Hello, my name is Amy, and I'm a tightwad!
Sorry! That's too rich for my blood. And have you ever priced foam from the fabric stores? I have!
Back when we were doing a refit on an RV, DH and I got a severe case of sticker shock when we went to our local upholstery shop to get a few modest sized pieces for the settee in the dining area of the RV. They charge by the square foot you know! There are also varying degrees of density of foam. The denser the material, the higher the cost.
It seems to me that the foam that USPS is using isn't all that much different than what is in those foam mattress toppers you can buy at any big box store with a bedding department in it. And they only cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $8-$10 for a queen size pad. A person should be able to get about four or five shipments worth out of each one.
And TimG is right...ya can't "drill" foam. Just doesn't work! But! If you're careful, you can heat up the end of a metal rod and "melt" an egg hole in it!
I'm thinking the biggest problem in shipping eggs is probably the lack of "immobilizing" the egg. You
must keep it from being able to knock around inside of the box during transit. The second biggest problem is assuring that, if the box is hit with/by anything, it can't penetrate far enough to make contact with an egg. That's where double boxing would come in I should think.
I'm with you Warden. I love a challenge. Maybe some day I'll get my flock to a sufficient size where selling eggs will be an option. If that day ever comes, I think I have a few ideas of how I'd pack them....but I don't think they'd include these pre-made shipping containers. Just to freaking expensive!
