Foam Costs Through The Roof

LBPete

Rolling Along
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I bought two sheets of white foam insulation this week and was shocked by what they cost. A 4’x8’ sheet of 1 ½” foam was just over $20! The 1” foam was over $15. It’s gone up about $5 a sheet over the last time I bought it. This adds up to some very pricey packing material. Is there an alternative?

- Pete
 
Doubt it, I buy the 2 x 8 sheets of the pink Owens Corning foam because it cuts cleaner and they are over $8 a sheet.

Rob
 
None of the home stores carry the pink or blue stuff here. The white beaded foam is all I can get. How thick is that 2x8 sheet? If it's 1" you are paying about what I am. It's just too much. I just shipped a G-22000 and wound up spending about $30 on materials to pack it up.

- Pete
 
LBPete said:
None of the home stores carry the pink or blue stuff here. The white beaded foam is all I can get. How thick is that 2x8 sheet? If it's 1" you are paying about what I am. It's just too much. I just shipped a G-22000 and wound up spending about $30 on materials to pack it up.

- Pete

I have to admit, I used to be a poor packer. This is the only way I've found to do a good job. I've started charging for packing material when I do sell something, which isn't often enough. Still got a house full of stuff.

Take care,

Ed
 
Part of the reason i stopped selling. Costs were just too high associated with packing materials. Like Rob i preferred the Pink foam. It is available around here in 1/4, 1/2. 1 and 1 1/2 inches if i recall.

I found it much easier to cut and pack cleanly with.
 
I have buyers complain about my shipping/packing prices all the time, although I have yet to have any complain about damaged goods.

But I think it hurts my bids when somone else is willing to ship a 50 pound receiver for $25 and I am quoting $50. Of course mine is well packed and double boxed.... it isn't a profit center for me, that's for sure!
 
i just wrap it in layers upon layers of fat bubble wrap, surrounded with teh small stuff. I give my packages whats called the "UPS Test," i'll deliberately kick and push it down the back porch stairs just to make sure it's packed well enough :)
 
Pete,
If you have a Home Depot, it's the only source here of the pink stuff..... 3/4" and the 2" stuff.
 
No pink or blue stuff at HD here. Lowes doesn't carry it either. It does cut better but I think it is too dense. The white beaded stuff makes a mess when you cut it but gives more under pressure. That's what you want to cushion impact.

- Pete
 
It's all tied to the price of oil

We manufacture a product out of PVC where I work. Anything made out of plastic or "poly-anything" is going to cost more these days as some of the component chemicals in these products are derived in one way or another from a petroleum product. We blend our own PVC and other ingredients in house into 2000 lb batches and blow it into silos for use. The costs of most of these ingredients have increased substantially in the past couple of years. I can tell you that the price of a pound of our material before it even goes into the extruders went from around 21 cents per pound to around 2 dollars per pound in the past 3 years. One way that my company helps itself try to keep costs down is by owning and operating their own raw resin plant in Lake Charles, LA.

RJ
 
Yeah, get used to everything made from oil costing more. This story has a happy ending though. I stumbled across the receipt for the foam and I wasn't charged what was marked on the rack. The sheets rang up as $13.88 and $9.26. Thats a lot different than they were marked on the rack. $23 is a lot better than the $35 I thought I paid.

- Pete
 
You should try sleeping pad foam. It's cheap, a lot of thrift stores have rolls of the stuff for $2. It's not messy like rigid foam and you can cut it with a scissors. It is good at absorbing shock so a package will survive a 5 foot fall off a conveyor belt. It also grips anything that is is wrapped in so it doesn't move around. Just my $.02 worth.
 
LBPete said:
I bought two sheets of white foam insulation this week and was shocked by what they cost. A 4’x8’ sheet of 1 ½” foam was just over $20! The 1” foam was over $15. It’s gone up about $5 a sheet over the last time I bought it. This adds up to some very pricey packing material. Is there an alternative?

- Pete

pete
look here http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93575
i am sure it would be worth trip to pick this up .
if you are interested i will email you some photos.
i hate toss this stuff but i don't have any place to store it.
bill
 
LBPete said:
Where are you located? If you are nearby, I'll come and get it.

- Pete
I am near the I 605 and the I 10 about 20 miles from you. email me.
bills999us(at)yahoo.com
(at=@)
bill
 
Hi Bills and LBPete,

If there's any left over, not spoken for, or just can't fit, let me know. I'm in La Habra so could be by in a jiff to pick it up. But LBPete should have first dibs.

Regards,

Bart
 
mech986 said:
Hi Bills and LBPete,

If there's any left over, not spoken for, or just can't fit, let me know. I'm in La Habra so could be by in a jiff to pick it up. But LBPete should have first dibs.
Regards,

Bart

Cool if pete does not respond it's yours. may be enough for both.
bill
 
Here is a sample of what i have.
this is less than half.
bill
 

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