Drummerboy1975

I have someone interested in a bike of mine, a vintage Cannondale mtb, to be exact. I need to know how much to charge him to ship it. Roughly, what does it usually cost to ship a bike? He offered 75.00 for shipping costs.

Mos6502

If you already have a box, $75 should cover it.

lostarchitect 

It depends on how well you pack. I shipped a complete bike recently for $45. I used RandyJawa's packing method that you can find on his "mytenspeeds" site.

Zoku620

Best bet is to box it first, weigh it and measure it. USPS only goes to a certain size, UPS can get expensive ($150) if its oversize and going across the country. You can check rates on their respective websites.

Drummerboy1975

Very well, thanks guys. Now I just need to decide if I really want to sell me cool old bike.....

randyjawa 

Ship it from where to where, will have a great deal to do with how much it costs. And, generally, there is no real general answer, if where to where happens to cross an international boundary.

The size of the bicycle, and your packing skills, will have an impact on shipping costs and arrival mishaps, should your packing skills fail to meet today's "dropped from about ten feet" packing test standard, universally accepted by most shipping company package handlers.

Go to any of the shipping company's websites. FedEx, USPS, Canada Post, Purolator, etc. Use their price figurer-outer and input your information, pertaining to size and weight, not forgetting the where to where thing. Consider and add in any extra cost for insurance and a signature at the other end.

With that information offered, any of the above companies will give you a far more accurate answer than any of us here can, in my opinion.

miamijim

$75

FedEx and USPS are generaly about the same. With USPS it needs to go Parcal Post which isnt always insurable. Most of my bikes are FedEx'd, with insurance I can usualy go coast to coast for $75.

4Rings6Stars

I just quoted somebody $75 to ship from MA to CA via FedEx Ground.

$50 total if I ship it in two boxes USPS and keep them under the magic 108".

All the carriers have good shipping quote calculators on their websites but you need to know (roughly) what the box dimensions are.

miamijim

I generaly dont sell things to poeple who nickle and dime me about shipping.


Q. Jim, how much is shipping to XYZ?
A. Why does it matter?

Mos6502

Not all of us have money to flush down the toilet you know.

lostarchitect 

That's not nickle & dime-ing. That's a legitimate inquiry. There is a wide, wide range in what sellers want to charge you for shipping. I know I can ship a bike for $50 via Fedex--add in a little for handing and packing, and I think $75 is fair. Why would I pay someone, say, $200?

miamijim

Everyone knows there's a shipping fee. If I'm selling a derailleur for $20 and you ask what shipping is I'm not selling it to you. I may come across as being a little smug or arrogant but look it up yourself.

I live in Tampa, you live wherever you live, go to USPS.com or FedEx.com and figure it out.

lostarchitect 

I don't think you understand. You could charge whatever you want for shipping. What if I agree to buy a derailleur from you for $20 and you then inform me shipping will be another $30? That's not fair.

Even within legitimate shipping costs, there is a wide range. You could send something parcel post. You could send it priority. You could send it UPS. You could use a flat rate box. These will all result in different charges.

I don't understand why it's such an issue to tell people how much shipping you plan to charge.

wrk101

The other thing on shipping is the size of the frame. With a MTB, I would assume frame size is relatively small. You really have to work on packing to get it in a small enough box. Go over the limits on size, and rates double.

+1 Lots of variation in shipping costs. I really like to know up front. Now I know Jim is very savvy about managing shipping costs, so I probably would not ask him. But there are others who are not.

BlueDevil63 

Also depends on frame size. Larger framed bikes are hard to get in under UPS OS package rules.

I agree on asking about shipping if someone says something like "will charge actual cost to ship". I have been so burned by that. Depending on packing skill, shipping method, insurance, etc. shipping a bike can "legitimately" cost from $45 to over $200. I want to know at least enough info to have a ballpark on shipping.

bobotech

I would also always ask how much shipping on xyz if its not stated somehow. I have no idea if you as the seller is looking to pad the profit some and if you are, then I need to alter my offer accordingly.

My buddy's dad recently got rather ripped off for shipping a bike IMHO. He shipped a bike from CA to WA and it cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 150+ dollars. He brought the bike whole to a UPS store and let them do the packing and shipping. Ouch.

miamijim

Its easy:

If it fits in a small flat rate box shipping is $5, a medium box its $12 and $16 for a large box.

Bikes: $85 coast to coast in a 130" box via FedEx or USPS. UPS is a rip-off.

Most bikes come in under 35 pounds. When I check prices prior to writing an ad I check online for rates from 33617 to 98060 (Tampa to Seattle) Everyone pays that rate....oddly enough there're a few in the sticks places that cost more to ship to from Tampa, up in the mountains out west somewhere gets pricey.

A typical bike box is 54 X 8 x 30 = 130" Anything over 130" gets hit with a massive oversize fee. Yes, rates go down when at set pacakge sizes.

lostarchitect 

Now, was that so hard?

BicycleGuy

Boxed (and well protected as one can almost guarantee the carton will be laid on its side with boxes on top of that side) but domestic 48states $85.00 USPS only. $150. for Alaska & Hawaii. Not APO/FPO or PO Box address.

Doohickie

About a hundred dollars.

ColonelJLloyd 

^ Well played.

goatalope

I shipped a bike from PA to CA and it cost $90. Shipped a bike from PA to Louisana and it cost $45.

Distance and box size have the biggest impact on the cost, so I hear.

that_guy_zach

I charge 64.99 flat and still get people complaining. That includes a NEW unused bike box, Pipe foam, tape etc shipped insured with FedEx.

miamijim

No, but someone will inevidably ask if I can ship a bike cheaper with Greyhound or question whether it really costs $12 to ship a seatpost. Some seatposts fit in a small flat rate box some dont. Its much easier as a seller for me drop it in a flat rate box, otherwise I need to measure the box and weigh the box. This where the new Ebay/Paypal system works well, with flat rate shipping upon checkout it only takes a few quick clicks of the mouse and I'm done. Parcel post shipping takes me 5-10X as long.

Here's a tip: Flat rate Priority Mailing envelopes are less than $5 and can hold items that normaly would go in a medium ($12) box, items like seatposts, saddles, derailleurs and brake calipers.

miamijim

Where are you sourcing NEW boxes from? One of my LBS's slices the tops open versus peeling the top flap open, slicing them open is very bad for repacking.