UPS price gouging!

[Hilltopperny]

I bought a bike from a forumite who brought it to UPS for delivery. They charged him $260+ to send the bike from New Mexico to New York. Huge price gouge compared to any other shipping service and now when I checked the tracking yesterday evening it is not even remotely close to being delivered on time. It was scheduled for today which I cleared my schedule for and is still in Illinois. You'd think for what they charged it would have been here the next day! The bike shipped out Monday and now there isn't even a scheduled date. I would normally not worry about such things, but now I have to figure out when it's going to get here and have some important stuff coming up this week. Rant over:mad:

[El Chaba]

Use another shipper?...That cost is no doubt reflective of the box being considered "oversize" and being charged at a premium. It's often cost effective to ship the wheels, saddle, and possibly some other parts in a second parcel...the two "regulation" ones combined being far cheaper to ship than the one oversized one....

[AngryScientist]

UPS has been a hot mess lately here too. i've ordered some small stuff lately, and the original "expected delivery" day is never right. sometimes packages will just sit in depots for days, other times the package travels all over the state before getting to me.

i never choose them when i have a choice.

this is why i'm driving up your way to pick up that b-stone!

(got any good christmas tree places near you, i may bring my son and cut down a tree next weekend as part of the trip???)

[Hilltopperny]

Use another shipper?...That cost is no doubt reflective of the box being considered "oversize" and being charged at a premium. It's often cost effective to ship the wheels, saddle, and possibly some other parts in a second parcel...the two "regulation" ones combined being far cheaper to ship than the one oversized one....

Yes I typically ship through bike flights and the most I've had to pay to ship across the country was $89. I used usps for a fpo address and it was only $160 to send to Asia.

[Hilltopperny]

UPS has been a hot mess lately here too. i've ordered some small stuff lately, and the original "expected delivery" day is never right. sometimes packages will just sit in depots for days, other times the package travels all over the state before getting to me.

i never choose them when i have a choice.

this is why i'm driving up your way to pick up that b-stone!

(got any good christmas tree places near you, i may bring my son and cut down a tree next weekend as part of the trip???)

There is a bunch of them within 5 miles from the house. Tree farms are certainly in abundance in my neck of the woods!

[shovelhd]

He must have gone to a UPS Store. These are franchises that set their own prices.

[lonoeightysix]

yep, gotta go online, setup an account, and watch those box dimensions. the ups stores are not to be trusted.

[El Chaba]

Yes I typically ship through bike flights and the most I've had to pay to ship across the country was $89. I used usps for a fpo address and it was only $160 to send to Asia.

As a pure bonus (sarcasm), UPS seems to take some delight in beating up packages. I avoid them when I can...

[Polyglot]

A box that easily fits a bike is mostly air. This means that it takes up a lot of usable space in a truck. UPS and all other shippers therefore charges extra when light weight items are shipped in large boxes. This in my eyes is not price gouging, it is simply common-sense. Anybody preparing to ship bulky items like a bike should verify transport conditions. For UPS, this means that there are two maximum volume dimensions that must not be exceeded to avoid being charged a very severe surcharge. Back when I was shipping packages on a regular basis, I spent quite a bit of time learning how to stay within the limits. The last time I shipped a bike the maximum dimension to allow you to avoid the first oversize charge was 108 and the maximum dimension to allow you the second and more egregious oversize charge was 130 inches. Both of these "measurements" are calculated as follows: the biggest of the three dimensions plus the girth of the other two dimensions, in other words L + 2W + 2H where L is the biggest dimension. A skilled packer can make all but the largest road frame fit into a box that respects the 108 inch size. You will need to remove the fork and make your own box, but it is possible, even with 60 plus cm frames. It will however take something close to 2 hours to pack a bike, much longer than to pack using a larger box. If you use a box that exceeds the 130 inch size, which boxes from certain manufacturers DO exceed, you will be charged for the privilege.

[cadence90]

.... ..

[rwsaunders]

Bike Flights works for me. I just shipped a fairly heavy city bike to my kid from Pittsburgh to Seattle in September for $65...they shipped via FedEx with no issues.

[weisan]

Hill pal, I know it's not your fault but as an experienced bike trader, how did you manage to let this slip through the crack? I mean, are you not in communucation with the seller?

[Hilltopperny]

Wow. Expensive.

The op's rant made me wonder....
If I were to send someone the amount of letters that would fit in a bike box:
~6,366 envelopes @ $0.47 each = $2,992!

So, you got a helluva deal! :D

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0283/0466/t/1/assets/blog_0728-bicycle-stamps-2012_large.jpg?173


Oh, FFS. :rolleyes:

Lol got a good chuckle out of this:beer:

[ultraman6970]

260 bucks? Hmm.... the dude actually made money? Seller must be kicking the stones big time. You have to add the insurance money aswell...

Big fan of bikeflights. At USPS.. you have to cut the boxes to make them fit the right size or you will be charged oversize. Other trick is to send 2 boxes instead of two... one you put the frame and whatever you can put inside and the other with the wheels and the rest of the pieces. Done this to japan a couple of times.

[Hilltopperny]

Hill pal, I know it's not your fault but as an experienced bike trader, how did you manage to let this slip through the crack? I mean, are you not in communucation with the seller?

I have bought from the seller before, so I assumed he was informed. The last purchase was a f/f/hs and it arrived on time, well packaged and in great shape. He was shocked as well. Live and learn...

[DfCas]

Although this looks like a "UPS STORE" ripoff, UPS has gotten much more expensive. I have stopped using them to get supplies for my small business. I find USPS to be the best option now for small boxes.


I suspect that we are seeing the results of the super deals that Amazon and other large mail order firms get- and we are subsidizing that. Fedex has also gone up for small boxes for basic ground delivery.

[jr59]

Fed ex ground tried to charge me 177. To ship from Fl to Pa. BTW I was at the Fed ex depot. Using a business account and shipping to a business. Box was not oversized.

I raised hell and had the shift supervisor and she finally reduced the price greatly. Zero explanation!

[weisan]

I have bought from the seller before, so I assumed he was informed. The last purchase was a f/f/hs and it arrived on time, well packaged and in great shape. He was shocked as well. Live and learn...

Thank you for the explanation. Is it a Peg? :D

[zank]

Dumb question but...did he have the UPS store pack it and ship it?

[Hilltopperny]

Dumb question but...did he have the UPS store pack it and ship it?

Not that I am aware of. It did have $2500 insurance, but still super high price.

[Hilltopperny]

Thank you for the explanation. Is it a Peg? :D

MXXXXXO:banana::banana::banana:

[texbike]

To reiterate a few points:


Stay away from UPS "Stores"
Use Bike Flights
Be aware of the dimensions of the box and their impact on the shipping cost. A few weeks ago I sent a frameset to a forumite in San Diego. A 2" difference in height or length would have had a $30 impact on the shipping. You can use the Bike Flights website to test different measurements.


Texbike

[Hilltopperny]

To reiterate a few points:


Stay away from UPS "Stores"
Use Bike Flights
Be aware of the dimensions of the box and their impact on the shipping cost. A few weeks ago I sent a frameset to a forumite in San Diego. A 2" difference in height or length would have had a $30 impact on the shipping. You can use the Bike Flights website to test different measurements.


Texbike

Yeah I have shipped via bike flights ever since I heard about them last year. I didn't realize that the seller must not have known about them. Was just shocked by the cost and then the inability of UPS to get the bike delivered on time after the massive mark up.

[oldpotatoe]

I bought a bike from a forumite who brought it to UPS for delivery. They charged him $260+ to send the bike from New Mexico to New York. Huge price gouge compared to any other shipping service and now when I checked the tracking yesterday evening it is not even remotely close to being delivered on time. It was scheduled for today which I cleared my schedule for and is still in Illinois. You'd think for what they charged it would have been here the next day! The bike shipped out Monday and now there isn't even a scheduled date. I would normally not worry about such things, but now I have to figure out when it's going to get here and have some important stuff coming up this week. Rant over:mad:

Did UPS/office pack it?

[djg21]

I bought a bike from a forumite who brought it to UPS for delivery. They charged him $260+ to send the bike from New Mexico to New York. Huge price gouge compared to any other shipping service and now when I checked the tracking yesterday evening it is not even remotely close to being delivered on time. It was scheduled for today which I cleared my schedule for and is still in Illinois. You'd think for what they charged it would have been here the next day! The bike shipped out Monday and now there isn't even a scheduled date. I would normally not worry about such things, but now I have to figure out when it's going to get here and have some important stuff coming up this week. Rant over:mad:

I wouldn't call it gouging. The cost seems to be excessive, but as you note, you and the seller could have agreed to use another, less expensive shipping option. There are many freight services competing in the market and it's likely there was a less expensive option.

Did the $260 include insurance? If so, what was the coverage and cost? What did the actual shipping cost?

A quick google search yielded: http://www.shipbikes.com/home3.html. Has anyone used this company?

I've used Mobile Air Transport to ship whitewater kayaks cross country and the cost was very reasonable. http://mobileairtrans.com. I'm pretty sure that MAT would ship boxed bicycles as well.

[Hilltopperny]

Did UPS/office pack it?

I don't believe so. I have bought from the seller before. He is a good guy and just assumed it would be around $100 to get it here insured. I bought another high end f/f/hs that came in a frame box last year without any issue from the same seller. We agreed to split the cost and I have no issue with that as the bike is well worth it, but now I have to drive to the UPS Depot and have them hold it. I have two prior engagements Monday that will make it nearly impossible to sign for if that ends up being the date of delivery. I think I'm more upset at the inability to get the bike delivered on time at such a great expense.

[dustyrider]

I avoid UPS. I won't go into my reasoning but believe me they're just.
My bet is the friendly person that measured the box quietly bumped up the width an inch or two. The delivery snafu is just par for the course with UPS. Once you get the bike, avoid them in the future.

[bikinchris]

I have had hundreds of bikes shipped in and out when supporting a multi day ride I worked for. UPS was horrible if you used the UPS store. For example, a customer would ship a bike to me using their company account and pay $35 to ship the bike. I would take the same bike in the same box and ship it back to them using UPS and they went crazy because the UPS store charged $300 not using their company account number. It makes that much of a difference.
Who you are and how much you ship makes an incredible difference.

[weisan]

MXXXXXO:banana::banana::banana:

I would storm the castle and rescue the damsel... er...I mean the PEG.

[ColonelJLloyd]

He must have gone to a UPS Store. These are franchises that set their own prices.

+1 The winner here was the franchise owner. Fully insured, this should have cost you no more than $100 from Bikeflights; perhaps a few bucks more for UPS. No doubt you agreed to the total packing/shipping cost before paying, right?

[Deedub76]

UPS=United Package Smashers

[Steve in SLO]

FYI, I have used bikeflights for items other than bicycles – things such as guitars and watches, and they have always beat my private account rates with FedEx.

[htwoopup]

Also, a little known thing that was explained to me by a regional manager at the other big name shipping service is that they (like most businesses) have adjusted pricing based on demand. It is the busiest time of year for them so I wouldn't be surprised if it had waited until after the holidays if it would have been markedly cheaper. But then again, when I buy a new toy I want it like yesterday. Been like that since I was nine years old.

[Hilltopperny]

+1 The winner here was the franchise owner. Fully insured, this should have cost you no more than $100 from Bikeflights; perhaps a few bucks more for UPS. No doubt you agreed to the total packing/shipping cost before paying, right?

The seller shipped the bike and covered the shipping. I then paid half after it was already shipped.

[Hilltopperny]

I would storm the castle and rescue the damsel... er...I mean the PEG.

Yup, I am going to head to the Depot today and have them hold it, so I can just pick it up there. I am excited to add such a fine bike to the stable:D

[ColonelJLloyd]

The seller shipped the bike and covered the shipping. I then paid half after it was already shipped.

Live and learn. I've been there. Never again will I be responsible for someone else's dumb move or lazy shopping.

[Hilltopperny]

Live and learn. I've been there. Never again will I be responsible for someone else's dumb move or lazy shopping.

At least he split the shipping cost. He is a good guy and we have done business before. Next time I'll just email a bike flights label.

[rusty1200]

The key is to use a box that is under 130". UPS calculates that dimension by doubling the height and width and adding the length. Example: 30"h x 10w x 49L equals 129". So 30+10 twice is 80 plus 49 =129. The other key, either set up an online account and pay directly to UPS (once you print out your label you can drop it off at any UPS store at no extra charge) or go directly to a UPS service center.

[Matthew]

I think I got hosed the other day using UPS. I sent ofcounsel a set of wheels. Ground shipping was $83!! Wish I had known the UPS "stores set their own pricing. They said USPS charge to ship would have been almost double!!! I understand the box is decent sized but damn! When I complained some they magically dropped the box measurements down a bit and "saved" me $6. I won't go back. Will check their warehouse prices next time. At least I made $23 on the sale!! Won't be going there again.

[shovelhd]

I bet we all learned the hard way.

I keep a private FedEx account for shipping large/heavy stuff to addresses that EBay considers residential. That drives me crazy.

[ColonelJLloyd]

I bet we all learned the hard way.

I keep a private FedEx account for shipping large/heavy stuff to addresses that EBay considers residential. That drives me crazy.

FedEx will change an address' status depending on which account is shipping to it?

[providence]

Used to work for UPS.

Not a good time of the year to be using them. Their large accounts are taking priority (Amazon and USPS namely) and they're unable to keep up with their commitments with them to begin with.

[Frankwurst]

I honestly don't know how may bikes I've bought and sold in the past ten years but I can say this. The only two I've ever had damaged were handled by UPS delivering to me. I've never used my UPS account and probably never will. I've always used FedEx when selling and in most cases when buying. The two damaged bikes were the exception to that. I let the seller use whatever they wanted because the shipping was covered in the selling price. :beer:

[John H.]

Should the title be UPS Price Gouging?
Or guy ships package (not knowing what he is doing), and pays too much.

[ultraman6970]

Matt... always go to the usps and enter the numbers there... then play with the size of the box and you will notice that sometimes 1 extra inch jumps the price to the next tear and you get hosed.

Almost all the time I end up cutting the boxes to fit their requirements.

For bikes I learn... bikeflights... for wheels maybe also but USPS works for wheelsets but you have the measure the box and cut it to fit if necessary or they will hose you.

I think I got hosed the other day using UPS. I sent ofcounsel a set of wheels. Ground shipping was $83!! Wish I had known the UPS "stores set their own pricing. They said USPS charge to ship would have been almost double!!! I understand the box is decent sized but damn! When I complained some they magically dropped the box measurements down a bit and "saved" me $6. I won't go back. Will check their warehouse prices next time. At least I made $23 on the sale!! Won't be going there again.

[oldpotatoe]

Matt... always go to the usps and enter the numbers there... then play with the size of the box and you will notice that sometimes 1 extra inch jumps the price to the next tear and you get hosed.

Almost all the time I end up cutting the boxes to fit their requirements.

For bikes I learn... bikeflights... for wheels maybe also but USPS works for wheelsets but you have the measure the box and cut it to fit if necessary or they will hose you.

I have shipped maybe 150 wheelsets via BikeFlights. Only one 'issue' and that was my fault. BikeFlights for just about everything. Priority USPS for small envelopes/packages. If it fits, it ships.

[shovelhd]

FedEx will change an address' status depending on which account is shipping to it?

No, this is an EBay Shipping thing. If I try and print a label to ship to a business address it won't let me. It forces me to use FedEx Home, which has a 70lb. weight limit. The package was 95 lbs. so I wanted it to go Ground.

[bikinchris]

Yup, I am going to head to the Depot today and have them hold it, so I can just pick it up there. I am excited to add such a fine bike to the stable:D

Shipping "depot to depot" is supposed to be cheaper than address to address.

And yes size makes a great difference. Size makes as much difference as weight. Fright companies call it dimensional weight.

Bike flights should sponsor the for sale page ( with a direct link to their page). It is the best option for most shipping.

[false_Aest]

IIRC the cost to ship a complete bike from LA to Chicago (53x26x8" @40lbs) is $75. But if you have an account with FEDEX and do enough volume that price can drop down to $28.00 per bike, coast-to-coast.

This assumes the following:

1. Your package is actually 53x26x8. So that bulge where the rear wheel is will actually makes your dimensional weight go up. Your rate will be adjusted and you will be issued a small "fine" for the extra work.

2. Same with weight.

3. You're dropping off/picking up from a fedex location or there's a regularly scheduled pick-up/drop-off at your locations.
____
A well organized internet forum could set up an account with Fedex, negotiate rates and then figure out how to pass those rates on to "vetted" members.