r0ckh0und 

Need recommendations for shipping a frame. I wanna ship from Illinois to New York in a frame box 42x29x9. With USPS ground I came up with an online quote of $68. UPS was like $18 but it would'nt let me plug in a package dimension....only a weight. Any suggestions?

buldogge

FedEX Ground is the way to go for frame shipping...should be less than $40 from either UPS or FedEx though. Last frame I sent went from STL to Virginia and was $35 if I remember correctly.

4Rings6Stars

FEDEX ground is always cheapest for me.

UPS quote with dimensions: https://wwwapps.ups.com/ctc/request and select detailed time and cost

afilado

I like Fedex Ground whenever possible. They are always the least expensive for me. And the most reliable for safe handling and delivery. $68 is high but not an excessive price
for a frame. I generally pay $50, plus or minus a few dollars.

I've heard Greyhound is a viable alternative station to station. They don't pick up or deliver.

J

gioscinelli 

Each shipping company has their different quarks when doing an online shipping. The worst is UPS, you get their price with all the required spec's, then you go to your local UPS drop off, they measure and weight the box and give you a receipt. If you pay with a credit or debit card, you may find an additional charge by UPS for some kind of overage do to their own personal measuring or weighing the box. You then have to call and battle with inept individuals who have no clue of what they're doing, only hear over and over it's policy reading from some computer prompt. Than you have to escalate by going up the management ladder until you find some grain of intelligence and finally you get through and additional charges are removed. Stick with FedEx, at least they don't mess with you and get to the location a lot faster. Warning, Warning avoid USPS, boxes and packages evaporate, must have each item shipped "scan for acceptance" and insured!

gridplan

The last bike I shipped by FedEx, with $2,000 insurance on it, cost $121. The bike before that, with $2,500 insurance, cost $225 to ship via UPS. The one before that, with $8,000 insurance, cost $346, also via UPS. All 3 were boxed by the same LBS in standard-sized bike boxes. I don't know where these $70-80 shipping estimates come from. I'm certainly not paying that little. I shipped a frame (not a whole bike) insured for $1500 a few weeks ago via UPS and it came to $146. It too was in a standard bike box.

buldogge

What portion of that was insurance coverage???

The biggest cost factor is keeping the package below the 108" total dimension threshold.

gridplan

Well, the one that set me back $346, the guy said about half was just for insurance. The one that cost me $225 the guy said $50 of that was for insurance. Still, I don't know why there is such variability.

108" sounds familiar, but I thought that magic number was for packages shipped via the U.S. Postal Service. No?

4Rings6Stars

Are you shipping to the moon (or across country lines) by any chance?

Here is a quote I just did and I scaled up the measurements to what I think is more like a "standard bike box" and did Boston to LA. I typically cut the box down significantly smaller than this...

EDIT> I just did a few more scenarios and it stayed around $90 all the way up to 54x9x29. When I went to 55x9x29 the price went up over $150 so it seems FedEx's magic number is 93".

gridplan

No, no moonshots; I only ship within the continental U.S. I don't cut down the box. My LBS packs the bike, reusing one of their Trek boxes. I then take it to a shipping center that handles both UPS and FedEx. They give me the price for each and I choose the cheaper of the two. The price surprised me too the first time I had to pay it.

Edit: The ones I've been shipping arrive in 2-3 days.

4Rings6Stars

I would measure it and print an online quote and bring it to them and ask why it is different next time...sounds like they are taking you for a ride.

EDIT> I just did a few more scenarios and it stayed around $90 all the way up to 54x9x29. When I went to 55x9x29 the price went up over $150 so it seems FedEx's magic number is 93".

I'm guessing your LBS Trek box's are bigger than that...

gridplan

Yeah, I'm going to start doing that. I don't feel like it should cost, say, $175 without insurance to ship a bike across the U.S.

Edit: I think the Trek boxes exceed the 93" magic number. They don't skimp on space when it comes to their boxes.

r0ckh0und 

I think it was UPS, had a $100 value or under insurance thing, where the price goes up dramatically when you cross that line. It's been awhile since I shipped a frame or bike so $68 was a bit of kick in the teeth, $40-$50 I can deal with. Guess I'm gonna give Fed Ex a try.

DRietz

I shipped a bike UPS with an account number from a UPS hub to a business for $41.

Your bike shop is hosing you. Are they packing the bike too? If not, it shouldn't be that much unless they're being packed in boxes for downhill rigs.

vendorz

Shipped 42x8x24 with FedeX for approx. $48 for frame that shipped today. UPS quoted approx. $69.00. That was with standard $100 insurance value. The cost does seem to climb dramatically for the insurance.

Homeowners or Renters Insurance would prolly pay a claim in the context, and it's certainly a cheaper option than shipping insurance.

RobbieTunes

4 factors in the high prices:

1-Speed
2-Size of box
3-Retail shipper/packer
4-Insurance

For all that money, you have convenience, tracking, and transfer of risk.

I cut down the box, pack them myself, and use Parcel Post.

$18-$25 coast-coast, with delivery confirmation for frames.
I get insurance, in most cases. 1 week to the Mississippi, another week to the west coast.

gridplan

No, my LBS doesn't ship the bike, they just pack it for me (for $50). Then I take the box to a Pakmail shipping center (their web site: https://www.pakmail.com/). They weigh it and give me the FedEx and UPS price to ship. So it ends up being very expensive. I lose a lot on shipping.

4Rings6Stars

Well I think there is your answer. Try bringing it directly to a FedEx location. Even FedEx Office/Kinkos supposedly marks up over company owned stores, but in my experience their actual price has always been very close (and often less than) the online quote like I pictured above.

notenoughdaylig 

UPS charges go strictly by weight up to 5000 cu in. and then by dimensional weight. The first $100 insurance is included after that the next hundred is about $1.50 and the next few hundreds are less than a buck. Deliveries to a business are cheapest. To a residence is at least $2.50 more. Going to a rural area and you get hit with more charges. If you do it online, each fee is spelled out for you. Several months back, UPS advertised some special on ebay and I signed up. Now I get 25-30% off published rates.

4Rings6Stars

Next time I ship a frame across the country I'm driving to North Carolina first... Cost me $90+ to get my 54cm Soma Frame/Fork shipped to me from Sacramento. However, I did my first commute on that frame today and forgot alllllll about it

whatwolf

Is this for me?? If it makes it cheaper to ship to a commercial address, I can give you my work address, just let me know.

whatwolf

BTW i got $46.28 via fedex home delivery insured for $150

JesusBananas

In case it's not clear, never ship any large packages (such as bicycles/frames) through USPS! Never, never, never! Only Fedex or UPS!

(On a personal note, I have successfully shipped entire bicycles using both Fedex and UPS. USPS is notoriously bad with packages that are large/bulky/heavy, and this is not limited to just bicycles.)

That is all.

rothenfield1

I skip-read, so maybe I missed it; but I’ve read nothing about the most important thing, how you safely pack the bike/frame so that it is troglodyte proof. I needed more insulation for the fork before shipping, and make sure you brace that rear triangle.

RobbieTunes

My experience is almost the opposite. I've had two problems with shipping frames via USPS, both my fault for not immobilizing the frame in the box. Fortunately, both were packed well enough to avoid catastrophe. UPS has damaged bikes I've shipped, overcharged due to en route "audits" (the class action was settled, and I'm due some money back). FedEx has sent frames destined for CA to Maine by mistake, and asked me to pay the shipping from Maine to CA (never pay FedEx with a credit card or account; if they make a mistake, they'll bill you and then the fight begins). There is no substitute for packing well; UPS paid for the damage to the bike they messed up.

Soma Stanya, shipped here to an LBS, $42, with fork.