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Secrets Of Shipping A Complete Bike?

ghostrider

ghostrider

7034 miles, still no custom title
Jan 6, 2003
964
1
Shadows of Mt Boney, CA.
I'm sure this has been posted before, but I honestly did try the search feature. Anyway, anybody have any advice on how to get the best rate for shipping a complete bike? I just went over to UPS and they wanted $130 to ship it. I almost puked on the floor right there. So I went over to FedEx and they wanted $90. Better, but still seems excessive to me. What am I doing wrong? Should I break it up into smaller packages? Any other hints?
 
DRB

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
ghostrider said:
I'm sure this has been posted before, but I honestly did try the search feature. Anyway, anybody have any advice on how to get the best rate for shipping a complete bike? I just went over to UPS and they wanted $130 to ship it. I almost puked on the floor right there. So I went over to FedEx and they wanted $90. Better, but still seems excessive to me. What am I doing wrong? Should I break it up into smaller packages? Any other hints?
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Are they boxing it?

Get a cannondale bike box as those are under the size requirements.
 
brungeman

brungeman

I give a shirt
Jan 17, 2006
5,170
0
da Burgh
ghostrider said:
I'm sure this has been posted before, but I honestly did try the search feature. Anyway, anybody have any advice on how to get the best rate for shipping a complete bike? I just went over to UPS and they wanted $130 to ship it. I almost puked on the floor right there. So I went over to FedEx and they wanted $90. Better, but still seems excessive to me. What am I doing wrong? Should I break it up into smaller packages? Any other hints?
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Got a LBS you could ask to ship it for you?
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,518
20,326
Sleazattle
It usually costs me about $35 to have my LBS ship it. Businesses get much better rates than the average pukes.
 
maxyedor

maxyedor

<b>TOOL PRO</b>
Oct 20, 2005
5,496
3,141
In the bathroom, fighting a battle
Usualy if you take the wheels and fork of and pack the fork along side the frame while shipping the wheels in a seperate box, you can ship it singl oversize and save a bunch, even with the two boxes. That is with UPS anyway.
 
ghostrider

ghostrider

7034 miles, still no custom title
Jan 6, 2003
964
1
Shadows of Mt Boney, CA.
Transcend said:
How are you shipping it? The most I have ever paid was about $75 cnd, and that was to ship it internationally.
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I put it in a cardboard bike box and took it to UPS and FedEx. This is going from CA to the midwest. It is a 60cm road bike and the whole package weighs 30 pounds.
 
J

JRB

Guest
Even with good rates, bikes are usually OS3 sizing. That translates to a minimum charge of 90 lbs. That doesn't include insurance. You'll notice that most shops receive complete bikes on an LTL carrier such as Yellow, Roadway, etc... You may check with one of them and have it delivered to a shop. It should be around a $65-70 minimum, but is still cheaper. You can put it in smaller boxes, but they will all be OS2 sized. It is just always fairly high. If someone got a bike shipped for $35, they either shipped as much as Wal-mart, or the shipper got back-charged and wasn't paying attention. I got pretty intimate with UPS and FedEx pricing last year.
 
J

JRB

Guest
ghostrider said:
I put it in a cardboard bike box and took it to UPS and FedEx. This is going from CA to the midwest. It is a 60cm road bike and the whole package weighs 30 pounds.
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OS2 minimum is based on 70 lbs for UPS and 50 lbs for Fedex. Both use a 90 lb minimum, as I said, for OS3.
 
J

JRB

Guest
chicodude said:
Find a DHL shipping place. I got quoted 110 by ups and 90 by fedex. DHL was 55
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I was about to say the same thing.

*I can't wait for blue to come in and tell us all how stupid we are. :think:
 
jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,316
13,432
Portland, OR
The most I ever paid was $55 through FedEx for my 53 pound 19" Kona Stinky. That included $3000 for insurance. Check the size of the box, make sure it fits what they show for sizing.

DHL is supposed to be the new balck, try them as well.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,102
1,153
NC
I broke mine down into a box for wheels/fork/misc and a box for everything else. The key is that you want to keep it under the "oversized" designation - they can provide you with the dimensions that make it oversized.

I shipped mine USPS Priority Mail, insured. Cost me ~$30 for both boxes.
 
chicodude

chicodude

The Spooninator
Mar 28, 2004
1,054
2
Paradise
loco said:
What??? What did I miss??? I love a good banning.

When it is not me.
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UNDERAGE DRINKIN THREADS.....


He got the bannage. JBP is such a wanker. Its funny though, My underage thread went on for a few days before it was locked
 
ghostrider

ghostrider

7034 miles, still no custom title
Jan 6, 2003
964
1
Shadows of Mt Boney, CA.
DRB said:
Hello is this thing on......

Cannondale boxes fall under whatever limit the shipping savants are talking about.
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Yes, it is on. What you are saying doesn't make sense to me, though since the bike will actually have to fit inside the box. Bikes come in all shapes and sizes as far as I know.
 
J

JRB

Guest
DRB said:
Hello is this thing on......

Cannondale boxes fall under whatever limit the shipping savants are talking about.
Click to expand...
Shouldn't you be on a call??? Does Cannondale only have one size of a box???


*you can cut a box down too. You can tinker with the dimensions on sites to get it down to OS2. That is the smallest you will get a frame box.

I couldn't ship a frame box USPS. They said it was too big.
 
DRB

DRB

unemployed bum
Oct 24, 2002
15,242
0
Watchin' you. Writing it all down.
ghostrider said:
Yes, it is on. What you are saying doesn't make sense to me, though since the bike will actually have to fit inside the box. Bikes come in all shapes and sizes as far as I know.
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Cannondale gets boxes that don't fall into that oversize category. There is only one size cannondale box as far as I know. Get one from your local cannondale. You can minimally take it apart and get it all in. If you get the packing materials as well that will make it easier. Some zip ties will also make it easier.
 
J

JRB

Guest
Echo said:
I always use my LBS to ship bikes/frames. It cost them about half of what the UPS store charges to UPS a bike.
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Yeah UPS = really sucks a lot. I attribute the fact that blue sucked so bad due to the fact that he worked at the UPS store. I think it rubs off too, so careful using them.
 
Angus

Angus

Jack Ass Pen Goo Win
Oct 15, 2004
1,478
0
South Bend
ghostrider said:
I'm sure this has been posted before, but I honestly did try the search feature. Anyway, anybody have any advice on how to get the best rate for shipping a complete bike? I just went over to UPS and they wanted $130 to ship it. I almost puked on the floor right there. So I went over to FedEx and they wanted $90. Better, but still seems excessive to me. What am I doing wrong? Should I break it up into smaller packages? Any other hints?
Click to expand...
Wow! I just shipped a 33 pound road bike Fedex From Arkansas to Los Angeles $37.91......
 
ghostrider

ghostrider

7034 miles, still no custom title
Jan 6, 2003
964
1
Shadows of Mt Boney, CA.
Echo said:
I always use my LBS to ship bikes/frames. It cost them about half of what the UPS store charges to UPS a bike.
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What sort of service should I expect if I try this? Do I need to be an insider, or do all bike shops enjoy providing this service?
 
J

JRB

Guest
WTF kind of road bike weighs 33 pounds??? Did you fill the tires with concrete???
 
J

JRB

Guest
ghostrider said:
What sort of service should I expect if I try this? Do I need to be an insider, or do all bike shops enjoy providing this service?
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When I bought my Dean frame used, a local shop boxed it up. They did a poor job and UPS broke it. It was pure luck that UPS actually paid the claim. I would, at a minimum, be there for the boxing.
 
Angus

Angus

Jack Ass Pen Goo Win
Oct 15, 2004
1,478
0
South Bend
loco said:
WTF kind of road bike weighs 33 pounds??? Did you fill the tires with concrete???
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Well that was the total weight packed and boxed, and it was a 21" Touring bike with a steel frame, probally 23LBS the rest box and packing, I always over pack so I always get positive feedback on ebay

 
Jeremy R

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
binary visions said:
I broke mine down into a box for wheels/fork/misc and a box for everything else. The key is that you want to keep it under the "oversized" designation - they can provide you with the dimensions that make it oversized.

I shipped mine USPS Priority Mail, insured. Cost me ~$30 for both boxes.
Click to expand...
Since I recently just got tapped from behind ferociously by Fed-Ex, I have started looking at other options. I could not have come out any worse. I shipped Fed-Ex COD, and the bike box qualified as oversized, but I also had the wheels in another box, so they rape you for that too. Add in the COD fee, and that mauling came to about $190.:ouch:
Since then, I have used USPS COD a couple of times. The check comes back to you via snail mail, but it is way cheaper.
Fed-Ex Ground is really cheap too, but going through the process of shipping off a Fed-Ex Ground COD, is a nightmare.
 
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