You've carefully researched the item you are offering for auction; you have several beautiful images that clearly illustrate the item; a carefully worded description supports and enhances  those images. You list your prized offering; you receive a lot of interest and numerous bids that, ultimately, reap a much  higher dollar sale than you ever imagined. You receive an instant payment,..so far, "everything is coming up roses"! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO BAD? The answer is: LOTS OF THINGS,...and the real tragedy is that YOU may have been the BASIS of all  those THINGS THAT COULD GO BAD. All the effort you expended so far has now become wasted time and effort.

Start "Service after the Sale" as soon as possible,... which includes and involves the careful and  thorough PACKING of what USED to be yours and now, is the property of a NEW owner.

There's nothing complicated or difficult about following a few principles that will get your package to its new owner safely and , believe me, it can be the deciding factor as to whether or not you EARN the respect of a potential repeat customer. Obviously, many problems, that are totally out of your control, can occur as soon as you put the package into the hands of any carrier. You may say, "that's why I buy insurance" and that may be true to some extent. On the other hand you should, perhaps, consider the inconvenience and disappointment you may cause the recipient. Suddenly, what, so far, has started as a good prospective business relationship turns into "war between the worlds". In most instances, your customer is going to have the first opportunity to actually see the damaged item,...but NOT until they have also seen how poorly the item was packed in the box. If it has the appearances of sloppy, inadequate PACKING or even "hints" that you did not show respect and care for someone else's property,...need I say more?

During my two years as an ebay member, I have, on numerous occasions, received packages that were damaged,....on the outside of the box, yet, the property, inside, which I NOW OWNED, was in great condition because it was packed sufficiently to be thrown, dropped, kicked,... or whatever you can think of. My father taught me, what was considered many decades past, as the best way of packing so the item(s) inside would not rattle or move when the box was shaken violently. And, if it made any sound or movement, did it get unpacked, problem corrected, and then re-packed? You bet it did!!! PREVENTIVE MEDICATION??? Before you pack any item, shake the item "lightly" to discover things that MAY move and gently secure them with light weight padding, soft tissue,...be very careful if you use tape,...it can cause more problems than it may cure. As an example: I deal with On30 Scale trains,...box cars, combine baggage/passenger coaches, and other rolling stock,... with doors and windows that may be opened or closed. They may be fine for shipping without any preventive measures,...but I do not like to take chances and I fully understand that the impression it may make with its new owner should give me good marks towards their dealing with me again.

So,...How do you pack a box properly? That's easy!! First of all, make sure the box is BIG enough to leave space around EVERY side of the item(s) you are packing. In most instances, the railroad stock I sell comes in its own pre-cut "foam rubber" cushioning inside the manufacturers custom- made boxes. The product is already in a relatively secure box but not nearly strong enough to adequately sustain the normal rigors of shipping. I recently received a PRODUCT BOX wrapped in a piece of brown paper. It was a miracle it traveled halfway across the country without being demolished. Another time, a USPS Priority Mail "shoe box" (yep!,...that's what it's called) arrived and as soon as I picked it up, I became concerned about the shape the contents would be in when I opened it. Would you believe a single piece of brown paper had been circled and taped around the manufacturer's box as packing material,...and it had moved around that way for several days en route to us.

I will reuse a box in which to SHIP merchandise that I may have RECEIVED full of merchandise for me at an earlier date,...but ONLY if the box is in great condition after all the previously used tape has been carefully removed to avoid any damage to the box. The original tape has already "done its job" and the fact that it has been severed to open the box usually means it has lost a substantial amount of its original bonding strength. New tape will do a better job of sealing the various open edges on the flaps on the box. As long as it seals properly with new tape, you may be able to cut some cost of having to purchase new boxes to use for shipping.

 You can use "peanuts", bubble pack (small size bubbles with which to wrap the item(s); large bubbles to use to fill larger open spaces, crumpled newspaper, air bags,...there's a lot of possibilities. The key to the most successfully packed item is the allowance of space around the item ( and its manufacturers box, if any) and the placement of the packing ( cushioning ) material within the outer shipping box. For whatever it's worth, I prefer to use crumpled newspaper for cushioning, For one thing, it's already paid for if you have a subscription. If you are like me and don't subscribe, I, periodically, will invest in a quantity of nice, thick Sunday editions from the larger metropolitan areas,...The cashier may give you a strange look,...I just tell them I like to read a lot,...you can't do it much cheaper than that. I line the bottom of the box with whatever quantity of crumpled material is required to cover the bottom. I then put the manufacturer's box(es)or the bubble-wrapped item(s) on that lining and check to make sure there is about 1/2" to 3/4" of a layer of crumpled newspaper. As I fill the shipping box with items, I start adding more newspaper along the sides of the shipping box. When it is nearly full, I follow the same procedure at the top as I did with the bottom,...just enough packing/cushioning material to allow the first two flaps of the top of the shipping box to belevel with a small amount of pressure used to push down on the flaps without their "giving". If they do "give", usually one more piece of loosely- crumpled newspaper will correct the "give". The finishing touch is the "open" sheet of newspaper that I place on top of all the crumpled newspaper. The first thing that greets the eyes of my customer ( the NEW owner) is a presentation of neatness, calmness, and order.

 Taping is another important consideration,...the PROPER tape,...not necessarily the AMOUNT of tape. I will not use any brand  or product names but, instead, direct my ideas as to the TYPE of tape to use in various situations. In business practices, we all try to conserve on cost factor and put more emphasis on "The Bottom Line",...but your bottom line will not be much if the tape snaps and stuff you used to own, but now belongs to someone else, falls to the ground and breaks!  Use any of those tapes that are specifically marked  "FOR SHIPPING". As with so many things nowadays, it may cost you a little more, but the security of its strength is well worth the extra cost. Many of the clear tapes are more appropriate for SEALING storage boxes in the basement or attic. It is a good idea to look for these better tapes at places like Staples, Additionally, keep a supply of the real heavyweight tape,...STRAPPING TAPE which is reinforced for unbelievable stress and strength. Use it,...GENEROUSLY,...for those larger boxes and, particularly, anything that will be shipped Internationally. When you are in the process of taping, I suggest you start the process with short pieces of tape to secure the box cover flaps in place,...make sure the flaps line up neatly with the sides of the box,..it looks more professional and I believe it will hold better. If you cannot accomplish lining up the flaps to the sides of the box, that may indicate that either you have more packing material than you need or,perhaps the box is too small. You should re-group and start over if that is the problem. It may sound tedious and time-consuming but, like just about everything else you have learned in life, success the first time is not always easy. Put in a different context; once you get used to doing it the right way, it is no more difficult than doing it the wrong way. Once the basic placement of the small strips of tape has been completed, you can now proceed with the major size pieces of tape that should cover every open seam on the box,...TOP AND BOTTOM. Tape it as though you were going to fill the box to the top with water and it required to be taped sufficiently to prevent any leakage.

Finally, if you use shipping labels,...you know,...one that has the return address and the other has the addressee,...it's a good idea to cover each with a short strip of clear tape to protect it on its journey to the new owner.

Do we operate a BIG VOLUME business? No,... and there's only two people involved; my wife and I who are both retired and medically disabled. Some who read this guide may think we have tons of time to be nit-picky about our operation and how slowly we can work to get things accomplished. Not so fast, my friend,...we keep active with a variety of activities, but when it comes to our little business, we strive to make it look as though we have only one customer and we do our best to make them feel as though they are the only customer we have. If you do operate a volume business, then it is very important that you train those that do the packing and shipping the way YOUR CUSTOMER will most appreciate receiving the package,...safe ,secure, well packed, shipped and handled with care. Yes, we are small in the business world but we are getting new and repeat customers all the time.

One type of tape that I CAUTION YOU NOT TO USE for shipping tape purposes is USPS PRIORITY MAIL tape,...its tensil strength is minimal and a small child can tear it,...use it only to mark a plain box that is to be sent PRIORITY MAIL. To end this theory and ideas on a positive note, I highly recommend the United States Postal Service shipping boxes available, FREE OF CHARGE, and delivered to you at home or a business location.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading and gained some helpful tips from these ideas that have been instrumental in garnering us some great and deeply appreciated FEEDBACK. I realize that not everyone will agree with everything I have covered, but if you are able to use just one part of this "dissertation", it will have been well worth your taking the time to read it. My wonderful wife of twenty-five years, Barb, and I would love to have you visit our GUEST BOOK and take a minute or two to leave a "hello" or any other comments. Thank You, ALL, and May GOD BLESS!