Minutes before departing for the beach my daughter announced, “Hey Dad, the batteries in my camera are shot again.” I asked the inevitable, “where are all of the NiMH rechargeable batteries?” This, of course, brought the blank stare. But all was not lost. A quick stop at the pharmacy brought a pleasant surprise … AA NiMH rechargeables weren’t just on sale, they were wicked cheap. Holy cow, bargain NiMHs?

Are we about to see a sea change in NiMH rechargeable battery pricing?

Our hometown Eckerd store had four-packs of 2500 mAh Energizer AA Rechargeable NiMHs on sale for just $7.99, marked down from $13.99. I’ve never seen NiMH batteries at those prices around these parts. I was stunned to find high-capacity brand-name AAs at almost half price. Needless to say, I didn’t hesitate. I snapped all three packages of AA NiMHs off the display, along with a package of conventional AAs. (We were headed out on vacation, after all, and I hadn’t packed the charger.)

I checked for NiMH rechargeable prices online once we got back to the ranch. I had stumbled into an excellent deal. While I found some comparable prices online, the shipping costs made many of those online deals less attractive.

This got me thinking. Wouldn’t it be awesome to buy rechargeable batteries in bulk? The shipping price needn’t be excessive if you find an online retailer that’s willing to work with you.

There’s one simple shipping trick that can make or break the deal …

Ask the merchant if they can ship your bulk rechargeable battery order using a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate box. You can fit a whole lot of AAs in a 11-7/8″ x 3-3/8″ x 13-5/8″ box.

Any weight, any State, $8.10. No matter which Flat Rate Box you choose, the postage is $8.10, regardless of weight or destination.