I ship my wheels in a wheel box. UPS Ground is about $50.

ever have them actually pay a claim

In bicycle wheel box. Around $46 to SoCal via FedEx Home Delivery from where I live.

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Just got quoted a hundred and eighty by UPS Pennsylvania must be expensive

Shipped a set of wheels from California to Florida using FedEx Home Delivery for $40.22. This was an eBay sale and the FedEx label was created and paid through eBay. Shipping weight was 13 pounds.

$40-60 fully insured seems to be the going rate I pay for shipping wheels in the lower 48 states.

the key is to get a good wheel box to ship in, they provide the smallest form factor and best security/protection for the wheels.

Zipp's boxes are the best I have seen, but Stan's no tubes is pretty good as well and most bike shops have a wheel box or two on hand these days.

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"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson

I never pay for extra insurance.

I have shipped thousands of pairs of wheels and have never had loss or damage.

Are you getting the $180 quote at a UPS Store?

Bikeflights.com

It's FedEx but at a massive discount. I just got a set of wheels 2 day shipped from Florida to PA ($22) + home pickup from the shipper ($5) + $400 worth of insurance ($5)

So $32 for a double wheel box 2-day delivered, pickup, and insurance. Really can't beat bikeflights

I've had this same question about shipping in general. I have a ton of stuff I want to post in the classifieds, but every time I look up shipping on even the small stuff it's crazy high. I can't seem to figure out how people are shipping stuff for so cheap. Clearly I'm doing it wrong.

Yes the 180 was at a store and I would consider yourself lucky I've only ever shipped and received two pair of Wheels and the first pair were very damaged and claim never paid

I just had a frame and wheelset shipped to me on two separate occasions, and both used BikeFlights. The shipping prices were very reasonable. The bike was $45 (IIRC), and the wheels were $35. The guy who shipped the wheels got an old double wheel box from a bike store, wrapped 'em up, and sent them. Arrived perfectly. I think that BikeFlights also has boxes they can supply.

The UPS Stores are privately owned and can charge whatever they want.

Go to ups.com and open up your own account to get the real rates. They will even send you shipping labels for free.

x3 on bikeflights. Have used in the past and very reasonable. Insurance is also minimal.

Never heard of Postal Connection; must be owned by Active or Ticketmaster at those rates.
I've used wheel boxes from a bike shop; $30-40 or so for the two sets I've shipped.

Omg, please do not pay 400$ to a local store for that! Go to Fedex.com and Ups.com, create accounts at both and run an estimate. If you are shipping within the domestic 48 US states, I'd be floored to see more than 60$ personally. It's super easy too - just setup the shipment online, print a label, and you'll get billed after delivery. The "UPS" stores and Fedex locations will gladly take pre-labeled items. FedEx "Office" stores are company owned and have standard rates. "The UPS Store" and similar are all privately owned and charge whatever... including fees for any and everything.

Hope that helps!

If you use the newer two wheel boxes that measure about 34x27x9 you can ship USPS Express Mail overnight for around $50.