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$170 to ship a bike??? Help me out NSG!

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Wall_Nut
Posts: 629 - Karma: 113
Hello friends, I'm trying to have a fold-up bike I found on Jacksonville, Florida's craigslist shipped up to Chatham, New York.
Packaged, the bike weighs 38 pounds
UPS quoted me $170, which is really kind of absurd. According to other listings, that's in the price range for overseas shipping.

So NS, can you think of any way to ship the bike cheaper than that? It's for my ladyfriend, so I hope to figure something out.

Thanks for the help!
Aug 9 2011 2:11PM
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J.D.
Posts: 21362 - Karma: 5,141
Dude, use USPS. I hate UPS with a fiery passion. USPS will usually be cheaper, in my experience - thought I am always shipping internationally from US to Canada.
Aug 9 2011 2:13PM
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*SNO*
Posts: 2575 - Karma: 925
this
Aug 9 2011 2:14PM
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Alpine3
Posts: 1811 - Karma: 24
i was going to help, until i realized you live in chatham... i hope you didnt go to chatham high school. jk... but seriously
Aug 9 2011 2:15PM
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Wall_Nut
Posts: 629 - Karma: 113
+K to you good sir, do you think it's cheaper than FedEx?
Aug 9 2011 2:17PM
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Wall_Nut
Posts: 629 - Karma: 113
I can agree that the people who went there suck, but was there anyone in particular? My girlfriend is not from this town btw, all the girls here are hoes. I don't leave house without my trusty can of Skank-b-gone™
Aug 9 2011 2:20PM
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alex.bgk.
Posts: 607 - Karma: 74
http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams

strongly urge you to follow that little highlighted cat right there
Aug 9 2011 2:33PM
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Big.L
Posts: 703 - Karma: 15
i almost posted first but i wasnt really sure but you're probably better off going through USPS
Aug 9 2011 2:36PM
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Alpine3
Posts: 1811 - Karma: 24

hahaha nice. im from valatie, icc/chatham rivalry so im just messin. i got a bunch of good friends that are from chatham ha ill just play the rivalry card till im at least 40...  

but yeah, i would almost have them see if they can bring it to a local bike shop, dismantle it there and have them ship it. i know when i worked at steiners it was $40 to dismantle a bike and like another $40 to ship it.

Aug 9 2011 2:47PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Try looking into Greyhound. They offer shipping for large items at very fair prices if you can deal with the inconvenience of needing to go to a Greyhound station to pick up or ship the goods.

I ran a quote, they could do a 38lb package for around $60 from Jacksonville, FL to New Bedford, MA.

Checking with local Jacksonville bike shops about dismantling and shipping a bike to you might be a good route too because it acts as a safeway to ensure that you aren't getting ripped off.
Aug 9 2011 3:12PM
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YewTard
Posts: 619 - Karma: 196
It cost me $300 to have my downhill bike shipped out to Utah from back east via UPS (though some of that was because I had it insured for $4k). My wallet is still stinging.
Aug 9 2011 3:14PM
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OldDirtyPete
Posts: 453 - Karma: 299
How can it cost 10 dollars to ship a pair of skis and bindings ( FedeX 8lbs from Utah to New Hampshire) then cost 170 to ship 40lbs from Florida to Utah. I don't understand maybe its my math
Aug 9 2011 5:00PM
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geteducated
Posts: 6410 - Karma: 86
less about weight and more about dimensions.
Aug 9 2011 5:04PM
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1337
Posts: 31038 - Karma: 29,000
this
Aug 9 2011 5:24PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
Pm elgato. He works with shipping and has always been a huge help with shipping questions
Aug 9 2011 5:27PM
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OldDirtyPete
Posts: 453 - Karma: 299
So I was curious and I talked to an informed buddy about this because I was so in the dark. Apparently when a package gets a certain size UPS measures it around its largest width. up to 103 inches around is standard shipping. 103 inches to 120 inches is considered OVERSIZE shipping. This is exponentially more expensive than standard. 120+ they either wont ship it or they will charge you a ridiculous amount. My only suggestion is to make sure the bike is packaged as small as it will go. I hope all works out for you.
Aug 9 2011 6:08PM
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ReetsAdeets
Posts: 1531 - Karma: 611
Bikes are just really expensive to ship. I have found Fedex to be the cheapest though.
Aug 9 2011 6:17PM
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hoodSlayer
Posts: 900 - Karma: 7
It really depends on the dimensions of the box. I had a road bike shipped from LA to Portland and it was around 200. The bike only weighed 20lbs but the box was big. Try FedEx Ground. In terms of weight they're pretty cheap.
Aug 9 2011 7:14PM
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613.
Posts: 827 - Karma: 164
shipping on skis from evo to Canada is around 150$... now that's absurd.
Aug 9 2011 7:23PM
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Guavajelly
Posts: 197 - Karma: 34
Use Amtrak! I just shipped a bike from Denver to New Hampshire for $55.

It was so easy if you can get the major stations easily. Its 55 flat for any bike box under 100lbs and it gets to the destination in 3-5 nights even during weekends. Once it gets there you have 48 hours to pick it up or you get charged $3 storage per day.

I asked all the other big carriers and they all quoted over $80 for slower shipping, Amtrak is the best way to go.
Aug 9 2011 7:43PM
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SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Another good suggestion.

Amtrak, Greyhound; these are transportation services that offer shipping services on the cheap since they are traveling to the destination already and aren't handling a personalized delivery.

These are going to be your best option for shipping.
Aug 10 2011 9:51AM
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