Selling stock at a 'reduced' commission

Q: Through a long series of events, I hold 100 shares of ALU in a brokerage account. The expenses to either hold or liquidate this stock are quite high, considering the value of the stock. My broker told me that ALU will sometimes have an "Odd-Lot Liquidation Offer", where the stockholder can liquidate at no fee. I have tried, without success, to get more information about this. Do you have any suggestions on how I can find out more about "odd-lot liquidation"?

Or, if I were to liquidate this stock another way, the brokerage fees with this broker would be extremely high. Another option would be to have a certificate issued (more fees) and then sell the stock through a discount broker. That would be a whole new experience for me, and would it be better to try that in person, or to use an online broker?

A: I assume you're talking about Alcatel-Lucent, and I gather the stock is in "street name" in your account at a brokerage firm. I don't know what firm it is or how you happen to own the stock, or if it is the only stock in the account -- but I'd pressure the broker, or call the branch manager and ask for them to sell the stock at a "reduced" commission. They certainly do that for "big" customers. You might want to pass along this e-mail, and let them know that I was the one who made the suggestion.

Other than that, you can go online to the company's Web site, contact the shareholder relations link, and ask them about whether they have a program to buy back small lots of stock. But if the brokerage firm wanted to be "good guys" and avoid some negative publicity, they'd probably cut you a deal just this one time, to sell your stock!