Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

I had to give my buyer that sad news that, at these prices, I can't
afford to ship!

What is the best practice to follow when needing to ship equipment
across the country?

Thanks.


Regards,

Al W6LX

Al Lorona wrote:
Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I bite the bullet and consider it part of the cost. I live in Zone 8
from most locations and the rates have skyrocketed in the past few years
compared to more local zones..

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

I have heard that the "Mailboxes" places mark up the UPS rates by about
20-25%. You can check the REAL rates online at their website. I hope
you didn't ask about the cost of packing or you'd just now be getting up
off the floor!

I had to give my buyer that sad news that, at these prices, I can't
afford to ship!

What is the best practice to follow when needing to ship equipment
across the country?

Pack it yourself and carry it to the Post Office or UPS.

-Bill

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I signed up for an account directly with UPS and they come right
to my house. And the rates are HALF what the 'retail' places charge.

GS

Al Lorona wrote:
Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I bite the bullet and consider it part of the cost. I live in Zone 8
from most locations and the rates have skyrocketed in the past few years
compared to more local zones..

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

I have heard that the "Mailboxes" places mark up the UPS rates by about
20-25%. You can check the REAL rates online at their website. I hope
you didn't ask about the cost of packing or you'd just now be getting up
off the floor!

I had to give my buyer that sad news that, at these prices, I can't
afford to ship!

What is the best practice to follow when needing to ship equipment
across the country?

Pack it yourself and carry it to the Post Office or UPS.

-Bill

Al Lorona wrote:

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I pack it myself and take it to the local FedEx ground depot. FedEx Ground
is usually cheaper than UPS for large objects.

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

Right, but they are also tacking a substantial fee on top of the UPS fee.
You'll find if you take it to the UPS depot yourself, it'll cost half
that. FedEx will be still cheaper. The pack and ship places are NOT
cost-effective if you do a lot of shipping.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I signed up for an account directly with UPS and they come right
to my house. And the rates are HALF what the 'retail' places charge.

GS

How about sending it by bus?

Most bus companies have parcel services that take packages up to 50 pounds
or so and will get them to the destination faster than UPS Ground or FedEx
Ground or USPS, for about the same rate I think (tho' I've never compared
them)

We do that here in Montana for parts that one service tech needs and another
has. It's not cost-effective to drive 100+ miles to deliver a part, so we
put it on the bus. If you get to the station early enough, it will arrive at
the destination in only a few hours. With all of the other operations it
won't get there until the next day at the earliest.

"Al Lorona" wrote in message
...

Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

Al Lorona wrote:

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I pack it myself and take it to the local FedEx ground depot. FedEx Ground
is usually cheaper than UPS for large objects.

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

Right, but they are also tacking a substantial fee on top of the UPS fee.
You'll find if you take it to the UPS depot yourself, it'll cost half
that. FedEx will be still cheaper. The pack and ship places are NOT
cost-effective if you do a lot of shipping.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

I had to give my buyer that sad news that, at these prices, I can't
afford to ship!

What is the best practice to follow when needing to ship equipment
across the country?

Thanks.


Regards,

Al W6LX



Pack it yourself. Double boxed with peanuts in between.
Take it to FedeX and ship it third day. FedeX is much
more gentle and it won't get lost. You will be shocked
at the low prices for third day.

BTW: I was in the business. I owned one of those stores.

Rocky

Al Lorona wrote in
:


Hi, Everybody,

I have been shocked to learn recently how expensive shipping can be.
What do you guys all do when you have to ship equipment?

I am selling a Drake station and took the AC-4 / MS-4 to the local
Mailboxes, Etc. store to get an idea of how much it would cost. They
told me that UPS Ground was $36.86 to ship from California to Michigan.
And that was not including the packing! And there would be two more
boxes to ship (for the receiver and transmitter)!

I had to give my buyer that sad news that, at these prices, I can't
afford to ship!

What is the best practice to follow when needing to ship equipment
across the country?

Thanks.


Regards,

Al W6LX


Buyer pays shipping.