> So how does one ship such an item? Just stick a label on it
> somewhere and haul it down to UPS? Wrap it in cardboard, build a
> crate, ship it via truck or Greyhound or ?? And what are some
> example prices for doing so?
I have been using Forward Air, http://www.forwardair.com for large freight
shipments for the last 6 years. Never a complaint. Two standout shipments
were a TR6 hardtop from Philadelphia to El Paso, Texas for $65 or so. I
built a HUGE wooden crate for the thing, the final weight was 220lbs... I
went a bit overboard. It arrived in El Paso within 5 days.
The other was a TR6 A-type overdrive gearbox, that came went from Kansas
City to Philadelphia for $26. The shop out there just cut a pallet in half,
strapped the gearbox to the pallet, stapled a sheet of cardboard over the
gearbox and sent it to me. Took three days to arrive in Philly.
I started using Forward Air after a friend used them to ship two Vespa
scooters cross country to California. The price was something like $90 for
each Vespa (they were broken down and some components were missing, but
still a really good deal).
As someone else mentioned, the catch is that you have to drop it off at a
Forward Air depot, and your customer has to pick it up at a forward air
depot. For 75% of people, I would figure a Forward Air depot is within an
hours driving range... most major cities, always located a few miles from an
airport.
If Forward Air is not an option, I sent a new TR6 rear fender last week to
Michigan for $78. I used R&L Carriers http://www.rlcarriers.com/ . It took
two days and the item arrived without damage. This was a door to door
shipment was I was pretty surprised at the speed of transport and the price.
Using UPS for body parts is really for those that like to gamble, sometimes
they get through without problems... other times they come looking like they
went through an industrial shredder. UPS has also dropped a few of my
gearboxes which have resulted in cracked bell housings. I will stick to
Forward Air and R&L for any large shipments.
Kai
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Kai M. Radicke
Wishbone Classics
www.wbclassics.com
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