$5.99, plus tax

[Eugene]

Hardware store to pick up spacers for light switches and recepticals. $5.99 for a package with 4 plastic strips enclosed. Thinking the package price should have been $1.99 or there abouts, I went to a service desk with the package and another package, not priced, with 24 spacer strips. Asked if the price was correct and the price for the 24 strip package.

Clerk said the price was correct for the 4 strip package, but he would sell it to me for $1- less. The 24 strip package was $10.99. I took the 24 strip package.

Home to check the Ebay price. $8.94 for the 4 strip package.

[phill_mi]

An electrician I worked with used small clear plastic tubing cut to depth of spacer.

[Eugene]

What I am surprised with, is that, my estimation, the manufacturing cost would have been around 1 to 2 cents per package. Adding in the shipping, wholesale, and retail costs, still didn't come close to the $5.99.

There are several methods of shimming out receptacles, this one was on the local hardware store shelf.

The fixer upper house purchased last July. The first floor walls were 1/2" dry wall then skim coated with around 1/4" plaster, making the walls close to 5/8" thick. Stripped the living room walls to add additional insulation and several outlets. Also have to remove portions of the wall in the rooms for the new heat pump heat and A/C and adding more outlets in other rooms.

Rewiring, bringing the house up to code. What we found is we need to shim out the receptacles by 1/4" to match the cover plates.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Remember, that shipping cost is shipping and HANDLING. Those parts, whether they be labels, or transmission gears, have to be gotten from the shelf, or storage bin, packaged, including padding, and labeled. That has to be paid for, whether it is billed separately or built into the price of the "free shipping" items".