Originally Posted by Wabbit (Post 2582857)

Quicksilver...is the one that initiated this whole thing......so guess we need to check with her.....and make sure that ADMIN is ok with everything...Then we can proceed...

I LOVE the idea that you can ship a box with UPS for 10.95 and you can fill it with however much!! That is AWESOME!!! That's not asking too much for shipping!!

Is it the same fee EVERYWHERE in the U.S.?

Originally Posted by mimimomo (Post 2582883)

I think so...not 100% sure. They call it the 'FLAT RATE' box.:D

Originally Posted by FlDebra (Post 2582864)

Not to nix a new inventive idea or anything .... but why doesn't everyone just list all of their used things on the For Sale forums. You will get money for what you sell, and can turn around and buy what others post. If everyone would do this over the next month, there could be a very nice selection of things there in no time. Then we would only be paying postage once for things someone wants.

Conceivably if something went in the box that no one was needing, dozens of people could be paying postage over and over to send that item around the country.

It might be a neat idea for the big Meet-Up. Everyone could get one ticket for each item donated, and then get to pick an item for every ticket they have. I have seen that type of thing done for kid's sporting equipment before. Worked like a charm!

Just adding some alternative ideas in case this one doesn't work out for you all.

Originally Posted by QuickSilver (Post 2582992)

This is a good point. Here are what I see as the benefits of a treasure box:

- You don't have to figure out how to price your items.
- Your dog can try the item out before you decide to keep it!
- You don't have to ship multiple things to multiple places.
- You can give away ALL your (nice) stuff at one time. No chance of one or two items selling, and the rest of it sitting there.
- Hopefully since this is supposed to be a gift-y idea, people will be relaxed, with no risk of complaints that merchandise wasn't "as advertised", possibility of returns or refunds, etc.
- Hopefully it will be fun! :)

I'm wondering if we could get a FreeCycle forum for larger items like carriers: people show photos, and if someone wants it, they pay to have it shipped to them.

I'll try to check this weekend to get a sense of how much it would cost to send a decent-sized box with a couple dozen doggy outfits in it. I agree we definitely wouldn't do priority mail. I don't think it would be very heavy, so let me see how big the box would need to be and what that would cost.

What do people think a reasonable shipping cost is? $5-10; $10-$20; $20-$25.

Keep in mind you would only be getting the box every four months or so, assuming you signed up for multiple rotations.

Originally Posted by QuickSilver (Post 2581588)

Welcome to this very interesting thread. Hopefully the title convinced you to peek. :D

I was thinking that most of us probably have a box full of clothes and toys our yorkies don't wear / play with. Wouldn't it be nice if another yorkie got to enjoy them?

Here's the proposal: We start with two YT boxes, one for clothes, one for toys. You sign up for either or both boxes. You receive the box with other people's gently used toys / clothes. You take what you like, add your own things, and send the box onto the next person on the list.

Would you sign up for something like this??

I'm thinking we have a rule that you can only put clothing in Excellent or Like New condition into the box, and maybe Very Good quality for toys. It might be nice to do something like this for treats or larger items like outgrown crates, but toys and clothes seem like the easiest place to start.

We would have some basic rules, like:

- the box must have at least five items in it when you send it on.
- the box can't weight more than ten pounds (or whatever is a reasonable shipping weight).
- You must send the box on within 10 days of receiving it.
- You must meet basic qualifications like those for entering the official Gift Exchange.

We are still working out where the sign ups would be, maybe in the "Wanted" forum. We would also need to figure out how to prevent the box from getting "stuck" somewhere.

What do you think? Something you'd love to do? Never do? You would do if the idea got tweaked in this or that way? I'd love your feedback!

Originally Posted by mimimomo (Post 2583015)

USPS.:D The size of that box is pretty big: 13.5L*11.5H*3W & it says for domestic & international use. 2*2*2 would be significantly lower...I think.

Originally Posted by QuickSilver (Post 2582259)

Since we would be running this on the YT boards most likely, I feel like it would be reasonable to require people to donate to participate.

Originally Posted by Wabbit (Post 2582857)

Quicksilver...is the one that initiated this whole thing......so guess we need to check with her.....and make sure that ADMIN is ok with everything...Then we can proceed...

Originally Posted by admin (Post 2582765)

We appreciate your enthusiasm for this project. As with anything with the YorkieTalk name attached to it, we would have to make sure everything is in order before this can proceed. There are a few questions such as how heavy the "boxes" will be, how much shipping will be, and if there are alternative ideas that can better fulfill what to do with "gently used" toys.

Originally Posted by Wabbit (Post 2583091)

NOONE is ignoring ADMIN....this is still just in the "planning" stages......nothings been decided...Yet...

You have raised some good questions...however....Noone HAS to participate....this is all VOLUNTARY........And we are going on GOOD FAITH for all members involved...so please keep that in mind!

Originally Posted by Wabbit (Post 2583112)

I don't understand your rude attitude over this....If you don't trust this idea...don't take part....

I'm not going to pretend to know ALL the answers...however I can't imagine that ALOT of people out there are planning on screwing other YT members over by putting crap in the box!!!

I don't personally even CARE if I get anything out of it....the point is to share my unused stuff with others!!! And if you MUST HAVE SOMEONE step up and offer to pay for shipping I WILL!! Does that solve your dilemma??

Geez chill a bit.....

Admin will be notified of EVERYTHING.. before anything is decided!