I am trying to ship a bike in a tri-all 3 case to Denver from Seattle by FedEx ground. The case weighs with bike about 45 lbs, and I have insured it for $5,000. They have quoted me a rate one way of $161.00! Does this sound right? Any better experience with UPS or USPS?
Seems a bit high. Do you have a fedex account, as that will reduce the cost some. I shipped a bike in a similar case from Seattle → New York City 2 years ago for about $110 one way.
Is that with you packing it and freight only? Damn. That sounds salty.
Are you at a mom and pop pack and ship place? Go to a FedEx Corporate Deopt or Kinkos if you can. I sent a road bike to Birmingham several months ago for $45ish.
Yes, it does sound right unfortunately.
They have a cutoff (good luck getting them to tell you what it is) where your price jumps up significantly.
I shipped a bike just recently, Chicago to Wyoming, and it was $125 insured for $2k. Weighed in at 25lbs, but the issue was the overall dimension of the box, and you are then charged for what they call ‘dimensional weight,’ which is their assumption that a large box should weigh more, and it will take up more room in their vehicles anyhow.
I admittedly could have used a smaller box to cut costs, but I packed it over the top in the bigger box, which was easier, but I paid dearly.
Others I spoke to on the forums have shipped bikes in boxes that must have been under the cutoff & have made it NYC-LA for ~$40.
I am in the midst of dealing with their complaints department actually b/c I was so annoyed that nobody could/would tell me the cutoff point.
Yes, it does sound right unfortunately.
They have a cutoff (good luck getting them to tell you what it is) where your price jumps up significantly.
I shipped a bike just recently, Chicago to Wyoming, and it was $125 insured for $2k. Weighed in at 25lbs, but the issue was the overall dimension of the box, and you are then charged for what they call ‘dimensional weight,’ which is their assumption that a large box should weigh more, and it will take up more room in their vehicles anyhow.
I admittedly could have used a smaller box to cut costs, but I packed it over the top in the bigger box, which was easier, but I paid dearly.
Others I spoke to on the forums have shipped bikes in boxes that must have been under the cutoff & have made it NYC-LA for ~$40.
I am in the midst of dealing with their complaints department actually b/c I was so annoyed that nobody could/would tell me the cutoff point.
Hmmmmm: http://fedex.com/ratefinder/home You can mess with the dimensions of your box and work it until you are happy with the cutoff. Not sure what the big deal is?
That sounds right to me. I sold a bike on ebay about two months ago and quoted the shipping at $80…to my surprise it cost me about $120 to ship with $2k in insurance thorugh UPS so needless to say it cut into my profit a bit.
The cardboard boxes bike manufacturers use are usually 54x30x8 or less. At fedex, increasing any dimension by a single inch will cause the price to more than double.
The cardboard boxes bike manufacturers use are usually 54x30x8 or less. At fedex, increasing any dimension by a single inch will cause the price to more than double.
So try to keep it within the dimensions if you can. I’m still curious why people don’t use the online price quote as it has always been spot on for me.
as said, you cross a line in size and price jumps
Maine to Florida, value $2,000, weight 45
56x8x28 = 67.48
56x10x28 = 122.51
56x8x30 = 114.47
56x8x32 = 117.33
usually best to get a box form a bike shop that meets the standard. IIRC you can really pad it up in the box because the price stays almost the same up to about a weight of 75lbs (goes up a few bucks per 5lbs, also the price goes up about $6 per 1k of value.
I just rated your shipment using my Fedex account and my bike box dimensions, and I included $5,000 insurance. Rate came to $71.46 one way. However, my bike case is 47x29x10 (86 dimensional inches) and the Clam Shell Bike Case from Tri-All3 is 48.5"L x 32.5"W 10"H (91 dimensional inches). Using your dimensions increases the rate to $129.22 one way. Weight is not the issue, but size is. Size matters! Even a few inches can dramatically increase the rate. So, my suggestion is to measure very carefully YOURSELF, get a FedEx account, and prepare your shipping documents in advance. Then, go to FedEx and get the label holders, etc. and attach to your bike box and drop off. That way, the FedEx guy doesn’t get a hinky and start measuring the box himself. Save a ton of dough that way…
You got killed on your box size. If you can beat the length, width, height curve I would guess about half that. All the shippers including USPS use some size formula and bike cases are not small. Some times it is better to make your own custom box out of plastic display boards and nail the numbers. Slowtwitcher Tai at Tai Graphics used to have an article on his home made box. I think a 56 frame is about as large as he could get in the small box. You might ask him about that.
Doesn’t sound too far off, they use dimensional weight. It’s Length + 2XHeight + 2XWidth. So if the above measurements are right you are at 133 inches. 130 inches is the cutoff where it pretty much doubles in price. Both UPS and FedEx have the same cutoff. If you have a Trek Store near you see if you can get a Trek Madone box. They are really nice, have straps in them ,and separate compartments for your helmet and shoes. Size is just under the shipping limits. Don’t let it expand at all though or it can go over. I had UPS even charge me later when I tried to fill out the forms myself. They measured it with Lasers themselves later. Make sure you watch them measure it and don’t let them just round up an inch or two…
MC
You could ask the person you are shipping to if he has a business address that you could ship to. If you use Fed Ex and ship to a business it is usually cheaper if you specify a business address.
I am trying to ship a bike in a tri-all 3 case to Denver from Seattle by FedEx ground. The case weighs with bike about 45 lbs, and I have insured it for $5,000. They have quoted me a rate one way of $161.00! Does this sound right? Any better experience with UPS or USPS?
Sounds high.
FedEx Dallas to SF, 51 pounds, ground, in a trico iron case plus another box with a disc wheel was about $140 together, both insured for about that amount.
As MCHammers said, it’s not a high shipping cost for a TriAll3 if it is the VeloCase. It is over the size limit (length + girth ≤ 130 inches) where it jumps oversize categories from OS2 to OS3. The IronCase, the Thule Case, etc are just under the limit if measured correctly…
If you have an account and print a label using their online system, someone will measure the box at some point. If you go over that magic 54" length cut-off, they will charge your account for the difference.
Doesn’t sound too far off, they use dimensional weight. It’s Length + 2XHeight + 2XWidth. So if the above measurements are right you are at 133 inches. 130 inches is the cutoff where it pretty much doubles in price. Both UPS and FedEx have the same cutoff. If you have a Trek Store near you see if you can get a Trek Madone box. They are really nice, have straps in them ,and separate compartments for your helmet and shoes. Size is just under the shipping limits. Don’t let it expand at all though or it can go over. I had UPS even charge me later when I tried to fill out the forms myself. They measured it with Lasers themselves later. Make sure you watch them measure it and don’t let them just round up an inch or two…
MC
Its called linear weight and the cut in for freight is 165" (L+W(x2)+H(x2)). This was told to me by the gal at the main FedEx at HNL airport when I was shipping stuff for a friend. His Trico case was $40 with my discount.