A Beginner's Guide For Packing

I see the UPS truck stopping outside, and my interest jumps as my latest eBay purchase has arrived.   Or, I hand in my USPS call tag and am eagerly awaiting the post office employee's return with boxes in hand (or on cart).  Either way, I can usually tell within the first minute of seeing the box if I am in for a good or bad experience.   

Having been involved in the buying and selling of collectible action figures for the past twelve years, there have been a variety of best and worst practices that I have seen employed on eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, and other online venues in that time.  By my personal count, in my first five to six years on eBay, I averaged one poorly packaged transaction a year (meaning that the items were damaged as a direct result of poor packaging).  In the last three years, that rate has increased to a staggering one in five transactions with an expected "casualty" rate of 10% damages in bulk purchases.   One wonders why I prefer Craigslist!   

And the problem is not just limited to new sellers.  Blame the drive towards "free shipping", the incentive of using shipping costs as a secondary revenue stream, lack of respect towards the items, or any of a variety of other reasons - the bottom line is that shipping practices have notably declined in the past few years.  

This is an area that should not be overlooked by any sellers.  Just like the outfit you wear to a job interview, the packaging sets the immediate tone and attitude for your customer before they open your package.  When I see an obviously reused box, I am going to be checking things out fairly closely.  When I see a new box with a printed label, I am not going to be as hawkish.   Plus, if there is an issue with one of the items, I am more likely to give the seller the benefit of the doubt if I can tell care went into the packing process.

Here are some DOs and DON'Ts - 

DO:

• Have a box already available for packing your item(s).  I know of four instances in the past six months where the seller took a heavy loss on shipping costs because they did not know what size box they were going to need.   And, if the seller is already taking a loss on shipping, they are more likely to cut corners on packing, resulting in damaged items.
• Have some space between the sides of the box and the item(s), usually one inch on all sides.  If the items are flush against the sides of the box, they are very vulnerable to any impacts as well as sliding if the box is tipped.  Center the items in the box and fill in all the space with packing materials
• Use packing materials and enough of it!    There is a phrase in shipping - "If it shakes, it breaks."   Paper, peanuts, air pillows, stuffed animals - use something in there and make sure to use enough of it.  I once received an shipment of 12 action figures with three pieces of looseleaf paper as packing.  My first reaction is that the seller was a moron.  Lack of packing materials shows a lack of professionalism and respect for your customer.  
• Use standardized boxes.  As much as possible, use the same size boxes for all of your shipments.  It helps with storage, packing, and even carrying the prepared shipments around.  
• Bag the items inside the box.   It looks good, keeps the items clean, and adds protection from scuffs and scratches.  A win-win.

DON'T:

• Reuse used boxes.  I know this one can be tough for smaller sellers, but if you are going to reuse boxes, make sure they are in good condition, no punctures, sharp corners, and no writing.  When I see a reused box, I don't think "Wow, they are doing good for the environment."   I think "Someone is trying to make some money on me" quickly followed by "Something is going to be messed up." 
• Use shredded newspaper.   Unless it is the only resort, shredded newspaper is a horrible choice for packing material.  It's dirty, it gets everywhere, and it may be the most annoying form of packing material out there (other than no packing material at all).
• Pack to the top of the box.   Just like the above tip about leaving space, that includes the top of the box.  If your items are going to the top of the box, something is going to be at best case bent and at worst case broken.
• Assume it will be "good enough" or the shipping distance is "short enough".  If you have any doubts about a pack job, redo it.  The one you don't will the be the one that comes back to bite you.

I know these items will require some extra effort and expense on the front end of your business.  However, attention and planning in these areas will reap benefits by increased positive feedback and reduced defect rates.  In addition, streamlined processes will decrease your time and labor costs. Ultimately, these expenses will be offset by new business influenced by positive feedback and repeat business from satisfied customers. In the end, it's more than just cardboard and paper.  It's attitude, perception, and professionalism all wrapped up with packing tape.

Some Thoughts on the Super Bowl Ads - 2012

With my beloved Saints not in the game, I found myself lacking any vested interest in the game (although I really do not like the Patriots).  So, since several more qualified authorities and non-authorities have pontificated about the game itself for the past two weeks and up to the current second, let's talk about the commercials!

I am not going to bore you with the standard winners and losers or Top 10 list.  Instead, this will be some random thoughts from one geek's perspective on the quickest multi-million dollar investments in history.  And, given that it is a geek's perspective, this will be fairly pop culture heavy.

• The Avengers - Marvel rolled out a teaser for an actual commercial that came off as just more teaser.   Far more impressive is the extended trailer that was simultaneously loaded up on the Avengers Facebook page.  The "We have a Hulk" line is an instant classic.   However, the question lingers....why not air the full trailer during the Super Bowl?   Was there not enough money in the marketing budget or were there no spaces available?

• GI Joe: Retribution - Nothing really new here other than the brief glimpse of the fully helmeted Cobra Commander along with more of The Rock's pecs and Snake Eyes kicking tail.   However, the overall look and tone of the film appears to be far more appropriate for the property than the overly cartoony first one.  With some of the moves that the de-lipped Snake Eyes has been showing in the previews, I hope Larry Hama is smiling.

• General Motors - I didn't place Clint Eastwood's voice until about halfway through the ad, but once I did, it was all goosebumps.  Tokyo, you feel lucky punk?

• MetLife - Ok, we have characters from Warner Bros, Hanna Barbera, the Bullwinkle stable, and Voltron (?!?!?!).  Which of these things is not like the other?  Also, how much is the deductible on those lions and does it increase when they form the robot?

• Honda CRV - Man, that Matthew Broderick just does not age!  Otherwise, this felt very forced.  I wanted to like it, but instead, I was let down at the end.  Some things should not be given the commercial treatment.

• The Voice - Yeah, there were several ads for the show, but the Tarantino-esque action spot was clearly the best.  Cee Lo Green in the Uma Thurman track suit has to be the geek out spot of the night.

• VW - Missed it.  Will have to catch it online later tonight.  The Force was not with me, but I hear the dog spot released in advance was better.

• Geico - Will someone make bacon out of the damn pig already?   It was funny the first 20 times, but the amount of commercial spots that Geico is purchasing has to be causing my rates to rise.

And finally, the Coke ad with the football fan polar bears.  As the one bear goes out and vents his frustration to the heavens ("Arrrrgh!"), the only thought from this black and gold fan is "I feel your pain."

Now, time to start planning out the trip to New Orleans for next year's Super Bowl.......Who Dat!

A Quick Change

Mike made a few changes and linked www.newworldtoysandcollectibles.com to our Amazon website.  One URL and no extra clicking!  Check it out today.

A Short Rant on America's Got Talent

Begin rant - what in the world is with America's Got Talent!?!?

 For the third season in a row, a solo singer wins out over an ensemble group that displayed a  LOT MORE complexity, skill, and creativity! Last year, we got a blue eyed soul singer who is ripping off Joe Cocker and this year we get the Rat Pack revisited while exciting groups like Fighting Gravity, Recycled Percussion, and Team iLuminate finish third....THIRD?!?!?!?!

Check with New World Angi, I have been saying since the first Las Vegas shows two or so months ago that I cannot get behind Team iLuminate because they will get to the finals and finish third. Look what happens. I personally want to see the voting results, because I cannot fathom how the singer beats the group AGAIN. It almost seems like the group does not get it because it would be too difficult to split the million dollar annuity prize, AND it is cheaper to mount a show for a solo singer than a variety group (not to mention all the tutors for the kids in Silhouttes)

I love the show, but I have serious doubts about its credibility now.

End rant.

Comics and Everyday People

Having recently done a mall show with a non comic targeted crowd, I found it quite interesting how people outside the regular comic demographic view comic books today.  Some of the observations have a definite tie in to the current DC digital initiative while others are downright troubling when it comes to selling comics.

1. The Kids Don't Care - so, here we are in the middle of a major metropolitan mall over the course of three days, and I can count on less than two hands how many kids under 12 came up and started looking at the books of their own accord.  Most of the time, they went for the action figures first and had to be pointed to the comics by their parents.   Additionally, kids do not like to dig in the boxes, so the "joy of discovery" was a non factor.
2. "Hot" or "Not" - I had at least five adults who stopped by who identified themselves as former collectors, but they had not been following the books for a couple of years.  When I started talking about Secret Invasion, World War Hulk, and Blackest Night, all I got was blank looks.   Upon further investigation, a couple of years really meant the late 90s!   Even with everything done in the past four years or so to gain media attention, people still remember the Death of Superman and Mutant Massacre storylines.   I had one person (ONE!) ask if I had any of the new Death of Spider-Man issues (as one of the other dealers asked "Spider-Man died?").  As I tried to explain some of the recent big events, the dominant reactions revolved around the size and accessibility of the storylines.   The Big Two talk about attracting new readers yet these huge storylines appear to scare them off.   
3. Signs, Signs, Everywhere There's Signs - Call it the Wal-Mart syndrome.   If there is not a price directly on the box that comics were in, I was consistently questioned on how much the books were.  Nevermind that there are 12 boxes with "Comics - 2 for $1" signs on every three boxes, if they were looking at a box between the signs, people had to ask how much it cost.   I even had questions about the post it notes on the action figures asking what the number meant  (Um, that's the price).   After doing so many shows, this really brought home how much I was used to the usual nomenclature and signage of the comic book show.  "Normals" did not have the same assumptions or base concepts.
4. Scary Comment of the Day - From a passerby - "Comic books.  They still make those?"

Bottom line, despite their own insular best efforts, the scope of the comic book industry has greatly decreased. The characters are known, but the individual stories and issues are not.  I picked up nearly 500 issues, all DC and Marvel, from the past three years from one person for a sad 0.25/issue.   Considering the average $2.99 cover price, that is even a worse return on investment than the stock market for the past few years. Moreover, there is no interest to pick up the stories even by casual fans EVEN AT A BARGAIN PRICE POINT!  So, I will have to save these books for the next true comic show.

DC has realized that they will have to do what the rest of the print industry has been in the process of doing the past few years - "Change or Die".  If they cannot bring in the younger readers or the casual readers, then our industry, our hobby, our passion, is on life support, no matter how much we may want to deny it.

  

Marvel needs to get on a similar path as their continual churn of "The Next Big Thing" and "The Next Big Death" is only cannibalizing long term sales for short term spikes.   Marvel is trying to replicate the speculator frenzy of the 90s by creating events and hoping readers stick around.  We have been down this path before, and we know how it ends (hello, Wizard).  Instead, if they could use their big multi-media properties, movies, and TV shows, to promote the books and have more of an integration between the platforms, that would drive more sales.  The current new Wolverine and Iron Man series are great examples of this, yet I have not seen one single "Read the Book" ad on any of these shows.    Hopefully, DC's new promotions, even as limited as they are, will spur some action over at the House of Ideas.

While the sales from the mall show were nowhere near expectations, the experience was illuminating.   For the various retailers complaining about the DC digital initiative, they should try setting up at something similar to this and see how the world beyond their "Wall Books" views their product and presentation.  The occasional customer looking through the lines of boxes could very well be a preview of their own future.

Concord Mills Show

If you are reading this now, you might have met us at the Concord Mills Cards and More Show put on by Exceptional Collectibles.  If so, thanks for dropping by and make sure to jump to our Amazon storefront (see up there) for some more great stuff.

If not, and you are in the Charlotte region, come on by and see us sometime this weekend (June 24- 26).  I am not sure where we will be, but look for the black grid with all the action figures and a tired looking guy next to it.

This is our first mall show, so it will be interesting to see how things go with a "passing" audience as opposed to the "targeted" audience of a comic and toy show.  Hopefully, we can draw some attention and sales, and it is a very high traffic mall, so we are curious to see how things turn out.  

There are a number of other sports card dealers there, so I am afraid we might stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.  That could be a good thing though.

So, wish us luck, we hope to see you there, and one of us will be chasing after the baby.

Yes, I know I need to put together that summary of Heroes Con.  I really loaded up on some of the art.  However, do you every buy a bunch of stuff, and when you look back, you see something that makes you go...."What was I thinking?"