Both UPS and FedEx are quoting me crazy prices for shipping a hard case (47x11x31, 50lbs total, $7K declared value) from Seattle to Florida. $220 for ground! $400+ for 3 day. $500-$800 for 2 day and next day air.
Each way?
Really? It costs more to ship a bike than it does to send me down there?
I tried using their own box (cardboard? danger will robinson!), and it was cheaper, but ground and in fact all options except next day and 2-day disappeared when I selected their box, so again it was over $200.
SWA charges just $75 for oversized luggage, but I’m afraid the TSA will open the case, and won’t close it properly.
I just shipped my bike in a hardshell case from Honolulu to Long Island, NY for $115 on FedEx Ground. The salesgirl first quoted me $170 after she measured it. I told her ‘‘That’s too much, you have to measure it again. It usually costs $90’’ She measured again while I coached her on how to make it smaller and came back with a much better price of $115. This is the second time I’ve done it this way. The first time the manager remeasured it. You just have to speak up, they don’t know how to measure.
I shipped my bike for $75 via FedEx (CA to AZ). If certain dimensions go over a certain limit the price suddenly goes to another level. You can try here: http://www.shipbikes.com/HowMuch.aspx (It’s about $133 for your case w/insurance).
Just shipped my bike to FL for Spring Break (don’t get me started on packing a nosecone Shiv…what a PITA!!).
3 Dau from Chicago to FL in a hardshell case @ 50 lbs. - $117
Return shipping from the same location, also 3 day? $207!!!
Fook me…
FWIW, Chicago to FL (or vice versa) is guaranteed 3-days in transit whether it’s shipped via UPS 3-Day or Ground, but will be a CONSIDERABLE amount of savings if shipped via ground.
We (my son) traveled to a lot of races with the bike packed in a hardshell case (Serfas). There wasn’t a single trip where the TSA didn’t open the box. On the plus side, we never had any issues with stuff being repacked improperly. Once, they opened it with us right there and asked us a couple questions about it (did we have any CO2 cartridges, etc).
We almost always flew Southwest (a couple times on Frontier).
Just paid 155 to ship a Fuji D6 from St. Louis to Washington State. Same size box. If you create an acct on FedEx site you save a bit. I think it was 30 bucks or so.
Shipping a bike in a hard case is expensive. I’ve shipped a few bikes in cardboard bike boxes (like the ones bikes come in from the factory) and it’s usually around $40 via ground shipping. Of course, it’s not as well-protected as in a hard case.
If you’re worried the TSA will open the box and not close it properly, you can request that your luggage be pre-screened by the TSA and then you can put your own (non-TSA) lock on it. Our research group has done this with sensitive/fragile scientific equipment.
Just shipped my bike to FL for Spring Break (don’t get me started on packing a nosecone Shiv…what a PITA!!).
3 Dau from Chicago to FL in a hardshell case @ 50 lbs. - $117
Return shipping from the same location, also 3 day? $207!!!
Fook me…
FWIW, Chicago to FL (or vice versa) is guaranteed 3-days in transit whether it’s shipped via UPS 3-Day or Ground, but will be a CONSIDERABLE amount of savings if shipped via ground.
I like to have a bit of padding / safety when shipping my bike…so going 3 Day buys me a day of “fudge”. I’m not arriving until next Sunday, but my bike should be there on Thursday, Friday if they mess something up. Better safe than sorry…
Plus, I did it through my company and I’ll never see the bill.
I would have flown with it, but with the whole family plus luggage, there just isn’t room in the rental car once we get there.
TSA at Seattle let me watch them repack the bike after they inspected it, don’t think I could have intervened or got it back if they had done anything wrong, but at least I felt better on my long flight. It might be an interesting slowtwitch poll to see how frequently TSA or airlines damage/lose bikes when people choose to fly with them, then you’d at least know what kind of gamble you are making.
I moved from Maine to Oregon in Sept. I drove so I’d have my car.
I will fly home for the summer and fly back in the fall… repeat for however long it will take to get my doctorate.
I figured out the other day that it will be cheaper to buy a new bike than to buy a bike case and take it back and forth. I am wildly excited about this
I like to have a bit of padding / safety when shipping my bike…so going 3 Day buys me a day of “fudge”. I’m not arriving until next Sunday, but my bike should be there on Thursday, Friday if they mess something up. Better safe than sorry…
Plus, I did it through my company and I’ll never see the bill.
I would have flown with it, but with the whole family plus luggage, there just isn’t room in the rental car once we get there.
Power13, this is what I’m saying though as this is a conversation we have every. single. week…you’re not getting any more/less of a buffer by shipping via 3-Day vs Ground. Either option is guaranteed for delivery in 3-days from Chicago to FL, w/ the only difference being that you pay more for 3-Day.
I haven’t shipped a bike in a while, and I never did 3 day, but I always found FedEx Ground to be pretty reasonable. Don’t think I ever paid more than $50 each way. Go to an actual FedEx location - not a FedEx Kinko’s or some authorized FedEx shipper - they are always dramatically more expensive (like 3-4x more on occasion). Don’t know why that is, but it is frustrating.
2010- shipped a trico hard case, P2 and race wheels from Dallas to Miami and back. Shipping + $5-6k insurance was $135 each way. And you’re right, TSA will open and will not repackage properly if you try to fly with her.
Good luck. For me the $260 round trip was totally worth it.
If you really want to cut costs, the best way is really the cardboard box. If you know someone at your LBS, go and request a bike box for a similar sized road bike.
The trick is that the shipping companies have these standard measurements. The bike boxes fall under that and will cost $30-40 to ship. Over that and it falls into the oversized category and rockets to the numbers you are seeing.
You do need to have a bit of experience breaking your bike down, but if done correctly, I don’t see why it is any more or less safe than a hard case. Again, it will be more work.
TSA has always let me be there as they open to inspect and help repack.
I did see my bike (in Trico Ironcase) get THROWN from the plane onto another bike case when they unloaded the plane (with FRAGILE written all over the bike case)
