A Tale of Two Cities and FedEx

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:38:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:46:58 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

A man in Washington DC bought my Trek Madone off of eBay.
Quite a few Trek Madone bicycles were sold on eBay in the last week.
Which is yours?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Trek+Madone&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&L H_Complete=1

--
Jeff Liebermann
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
The one that sold for $2100, why?

Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:23:31 PM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:08:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:03:54 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:55:20 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Have you ever tried to compute your profits per hour?
Or losses. Factor in the eBay cut and shipping (including packaging
costs) and that the bike and parts were not free, and he had a shop
work on the BB, IIRC. The margin has to be tiny or negative. This
assumes no angry purchaser, no shipping damage claims and an otherwise
smooth transaction.
You simply don't understand how little I pay and how much I'm making.
For instance, I paid $260 for the Look and it will sell for $600 for
the bare frameset. Less than a grand into another that will sell for four.
If you're turning a profit, more power to you.

As I just said before Eternal September crashed yet again:

I wonder if you're properly accounting for all your inputs. The book
_Your Money Or Your Life_
counseled readers about gaining financial independence. The author said
to properly evaluate
current employment, a person needs to account for anything he would not
be investing if he did not
have that job; for example, any tools or equipment, any reference books,
any home office equipment
etc. And include time and money spent commuting, time shopping for
clothing needed only for the job,
time spent on learning and research at home, etc.

For you, that should include time spent browsing Chinese and other
websites, time posting questions
here about mismatched components, time spent arguing about the answers,
time watching Ebay and
Craigslist for responses, time haggling with potential customers, time
packaging anything you do
manage to sell, time digging into shipping costs and procedures...

Are you sure you're clearing $10 per hour?

If you're going through all that frustration just for fun instead of
profit, that's fine. Just don't portray it as a
money making enterprise.

- Frank Krygowski


Sometimes, the most valuable payment for a job is simply not going insane
from doing nothing.

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:48:50 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:38:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:46:58 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

A man in Washington DC bought my Trek Madone off of eBay.
Quite a few Trek Madone bicycles were sold on eBay in the last week.
Which is yours?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Trek+Madone&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&L H_Complete=1

The one that sold for $2100, why?

I don't see anything that sold for $2,100. However, it might have
been one where the buyer made an offer that you accepted. eBay
doesn't show the offer price. If you are somehow unable to provide
the item number, perhaps you could provide the year, color, size, or
description?

Why?
1. Because I'm curious.
2. Because I'm trying to help keep you honest.
3. Because, when hardware is discussed, I like to see a photo of the
bicycle involved.


--
Jeff Liebermann
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:10:00 +0000 (UTC), Ralph Barone
wrote:

Sometimes, the most valuable payment for a job is simply not going insane
from doing nothing.

I once owned a 2way radio service shop. My two employees were quite
different. One believed in "do something, even if it's wrong". The
other believed and practiced "when in doubt, do nothing". Being in
the middle of these two was ummm... entertaining. I tried to go
insane, but it didn't help.

--
Jeff Liebermann
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 3:10:05 PM UTC-4, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:23:31 PM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:08:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:03:54 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:55:20 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Have you ever tried to compute your profits per hour?
Or losses. Factor in the eBay cut and shipping (including packaging
costs) and that the bike and parts were not free, and he had a shop
work on the BB, IIRC. The margin has to be tiny or negative. This
assumes no angry purchaser, no shipping damage claims and an otherwise
smooth transaction.
You simply don't understand how little I pay and how much I'm making.
For instance, I paid $260 for the Look and it will sell for $600 for
the bare frameset. Less than a grand into another that will sell for four.
If you're turning a profit, more power to you.

As I just said before Eternal September crashed yet again:

I wonder if you're properly accounting for all your inputs. The book
_Your Money Or Your Life_
counseled readers about gaining financial independence. The author said
to properly evaluate
current employment, a person needs to account for anything he would not
be investing if he did not
have that job; for example, any tools or equipment, any reference books,
any home office equipment
etc. And include time and money spent commuting, time shopping for
clothing needed only for the job,
time spent on learning and research at home, etc.

For you, that should include time spent browsing Chinese and other
websites, time posting questions
here about mismatched components, time spent arguing about the answers,
time watching Ebay and
Craigslist for responses, time haggling with potential customers, time
packaging anything you do
manage to sell, time digging into shipping costs and procedures...

Are you sure you're clearing $10 per hour?

If you're going through all that frustration just for fun instead of
profit, that's fine. Just don't portray it as a
money making enterprise.

- Frank Krygowski

Sometimes, the most valuable payment for a job is simply not going insane
from doing nothing.

I understand. I've known a few people who retired and had no idea what to do with themselves. I suppose
buying random bike parts and trying to assemble bikes to sell is a way around that.

Before I retired I wondered a bit about what I'd do. But I'm addicted to "To Do" lists, stored and
updated electronically. I have a general one for small tasks, another for home & yard, a shopping list,
two for places to travel to (near & far), books to read, movies to watch, etc. etc. All are aspirationally
(or ridiculously) long. I'll never do nothing.

- Frank Krygowski

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:30:50 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:48:50 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:38:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:46:58 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

A man in Washington DC bought my Trek Madone off of eBay.
Quite a few Trek Madone bicycles were sold on eBay in the last week.
Which is yours?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Trek+Madone&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&L H_Complete=1

The one that sold for $2100, why?

I don't see anything that sold for $2,100. However, it might have
been one where the buyer made an offer that you accepted. eBay
doesn't show the offer price. If you are somehow unable to provide
the item number, perhaps you could provide the year, color, size, or
description?

Why?
1. Because I'm curious.
2. Because I'm trying to help keep you honest.
3. Because, when hardware is discussed, I like to see a photo of the
bicycle involved.

Never mind, I found it by going through all the listings and checking
the "Item Location".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-Madone-2009-with-R9000-Dura-Ace-group-60-cm/294053263327
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Trek-Madone-2009-with-R9000-Dura-Ace-group-60-cm-/294053263327?orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc
Very nice and congratulations on the sale.

--
Jeff Liebermann
PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 3/25/2021 2:10 PM, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:23:31 PM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:08:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:03:54 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:55:20 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Have you ever tried to compute your profits per hour?
Or losses. Factor in the eBay cut and shipping (including packaging
costs) and that the bike and parts were not free, and he had a shop
work on the BB, IIRC. The margin has to be tiny or negative. This
assumes no angry purchaser, no shipping damage claims and an otherwise
smooth transaction.
You simply don't understand how little I pay and how much I'm making.
For instance, I paid $260 for the Look and it will sell for $600 for
the bare frameset. Less than a grand into another that will sell for four.
If you're turning a profit, more power to you.

As I just said before Eternal September crashed yet again:

I wonder if you're properly accounting for all your inputs. The book
_Your Money Or Your Life_
counseled readers about gaining financial independence. The author said
to properly evaluate
current employment, a person needs to account for anything he would not
be investing if he did not
have that job; for example, any tools or equipment, any reference books,
any home office equipment
etc. And include time and money spent commuting, time shopping for
clothing needed only for the job,
time spent on learning and research at home, etc.

For you, that should include time spent browsing Chinese and other
websites, time posting questions
here about mismatched components, time spent arguing about the answers,
time watching Ebay and
Craigslist for responses, time haggling with potential customers, time
packaging anything you do
manage to sell, time digging into shipping costs and procedures...

Are you sure you're clearing $10 per hour?

If you're going through all that frustration just for fun instead of
profit, that's fine. Just don't portray it as a
money making enterprise.

- Frank Krygowski


Sometimes, the most valuable payment for a job is simply not going insane
from doing nothing.

+1

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:30:58 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:48:50 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 11:38:58 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 08:46:58 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

A man in Washington DC bought my Trek Madone off of eBay.
Quite a few Trek Madone bicycles were sold on eBay in the last week.
Which is yours?
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Trek+Madone&_sacat=0&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&L H_Complete=1
The one that sold for $2100, why?
I don't see anything that sold for $2,100. However, it might have
been one where the buyer made an offer that you accepted. eBay
doesn't show the offer price. If you are somehow unable to provide
the item number, perhaps you could provide the year, color, size, or
description?

Why?
1. Because I'm curious.
2. Because I'm trying to help keep you honest.
3. Because, when hardware is discussed, I like to see a photo of the
bicycle involved.

Or was the one for sale for 2300 that went for highest bid.

You are the most dishonest person here so don't play any games here. you are obsessed with me making a mistake all of which are easily explained by misspellings such as your claim that I couldn't possibly have worked with Dr. Mullis since after 40 years I misspelled his first name. Fact is that you appear to have a form of dementia that demands that you do anything to belittle others. You're nothing more than one of the cancel crowd and all the psychosis that implies.

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 09:08:24 -0700 (PDT), Tom Kunich
wrote:

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:03:54 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:55:20 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/25/2021 11:46 AM, Tom Kunich wrote:
A man in Washington DC bought my Trek Madone off of eBay. eBay shipping would NOT print out a label as it used to do. It told me that none of the shipping companies would accept a package of that size.

I had the bike packed by a shop and took it to FedEx. They told me that the shipping to Washington DC. from San Leandro would be - get this - $1020!!!!!

That left me in a complete tizzy and you can imagine how poorly I slept last night attempting to figure a way out of this. I could actually rent a van and DRIVE it there myself cheaper than FedEx would ship it from two hubs.

I haven't looked but I'm pretty sure that the box is a little too large for USPS even though it only weighs 26 lbs.

But I looked it up on UPS and they will deliver it for $150. I have a UPS office only a half mile from my house. So I'll take it over when their office opens. It would be nice if I could take it over to their yard which is only two blocks away from my house but they don't accept shipments from there even though I could ask and pay for a pickup from the SAME truck that will drive up to that office to get my shipment.

If you think that I will EVER do business with FedEx again you must not have very good logic.
I keep wondering why you're in that bike churning business. It seems to
cause you endless problems and frustrations, and you can't be making
much money from it.

Have you ever tried to compute your profits per hour?
Or losses. Factor in the eBay cut and shipping (including packaging costs) and that the bike and parts were not free, and he had a shop work on the BB, IIRC. The margin has to be tiny or negative. This assumes no angry purchaser, no shipping damage claims and an otherwise smooth transaction.

You simply don't understand how little I pay and how much I'm making. For instance, I paid $260 for the Look and it will sell for $600 for the bare frameset. Less than a grand into another that will sell for four.

And, of course you are declaring these amazing numbers to the Tax
Department as income. Right! Given that you have no workshop, no
employees, no nothing, it must be all profit.
--
Cheers,

John B.

On Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:44:10 -0700 (PDT), Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 3:10:05 PM UTC-4, Ralph Barone wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 12:23:31 PM UTC-4, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:08:26 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 9:03:54 AM UTC-7, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, March 25, 2021 at 8:55:20 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Have you ever tried to compute your profits per hour?
Or losses. Factor in the eBay cut and shipping (including packaging
costs) and that the bike and parts were not free, and he had a shop
work on the BB, IIRC. The margin has to be tiny or negative. This
assumes no angry purchaser, no shipping damage claims and an otherwise
smooth transaction.
You simply don't understand how little I pay and how much I'm making.
For instance, I paid $260 for the Look and it will sell for $600 for
the bare frameset. Less than a grand into another that will sell for four.
If you're turning a profit, more power to you.

As I just said before Eternal September crashed yet again:

I wonder if you're properly accounting for all your inputs. The book
_Your Money Or Your Life_
counseled readers about gaining financial independence. The author said
to properly evaluate
current employment, a person needs to account for anything he would not
be investing if he did not
have that job; for example, any tools or equipment, any reference books,
any home office equipment
etc. And include time and money spent commuting, time shopping for
clothing needed only for the job,
time spent on learning and research at home, etc.

For you, that should include time spent browsing Chinese and other
websites, time posting questions
here about mismatched components, time spent arguing about the answers,
time watching Ebay and
Craigslist for responses, time haggling with potential customers, time
packaging anything you do
manage to sell, time digging into shipping costs and procedures...

Are you sure you're clearing $10 per hour?

If you're going through all that frustration just for fun instead of
profit, that's fine. Just don't portray it as a
money making enterprise.

- Frank Krygowski

Sometimes, the most valuable payment for a job is simply not going insane
from doing nothing.

I understand. I've known a few people who retired and had no idea what to do with themselves. I suppose
buying random bike parts and trying to assemble bikes to sell is a way around that.

Before I retired I wondered a bit about what I'd do. But I'm addicted to "To Do" lists, stored and
updated electronically. I have a general one for small tasks, another for home & yard, a shopping list,
two for places to travel to (near & far), books to read, movies to watch, etc. etc. All are aspirationally
(or ridiculously) long. I'll never do nothing.

- Frank Krygowski

And then there are the projects that SWMBO want which, at least in my
house are priority A1 (or which demand a really novel excuse for
ignoring).
--
Cheers,

John B.