Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bulk

Want to purchase 1Gb SD Cards in Bulk - with no Retail Pacakaging

tniccum — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:08:52 -0800

Each year our company sends our customers holiday gifts as well as a calendar (we use employee photos for the calendar). The gift we want to send this year is a 7-inch digital photo frame. We'd like to pre-load an SD card with past calendar photos - for display on the photo frame. I would like to purchase (at lowest cost of course) 200-300 1 GB SD cards. I prefer no retail packaging (we'd just have to spend time tearing into that stupid theft-proof plastic). I've been googling around, and haven't found a good way to purchase SD cards this way. I've tried Alibaba, but can't really make head nor tail out of what I'd be getting. The quantity and zero packaging requirements seem like it should result in a low price if I can find the right supplier.

Any thoughts?

Call the mail police!

Mr. Justice — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:02:38 -0800

I have discovered that someone I don't like very much made a mistake: he sent a large quantity of individually personalized mail at bulk mail rates via USPS. I believe this is a no-no, but ultimately I would guess it is a pretty minor no-no. What are the consequences of this? Are there civil or criminal penalties when this is discovered?

New recipes for better camp food?

rmless — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 06:34:46 -0800

What are some good, healthy bulk recipes (200 people) that I can serve at my camp? Our camp food is pretty unhealthy and unappealing right now (chicken fingers, frozen pizza, boiled or canned veggies), and I've been given the task of making it more healthy and diverse.

I'm talking to co-ops in the area to get some local and some organic fresh veg to replace the frozen, but I would also like to get some recipes, links, and resources about what to actually serve.

The camp is for 9-13 yr old inner city girls who don't have very experienced palates and don't really love branching out into new territory, so spicy things, curries, etc won't fit the bill.

Another restriction is that the meals can't take all day to cook since we serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner all out of the same kitchen and we need the space for each meal.

The meals each need to have a protein, 2 veg, and a carb/starch in order for us to get the gvnt food subsidy.
We have to serve each kid, so no "make-your-own" style as with a salad bar or taco bar.

So can anyone help me out with recipes for 200?
-meat, vegetarian both ok
-any meal, but I think dinner needs the most help
-doesn't take all day to prepare
-includes protein, 2 veg, carb/starch
-each portion must be handed out instead of self-serve

Advice on constructing a sellable leash please!

my homunculus is drowning — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:14:39 -0800

Had an idea for a new design of dog leash and want to make and hopefully sell it. I've had a heck of a time finding a source for all the little locking/clasping components found on your typical leash. How do I find them? It could be the little plastic locking clasp, or the metal variety, it doesn't matter too much at this point. We checked out the offerings at the local giant hardware store but they seem unsuitable, and I'd really like to find them in bulk and save a few bucks.

Also, any recommendations on fabric would be great!

Thanks for any help!

Here's a couple links incase it isn't clear what I'm looking for

Metal clasp

Plastic clasp

One potato, two potato, three potato, more???

purpletangerine — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:25:55 -0800

What do I do with all these potatoes? I need recipes that keep, and/or storage tips for tons of small to medium sized potatoes. I recently bought a 5 pound bag of red potatoes, yay! potatoes for a month. Later that same day, my husband picked up our CSA bag, and I now have a total of about 7 pounds of small-med potatoes. Most of them are red, with a handful of yellow. I thought I'd make a nice soup... but it's so hot it just doesn't appeal to me right now. Can I go ahead and make the soup and freeze it? Should I just put them in a drawer and use as needed? They tend to sprout in the drawers in my kitchen; I know it's not a problem, but, I like to prevent it just so there's less spots to trim off.

What bulk item will satisfy the mobs of children and my guilt?

BusyBusyBusy — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 07:42:54 -0800

What bulk item can I bring with me to Ghana to hand out to begging children? Toothbrushes? Food? Toys? Soon I'll be traveling to Ghana (West Africa) to work with a sexual health organization doing HIV awareness stuff. The last time I was there, I felt very guilty and overwhelmed by all of the children (generally ages 4-10) who would follow me and ask for things.

I'd like to bring something with me to give out. No, I can't give them condoms. Requirements:

-Can be bought in bulk online or in person (Indianapolis)
-Lightweight
-Can be taken on a plane
-Not ultimately destructive e.g. sugary candy harms teeth, choking hazards, something so valuable its taken and sold by others.
-Low cost, max $1 per item as I'd like to have at least 100 of them.

Thanks, MeFites!

Where to find Diet Mt. Dew in NJ?

ThyroidBob — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:37:04 -0800

Where can I buy Diet Mountain Dew in cases in/around northeast New Jersey (as close as possible to Scotch Plains)? I can't even seem to find it in 2L bottles, but I'm really looking for the 36-can cases. I've looked at BJ's, Stop 'n' Shop, and Target (I'm getting desperate). I know from experience that Sam's Club stocks them in Michigan, at least. But there don't seem to be any of those near my current location. I'm hoping some fellow caffeine-dependent Mefites here will be able to help me out.

Also (a bit of an aside), what's up with that, anyway? Is Diet Mt. Dew that unpopular on the East Coast that it's hard to come by in more than just one container/quantity?

Looking for Jute/Burlap bags got buying bulk foods in.

franklen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:02:57 -0800

Need source for wholesale jute/burlap bags for holding bulk foods. Should be tight weave for holding fine food items such as flour; produced in the USA if possible; and made from organically grown jute if possible. I know this is a tall order and I don't expect to meet all those expectations. But I really want to help my local co-op grocery faze out plastic bags for bulk food purchases.

Please help.

Atkins is soooo 2005.

siclik — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:57:02 -0800

I'm going to Bob's Red Mill this weekend and need help deciding which 25 lb. bag(s) of rice to buy. Your opinion? I have a Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker, so I'm looking for a rice that will consistently turn out well in this appliance. Most importantly though, I'm looking for rice that is versatile (good with lentils and veggies) and is very healthy. I could easily Google "healthiest rice", but I wouldn't necessarily want to buy a 25 lb. bag of it if it's not actually something that goes with a lot of meals and I would enjoy.

I'm considering purchasing 1 or 2 bags, so please don't hesitate to suggest a couple options.

My options are listed here (more than one page of results).

Where do I find childrens books in bulk?

haikuku — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:25:14 -0800

I am the bookmobile librarian for a small rural system in WNC. In April I will be participating in a festival for children and would like to give them each a book. Does anyone know of a source for childrens books that I can buy in bulk for around $1- each?

Buying D'Lites In Bulk

thelloydshow — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:15:08 -0800

Buying D'Lites In Bulk So I'm curious as to how I could buy a ton of D'Lite magic tricks in Bulk and then re-sell at Markets/Online etc?

Where to get Blu Tack in bulk?

dirty lies — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:36:05 -0800

Where can I buy poster putty in bulk? (Poster putty is known as Blu Tack, White Tack, Museum Putty, Zorkai, Prestik, Tack n' Stick, Sticky Tack, etc...) Where can I get about a pound of the stuff? Everything I see online are 2 oz or so presentations, buying a box of those would be a waste of money and packaging.

I don't need brand name stuff. I know one can buy generic silly putty in bulk from some manufacturers, is this the case with poster tack?

Anyone still remember anything about the Epson Stylus 3000?

baylink — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:24:54 -0800

Print Filter(heh): I just bought a spandy-old Epson Stylus 3000 Big-A$$-Inkjet, and I have a couple questions about it that fairly persistent Googling failed to answer. It came with the network interface, but no booklet, and I don't know how to set it. I'm also going to want to set it up for Bulk/Continuous Ink, but Lyson appears to have stopped making a setup for that model. And finally, Epson used to have a bundled version of (I think) Birmy's Postscript 2 RIP called "StylusRIP", but I can't find any evidence that they still do, and I'm not clear whether they sold the software, or bundled it. Any graphically inclined typed got any pointers for me?

What's the best way to sell a bulk CD collection?

SteveEisner — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 07:51:15 -0800

OK, hypothetical situation: you've spent a long time building a huge collection of electronic music CDs (several thousand.) Some of them are "rare" and most of them are "meaningful" but now that you've moved to beatport, torrents & all digital files, real CDs just don't have the same value to you that they used to. And for that matter, there's probably very few albums you couldn't find again if you spent a little time. At what point do you finally say, "I no longer need dozens of boxes filled with CDs I used to love?" I just reached that point myself. It's time to purge ... but I don't know how to do it! Does anyone have experience selling a bulk collection? This isn't typical off-the-shelf CD store stuff, it's 95% electronic from late-80's acid house through to 2007-ish electro/breaks and everything in between. DJ Scratch mixes from places like turntablelabs, early 90's german "tekno" compilations, DJ service discs, painstakingly compiled UK imports of the entire Ninja Tune and MoWax catalogs, "limited" (?) pressings from live shows, hits and misses as I attempted to find my perfect genre, blah blah... Each one means something to me, but does it -really- have any value to anyone else in the age of the MP3?

I'm imagining that I could individually sell about half the CDs for a few bucks each on amazon or ebay [cry cry - I paid $20-30+ for many of them!]. For thousands of CDs that's not a small amount of $, but a big investment of time. Or maybe I could take the entire collection to a used shop, and get what, $50? Anyone have any clever ideas in-between?

Thanks all!

PS did I mention that the discs and their cases are stored separately & not in any particular order? :) I was thinking maybe I could find someone on craigslist to come over and re-assemble them and price them out on ebay/amazon to find the ones that are worth selling. But is it going to be worth the extra hassle & cost? That's the kind of creative thinking I'm hoping to find here :)

What other consumer goods have "premium" versions that are identical to the budget version?

andrewzipp — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:43:26 -0800

The only difference between regular vodka and super premium vodka is the price. Double shielded, gold plated speaker cables work just as well as cheap ones. What other consumer goods have "premium" versions that are identical to the budget version? I'm not really looking for a debate on cables or liqour, just examples where packaging and price tag determine the difference on bulk goods.

Looking for home storage solutions for bulk items such as flour, sugar, rice.

jeremias — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:10:34 -0800

Looking for home storage solutions for bulk items such as flour, sugar, rice. My SO went full steam ahead at Costco, and now we have enormous bags of rice, flour, sugar, etc. The problem is we don't have much storage space in the kitchen and at some point we actually have to open the bags: at which point we will need to store them.

So I'm looking for containers that will hold 15-25 lbs and can be stored efficiently, also varmint/insect proof obviously. Also, *where* do I store them? We have some space in the basement, the temp is steady down there but it's also on the humid side.

Need Advice re: bulk email ASPs

geoffbart — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:19:27 -0800

Need advice/color regarding bulk email processing ASP's/ service providers I'm trying to determine if I can outsource bulk email processing for a business where the email newsletter is the centerpiece of the business. Other option is to staff a team of email experts, host our own IP and develop relationships with major ISPs, which is expensive.

My fear is that if I use an outsource like DreamHost or MyEmma or Sparklist, etc., I'll always run into problems with email prioritization or blasts not going out timely, etc.

Can anyone provide insight/color regarding excellent or horrible experiences with any of these bulk mail service providers?
DreamHost
MyEmma
JangoMail
SparkList
any others you can name?

thanks for your help

High-quality bulk tea: where, oh where, can I find thee?

jstef — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 19:54:03 -0800

I have a newfound love of tea, especially that from Rishi tea. However, it costs an arm and a leg for the little container that I can guzzle down in a week or two. I want to buy tea in bulk, but I don't know where to get quality tea at a good price. Rishi costs $40 a pound. Is $40 the going rate for a pound of good tea? I found this old thread, but I would like suggestions on a place to purchase online. How is Coffee Bean Direct's tea? Bonus points for an awesome green/mint blend and fair-trade/organic! If there's a good tea discussion board with pointers about what's good, I'd love to know about that, too!

bulk paper cardstock size

sparrows — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:22:25 -0800

Seeking a bulk source for blank paper in a specific size range: shorter side anywhere from 5 to 6.5 inches, longer side anywhere from 6.5 to 8 inches. Also seeking hard/thick cardstock in bulk, same size range. Recycled a big plus but not a must. (I'm in U.S./NYC.)

"And the only reason for making honey is so as I can eat it."

spinturtle — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:50:41 -0800

What can I do with excessive amounts of honey? At the end of the CSA season, we bought a half-gallon of local honey to get us through the winter. It seems we highly overestimated how much we would use, as we still have most of it left. I've searched the EatMe topics regarding bulk/individual ingredients but alas, honey isn't on there. I've made this scrumptious honey whole wheat bread , but it only uses 1/2 cup to make 4 big loaves, which hardly makes a dent. Obviously I don't expect to be able to use it all in one shot, but a variety of recipes would be greatly appreciated. So tell me, MeFis, what can we make with all this honey???

How do French folk size their kiddiwinks?

taff — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:11:10 -0800

How do I search French ebay effectively for lots of used French childrens clothing? I have stumbled across some fantastic auctions for lots of clothes in the past. Lot being the French word. Not as in A lot. (And now I want more lots!!!)

And stumbled is the word. My baby is now in size three clothes. Or about 90 centimetres. Or 36 months. Or 3 ans.

I can't for the life of me work out how to search French ebay narrowing down the criteria. LARGELY I am sure this is because I don't know the common/garden language for talking about childrens sizes for the common french man.

When I use the words l"ot+vetements" I get lots of hits. But the amount is unwieldy.

How can I word my searches to find size 3-4 clothes for a girl on ebay? And what do normal french people use to define this size/age?

I really truly have used google to look in to this, but it doesn't really help with colloquial French sizing language.

Or tips for narrowing French searches. Crud.

So, please help me folks. My French, my sizing and my searching skills are all terrible. I'd also be grateful for ideas on how their sizing is used as kids get older. Thanks lovies.

How to send a bulk email to my community that doesn't come across as spam

davidstith — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:27:01 -0800

I need help devising an enticing email invite for users to view my social network reboot. Anyone have a suggestion for a tongue & cheek crowd beyond the "Check out our new.." retoric?

Where to order cheap bulk candy online?

ThePinkSuperhero — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:25:14 -0800

I need cheap bulk candy (preferably of a mixed variety). The cheaper, the better. What's the best place online to order it? I ordered some cheap candy from Oriental Trading, but I feel like there must be cheaper options out there.

Acai in bulk?

special-k — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 11:44:22 -0800

What's a good online source for Acai powder in bulk for cheap? My searches seem to uncover a ton on places many of which look questionable [in terms of quality/source]. I'd rather not contribute to more Amazon deforestation. I'm also open to suggestions on how best to consume Acai (that's not in breakfast form)

Sambazon appears to be quite expensive.

Bulk Garlic Recipes

Ambrosia Voyeur — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 16:29:49 -0800

What are some good recipes that use up a lot of garlic? Bonus points if they keep well or can be frozen, because I'm talking about 2 pounds of peeled cloves, here. I made skordalia already and will do some baba ganouj and hummus.

Also, does anybody know how to prevent garlicky farts? Because I got those once from eating a lot of garlic (like, half an elephant bulb) and it made my next workday a study in mortification. Relentless waves of farts. That smell like garlic. Only with some fart mixed in. Not cute.