So close... so close...

All-

Fate has it that this Friday I will be tootling East on I-90 through Mentor, OH, though unfortunately it will be a couple hours after CFCS closes (at 4:30 PM) . I'll be over-nighting in Erie, PA and can FedEx my box(es) backwards on Saturday morning, but it just kills me that I'll be so close and can't check out their facility (and save a little money on shipping). I'm tempted to take a picture of their "Closed" sign as a souvenir anyway! Please don't tell me they have a penny-squashing machine!

Does anyone out there know how much distance effects FedEx price? It costs about $22 to ship a 35 lb box from NE Kansas to Mentor, OH- how much do I stand to save if I haul my scrap to Erie and ship from there? I calculate it'll only take about another gallon of gas to haul the extra weight (about 100 lbs, total), but the cost in spousal irritation might be significantly more than I save...

I'll be coming back the same way the following weekend, also while CFCS is closed. Rats.

Thanks for any input, and cheers!
tbg

billygoat-

Thanks- yes, that's what I did last time and it worked out to about $0.62 per pound shipped using their account from Kansas (the box was only 31 lbs). I'm hoping that since the shipping distance is much shorter, a comparable box will be significantly less per pound from Erie- the question is, will it be cheap enough to deal with it in the back of my car the whole way? I've got the always friendly and helpful CFCS customer service working on it for me as I type...

As for Erie, I've never spent more than a night there while on my way to somewhere else. This time around I may get to see the Kinko's downtown, but that's probably about it...

cheers,
tbg

For what it's worth, I ship from one end of Ohio to the other (about a 4 hour drive), and it comes out to about 30 cents a pound for me.

Foobar, newattitude-

Thanks. Do you consistently shoot for 60 lb boxes, or is $0.30 averaged over various sized boxes? I haven't shipped anything that large from Kansas yet...

tbg

it been pretty consistent at .30-.35 from a state away (michigan) it goes by fed ex zones

All-

Thanks for the extra info. I just heard back from the CFCS folks about estimated shipping costs from Erie. From Lawrence, KS (66045), a 31 lb box measuring 16x13x13 cost me $19.84, or $0.64/lb, to ship using their account. The hypothetical same box shipped from Erie, PA (16508) was calculated to cost $14.60, or $0.47/lb. Cheaper, but not *that* much cheaper. According to the FedEx website Erie and Mentor are in the same zone, 2. I'm not sure how you're getting cheaper shipping than that unless the rate is better for heaver boxes...

cheers,
tbg

I've usually averaged around 25-30 cents per pound, sending from NW Ohio, and usually try to keep it under the 75 pound. If you add on an additional 100 pounds to the equation it might be worth your wild. You would most likely have to ship two separate boxes, around 75 lbs per box, but you would save $25-30 dollars by doing so. If you're going to be staying there anyways, and are able to transport all the materials without any additional hassle then why not? It might be a small amount to some, but over time it adds up. Just my two cents.

i live in the southern most point of ohio,,it costs me 19.00 if i drop my box off at fed ex and 22.00 if they pick it up at my house....i ship 69 pounds at a time

Thanks, all, for the additional comments.

Just to close out the thread I've decided against hauling 100 lbs of escrap from Kansas to Erie this time around. Yes, I could probably shave off $20 or so from shipping, but... a) I've got lots of other stuff to do before leaving besides weighing out 15 different classes of escrap and b) I've got about a thousand miles to drive to get there. Call me a weenie, but I know a box that size will block a good portion of my rear windshield- who knows when you might need that extra bit of visibility on the highway. So, it stays in Kansas, for now.

cheers,
tbg

I dont see why people would ship it? The 16 to 30 cents per pound you must pay per pound is seriously cutting into your profit. Why dont you just save up and bring to location? Personally its a $350 in gas round trip for me. But I figure I will bring down 600-1000 pounds of the good stuff(motherboards and finger boards and memory). Now this may seem stupid becasue at 30 cents a pound it only adds up to 180 in shipping. Well if you account for bulky items such as laptops,PS's,Disk drives and so on it works since you cant ship 700 ounds of them economically.

Just my opinion what you guys think?

Originally Posted by F350scrapper

I dont see why people would ship it? The 16 to 30 cents per pound you must pay per pound is seriously cutting into your profit. Why dont you just save up and bring to location? Personally its a $350 in gas round trip for me. But I figure I will bring down 600-1000 pounds of the good stuff(motherboards and finger boards and memory). Now this may seem stupid becasue at 30 cents a pound it only adds up to 180 in shipping. Well if you account for bulky items such as laptops,PS's,Disk drives and so on it works since you cant ship 700 ounds of them economically.

Just my opinion what you guys think?

Keep it simple

Figure out what it is costing you to ship it. For me it usually is right around $.50 a pound for a 60 something pound box. If you have the 700 pounds you speak of I gotta believe that cost is closer to $.30 than $.50 using gaylords, pallets, or trucking of some sorts.

You say it costs $350 in gas for round trip. My way of adding in wear and tear on vehicle is to double the gas. Then consider your time. What is it costing you per pound to bring it in yourself? 700 pounds /$700 expenses + your time is like a $1+ per pound shipping.

I take my shipping costs ($.50) off of the prices for the ship-to location and compare them to the full price of the local e-scrap yard. Whichever is higher, gets the scrap.