all. Griping doesn't sit well with us. Everyone is living through uncertain times right now, so things require a bit more thought about the next guy these days. I hope you understand that I have many traders in mind with this. I personally know a lot of fiscally-responsible pin traders who don't spend outside their budget. So, let's stick to the rules, and we'll all have a good time on the next one!
I'm tagging all the others involved in this exchange:
@Pinfun
@momin.ator
@sbmpins
@brattyjedi
@Ksnuggles
@Poohlady5
@Connies_Hobby
@sockgnome
@firechief18
It's just a pin trade, I know, but we're supposed to be happy with these trades. I'm sure no ill intent was meant by the original sender. In fact, I'd say it was meant to be a nice surprise for everyone on the list, but we need to be careful not to burden anyone here. And we don't want to lose the few traders who join the fun! So, here goes . . .
Just received the @TonkaToy trading box in the mail. Wait, box?! This exchange was clearly stated as being a small envelope, and that's what we all signed up for and expected. There's usually a larger, fuller pin-box exchange going around on this forum for those who want to risk the higher price of heavier shipping. Personally, Sis and I always sign up for and love both kinds. But we definitely wouldn't have signed up for a small amount of pins like this at such a heavy weight. $15 to ship a box with the hope of adding even one of the expected five pins to our collection wouldn't be something we'd ever sign up for. On the other hand, mailing a few pins on cardboard with some bubblewrap around them in an a less-than-one-pound bubble mailer is a great way to inexpensively share the fun more often. A large, very heavy wooden board with the added weight of pins (with no pin backs) should have been posted as such and not under the lightweight-5-pin-package thread. But let's use this as a learning lesson and make something positive out of it for future trades.
This was supposed to be a 5-pin-trade envelope that weighed less than 16oz. to ship via USPS Ground Advantage (used to be called First Class Mail). These small trades keep trading affordable for a blind-trade situation, where each person receiving this would only be out about $5 for the opportunity to possibly make a small trade. (Remember, blind trades of any size are a fun gamble, and what everyone can afford to gamble varies from person to person.) Instead, this is a 3-pound box containing a heavywooden/felt board with more than five pins on it. The heavy board was mailed in a box inside another box. It's going to cost me $15 to mail this box to the next person, and that's only to Florida from Ohio, not cross country like many earlier traders have had to mail. Signing up for one thing and doing another means that anyone who was disappointed by this experience is unlikely to sign up for another trading package in the future. So, this affects all of us who only get to trade via Mail. When a 5-pin package ends up with 6, 7, or 8 pins . . . no problem, since that can be mailed in the same small envelope, but when it has to graduate to a box weighing more than a pound . . . there is a problem.
Spending an unexpected $10 EXTRA to mail a heavy board with its several pins was not meant to be part of the deal with these small trading packages. Not only was it unexpected to those who signed up for another small package, it isn't good for other traders who might be experiencing this for the first time and think they're going to have to pay a box rate for a pin or two (or even NO pins, as often happens). Depending on how far this box travelled each time, the traders on this list ended up paying a total of $80-100 EXTRA to the Post Office. For those of you who are thinking, "It's only $10!", I'm respectfully asking you to keep your thoughts to yourself this time. Many people don't have an extra $10 between paychecks, and we don't want to embarrass them or make them feel small.
One last point about ZAPs for people on the list. Out of courtesy to everyone after you, please only include ZAPs in the package for the next person on the list. While ZAPs are great fun, it'd be better to send them separately for people further down on the list. Again, we don't know who's on the list down the line who can't afford the extra ounces (which can even send the package into the next pound).
I've removed the pins from the board and will mail them in a small package to the next person. If the original sender would like the heavy board mailed back to them, I'll gladly post it to them when they pay the postage cost (an extra 2#) from Ohio. (Please let me know what to do with it.)
Again, I'm super sorry for having to post this at all. Griping doesn't sit well with us. Everyone is living through uncertain times right now, so things require a bit more thought about the next guy these days. I hope you understand that I have many traders in mind with this. I personally know a lot of fiscally-responsible pin traders who don't spend outside their budget. So, let's stick to the rules, and we'll all have a good time on the next one!
I'm tagging all the others involved in this exchange:
@Pinfun
@momin.ator
@sbmpins
@brattyjedi
@Ksnuggles
@Poohlady5
@Connies_Hobby
@sockgnome
@firechief18
Pin trading is a fun and sharing hobby!!