powder shipping question??

toad67

What is the deal with powder shipping rates being all over the board? Is it just the sellers choice, or is there an actual hazmat rate? I see some sellers claiming that UPS rates are $xx up to so many pounds and then the next seller says a completely different story. I've also seen reference to being a "certified" shipper, what gives? Just curious so don't waste to much time in an answer, but thanks in advance!

Todd

armilite

Well on GB there are those that do it correct and those that cheat the system and if their caught it is not a good outcome. There is a Haz-Mat fee that the shippers charge. There is also a certification that someone needs in order to ship hazardous materials including powder. I believe you can get certified by UPS or FED/EX. Its actually a course and its priced around $100. I know this as I did some research when I wanted to sell some primers on GB last year. I figured it wasn't worth the effort so I didn't sell them. That is why when you look at auctions the shipping prices are all over the place. The people shipping for $15 are skirting the law. I think the Haz-Mat fee is roughly $23 plus the weight of the shipment to be within the law. So if you paying anything under $30 I'd be real suspicious.

Cheechako

There was a time, not long ago, when an individual could go on-line and certify hisself. There was no charge. It was basically a run-down of all the HAZMAT rules and regulations that you read and then checked the box that said "I have read and understand". You then printed out the certificate and took it with you. It allowed you to ship HAZMAT through a UPS hub that did not have a HAZMAT certified staff.

I don't know if this is still possible or if all hubs are now required to have certified staff. Regardless, HAZMAT fees are not cheap and you are almost always better off buying from a local dealer who can pro-rate the charges over a large shipment.

Ray