Cost to ship Wheels

[Nil Else]

I just shipped a set of wheels from IL to NY and it cost me $45, ie w/ insurance. USPS was nearly $80 (w/ insurance and confirmation). Supposedly there's extra charge for oversized box and some type of charge for the box being too light(?). I used a common box retailers/MFGs use that individually boxed pair of wheels come in.

What do you guys pay for shipping wheel sets and which service do you use?

I'm about to ship a heavy trainer and I wonder what that would cost me??

[54ny77]

Ship USPS whenever possible. That's my only advice. Shipping is soooo expensive these days. :crap:

[dave thompson]

I shipped a set pf wheels from Washington (state) to New York in a standard double wheelbox, insured, for under $40. I also shipped a frame/fork to Vermont for under $50, insured. Both via FedEx Ground.

If you go to one of the "mailbox" type stores, you pay the 'normal' charges that FedEx, USPS or UPS charge plus what the "mailbox" store charges. That's how they make their profit. Nothing wrong with that but the "mailbox" store extra can be avoided by going directly to a Post Office, UPS or FedEx to ship your boxes.

[11.4]

I ship a lot of wheels and almost always use USPS. For inexplicable reasons, a regular double wheelbox inevitably costs about $63 for overnight Express service anywhere in the US, while Parcel Post costs about $72 for 5-10 day service. Go figure. That's why they go postal.

Double wheelboxes are nice but very expensive to ship. A single wheelbox fits under the balloon rate and runs about $22 each so you can ship two wheels separately for less than two together. Again, go figure.

The best way to ship is to go to UPS and get their large mirror box (I don't remember the precise dimensions). It basically holds two wheels staggered and it saves about $20 in shipping. Just put several layers of bubble wrap between the two wheels so they don't grind against each other and you'll be fine. I save the big deluxe double wheelboxes for fancy carbon wheels and track discs.

The pricing issue is one that USPS finally adopted from Fedex and UPS. Basically, they can fill a plane with packages and not be at the weight limit for the plane. Thus, volume is more important in most cases than weight. So as soon as you get into a bigger box, they measure the volume of the box and then allow you up to a certain weight within that box -- for a double wheelbox it's about 50 pounds. It was nice when USPS ignored it and you could ship a pair of wheels for $18, but those days are his-to-reee.

If you get a volume commercial discount rate you can ship for a lot less by UPS, but that rules most people (and even small shops) out. That's how Bontrager or whomever ships wheels so inexpensively.

If you ship internationally, always, without exception, check the size limitations in the USPS shipping manual. Some countries take length plus girth totals of 108 inches, others 88 inches, some 84 inches, some even less. You simply can't ship a wheel by USPS to Italy and it's pricey to Australia. Most of Europe (the civilized part that doesn't try to protect its own manufacturers like one Mediterranean country we could name) is much cheaper.

[JonB]

I just shipped a wheelset in a double wheel box to New Zealand from Florida for approx $85 USD via USPS Priority International.

The shipping fee was $71, while the insurance was $13. The dimension for the box was 103" which was barely under the 108" limit.

[Nil Else]

Don't go to "mailbox" type and use UPS mirror box.

Cool. Thanks. That helps. Gotta beat these high shipping prices somehow. I'll check out what the UPS mirror box dimensions are.

Now for shipping a heavy trainer... any idea?

[dogdriver]

Get friendly with someone (LBS can be good here) who has a UPS account. I just shipped a wheel box (one rear wheel, Powertap head and misc stuff) from Utah to Georgia for $25.00.

[oldpotatoe]

I just shipped a set of wheels from IL to NY and it cost me $45, ie w/ insurance. USPS was nearly $80 (w/ insurance and confirmation). Supposedly there's extra charge for oversized box and some type of charge for the box being too light(?). I used a common box retailers/MFGs use that individually boxed pair of wheels come in.

What do you guys pay for shipping wheel sets and which service do you use?

I'm about to ship a heavy trainer and I wonder what that would cost me??

FedEx ground. About $55-$60 depending on where it's going.

[SEABREEZE]

I shipped a set pf wheels from Washington (state) to New York in a standard double wheelbox, insured, for under $40. I also shipped a frame/fork to Vermont for under $50, insured. Both via FedEx Ground.

If you go to one of the "mailbox" type stores, you pay the 'normal' charges that FedEx, USPS or UPS charge plus what the "mailbox" store charges. That's how they make their profit. Nothing wrong with that but the "mailbox" store extra can be avoided by going directly to a Post Office, UPS or FedEx to ship your boxes.

Well said Dave..

Fed X is my # 1 choice.

[93legendti]

I shipped a set pf wheels from Washington (state) to New York in a standard double wheelbox, insured, for under $40. I also shipped a frame/fork to Vermont for under $50, insured. Both via FedEx Ground.

If you go to one of the "mailbox" type stores, you pay the 'normal' charges that FedEx, USPS or UPS charge plus what the "mailbox" store charges. That's how they make their profit. Nothing wrong with that but the "mailbox" store extra can be avoided by going directly to a Post Office, UPS or FedEx to ship your boxes.
I agree.
I sold 4 sets of wheels this year and shipped via fed ex-under $40 each time. I pack them myself and take them to fed ex/kinkos to ship.

[jbrainin]

I shipped a pair of LW Ventoux in September using USPS and spent $49.85 including at least $25 for insuring the package.

[dawgie]

I shipped a pair of wheels FedEx earlier this year, and it cost less than $15. Can't remember where I shipped them too but I know it was in another state.

[echelon_john]

shipped wheels vt-ca this week, 25x28x12 box, $32 USPS priority mail w/delivery confirmation

[Nil Else]

shipped wheels vt-ca this week, 25x28x12 box, $32 USPS priority mail w/delivery confirmation

How can there be so much difference? Mine were double boxed so probably it weighed a bit more. I asked for low cost shipping options w/insurance and delivery confirmation. My wheels were going to a destination less than half the distance of yours. That's some $45+ difference.

Widely ranging is what I see here ($30 to 80)... interesting. Anyhow it seems around $40~45 is the average cost for shipping a wheel set w/confirmation. Insurance would be additional.

[11.4]

shipped wheels vt-ca this week, 25x28x12 box, $32 USPS priority mail w/delivery confirmation

Huh? I just went to the USPS website and calculated your size package for Burlington, VT to San Francisco, CA -- $79.90 plus delivery confirmation extra. Because of the balloon charge, any weight up to about 45 pounds gets charged the same amount -- it's all about the volume the box takes on the plane.

I also checked a standard Comotion double wheel box price on Fedex for Seattle, WA to Portland, OR (180 miles) and standard ground was still $66.45 plus insurance extra.

Are some of you smoking pot? Or are these prices from a couple years ago before USPS put in place balloon charges (and then, yes, I could ship a pair of wheels for $32 across the country)?

[wasfast]

I built custom bass guitars about 10 years ago. I shipped the instruments in the same box, same case, through the same Fed Ex depot (not secondary shipper) every time and used my Fed Ex account.

The rates seemed all over the map for similar distances. It became a data gathering event each time I went in. I got rates from $25 to $85 with the approximate average of $35.

That was always a headscratcher and no explaination as to why. At least today they can use fuel charges or some such thing. Shipping an item shouldn't be a moving target.....

[echelon_john]

i went to usps expecting to get the parcel post rate (which, for a 28x25x12 box was about $25 vt-ca according to usps.com

when they weighed it they gave me the option of priority for about $7 more, so i chose that.

no pot within 7 days of this transaction. :beer:

[mjb266]

Honestly, I think that a lot of the clerks at these shipping locations don't quite know how to measure. My understanding is that the formula is length and girth, but the interpretations of that are all over the place.

Huh? I just went to the USPS website and calculated your size package for Burlington, VT to San Francisco, CA -- $79.90 plus delivery confirmation extra. Because of the balloon charge, any weight up to about 45 pounds gets charged the same amount -- it's all about the volume the box takes on the plane.

I also checked a standard Comotion double wheel box price on Fedex for Seattle, WA to Portland, OR (180 miles) and standard ground was still $66.45 plus insurance extra.

Are some of you smoking pot? Or are these prices from a couple years ago before USPS put in place balloon charges (and then, yes, I could ship a pair of wheels for $32 across the country)?

[thwart]

FedEx Ground is the way to go, IMHO.

That said, I've paid as little as $40 there to ship a bike box... and as much as $95. And we're not talking shipping to to the next state vs. the West Coast here.

Wheels... as little as $18 and as much as $45.

Entry level clerks have interesting measuring techniques... ?

I really have no other explanation.