[Villages Kahuna]

Occasionally, posters here kvetch about how much the developer of TV might profit from his efforts. But again, I've learned my lesson and in the process discovered the man who absolutely HAS to be the richest man in TV.

I made the mistake one last time of going to The Villages Pack-And-Ship to send a package. My laptop hard drive died and I had to send it to a repair service in Huntsville, AL. So here's what Pack-And-Ship was going to charge me...$24.95 to pack the laptop...plus $69.11 to ship it to Alabama, 3rd day delivery guaranteed. That's a total of $94.06 to ship a laptop about 400 miles!

I quickly bowed out and headed for my friendly local Post Office. There, the provide a Flat Rate Box for free and will ship the laptop by Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery!) for the grand total of $9.30. I can even print the postage on my computer and that includes Delivery Confirmation. Of course, I have to provide the bubble wrap and labor to wrap it up, but I figure I can do a heckuva lot of packing for the $84.76 savings by NOT using The Villages Pack-And-Ship!

TVP&S is a franchise of UPS, FedEx and USPS and as such can charge whatever freight the traffic will bear in TV. The profits their owner accumulates, a Mr. Downing if I read the certificates on the wall correctly, MUST make him the wealthiest man in The Villages.

But I've learned my lesson...never again will I permit my shadow to cross the threshold of any of the five Villages Pack-And-Ship offices here in TV. Grand larceny is usually punishable by time in the slammer. Mr. Downing can enjoy the profits of his larceny on the golf course!

[Russ_Boston]

Thanks for the warning. We have 'do it for you' shipping places up here that are similar in price. I use the good old USPS or direct with UPS and wrap it myself!

[samhass]

I agree VK. I shipped out a packet of documents to the Turks and Caicos. They slammed me. Never again.

[graciegirl]

Thank you for the heads up. I do ebay as a business and use the USPS. I just wish they were closer to my house in Hadley. I go every day.

[villages07]

I had a contract document that I needed to fax long distance....TVP&S price was $2 for first page and $1 for every page thereafter...to send an outgoing fax. So, this woulda cost me $30....fuhgetaboutit. My neighbor graciously offered me the use of his fax machine for free.

Yes, they are expensive.

[Muncle]

We had similar stores up north in the DC area. I'm sure they're nationwide, likely in a whole lot of strip malls. The one close to my home in Virginia was just as expensive as the ones here. The whole concept behind the stores is that they appeal to those who are too lazy or otherwise unable to find an alternative. Basically they're a Starbucks that sends stuff.

[chacam]

My wife went in to buy 50 one cent stamps and guess what ? ? They were two cents each ! ! !

[Villages Kahuna]

...particularly for eBay shipments.

The Post Office provides three different sizes of Flat Rate boxes, almost perfect sizes for most stuff you sell on eBay. They're Priority Mail and they're FREE! You can even order them in bulk right from the USPS website--they'll send you 20-25 boxes for free.

The two smaller boxes ship for $9.30 with no weight limitation other than the strength of the boxes. The largest costs $12.95. You can print the postage from the USPS website and tape it to your package and never have to stand in line in the Post Office. That includes Delivery Confirmation. eBay makes it very easy; you can click on "Print A Mailing Label" and you're linked to the USPS website. Add the shipping address and click "Pay" and it charges your PayPal account and prints the label. You actually don't even have to go to the Post Office. If you call or post a request online before 9:00AM, the USPS driver will come by your house and pick up your packages on the same day. Couldn't be easier!

Again...why did I ever choose to go back to Pack-And-Ship?

[Frangyomory]

Used Village Pack and Ship ONCE and after the shock determined it was worth the trip to the post office!!! ;D

[beady]

I had a similar experience.I needed to ship hubbies glasses to him, in a hurry, for obvious reasons.
Went to pack and ship and was quoted $46.00 for next day delivery and I had packed them and addressed the box. I left and went to the USPS and did it Express Mail. They arrived as promised and I saved a bundle.

[Sidney Lanier]

It's just another caveat; it's up to us to ask prices, and it's our choice to walk out. I too sell on eBay and I can count on the fingers of one hand (that's five for me...) the number of times I've had a problem with a wandering or smashed package or some such issue, out of thousands that I've shipped. We have one of the best postal systems in the world, even if we complain about the rates going up periodically or the occasional employee who could benefit from an attitude adjustment (as you'd find anywhere out there in the public).

We were once granted a free shipment by FedEx after a screw-up on their part. I decided to pack into their overseas envelope as many of the books as I could squeeze in from my M.A. program (centuries ago...) to send to our youngest son Craig's 'adopted brother' in Casablanca, Morocco; the young man, from an incredibly poor family, was studying English language and literature and really appreciated the books. After FedEx processed the shipment, I asked how much it would have cost if I had paid for it. Ready for this? $174! And this was about 18 years ago....

BTW, Craig, his girlfriend, and the now famous Quixote (Craig's 'Spoiled Rottenweiler') are at this moment visiting TV and having a marvelous time!!! They're not sure who's enjoying the golf cart more--Pups or them!

[blueeagle65]

As someone that has some first hand knowledge of this subject matter let me chip in my two cents worth. The are only three VPS stores - Bichara Blvd, Southern Trace shopping center and the new shopping center on 466A. As far as Mr. Downing being the wealthiest man in The Villages (he isn't even a Villager, but a life long local), IMHO - I seriously doubt it....... Not even close.

[chelsea24]

Graciegirl, Wildwood Post Office is the closest to us. I'm there all the time. Not as crowed either.

[Sidney Lanier]

And in the more central part of TV, where we are (Belvedere), we use the Oxford post office, a bit north of the intersection of 301 and 466 on the west side of 301. Also small, uncrowded, with friendly and helpful clerks.

[Villages Kahuna]

After getting Villages Pack-And-Ship's almost $95 quote to pack and ship my laptop computer to Huntsville, AL, I decided to use the freindly folks at the Oxford Post Office. I packed the laptop in the box they provided, with as much padding as would fit of course, and took it in for shipping. If I had not wanted insurance, the cost would have been $12.95. With the same amount of insurance imbedded in the P-A-S price, USPS shipped it Priority Mail (2-3 day delivery) for $23.80.

But I was still curious. I called the UPS store in Deerfield, IL, which I used frequently when I lived near there. The manager worked up what their price would have been to pack the computer in a computer box and ship it second-day air with $1,000 of insurance. The UPS price was $41.65.

But I furthered my investigation of my options. I set up a FedEx account several years ago, so I checked how I could use their services without going to Villages Pack-And-Ship. Voila! I could have packed my laptop in a box which FedEx would provide, drop the package off at their drop-off location near Laurel Manor, and have it delivered 2nd day air with $1,000 insurance for $25.44. If I really wanted to be lazy, I could have FedEx pick the package up at my house for a total price of $33.63.

So as best I can determine, Mr. Downing would have profited about $50-60 based on the actual cost of packing and shipping the item using either FedEx or UPS. (I believe they were going to ship using FedEx.) That's for just one customer in one of the several stores he owns. I wonder how many "walk outs" they have in those stores after people are told their prices? A worse thought is how many dummies gulp and agree to pay their larcenous prices?

I know I'll never walk out of a Villages Pack-And-Ship store again...because I'm never ever going to go in one again!