Discounted Shipping anyone?

[coldhammer]

Does anyone here have access to discounted shipping via ups or fedex? Need to ship a wheel to CA and ups wants $75. I can paypal you the money if you can hook me up with a label.

Edit. Cant ship greyhound as it needs to go directly to the business.

 

[nsxtasy]

First of all, based on the price, it sounds like you are talking about "UPS" as in, walking into a UPS Store, giving them the wheel, and paying them not only for shipping, but also for the box and shipping materials and for them to box it up. That's the most expensive way to ship but lets them do all the work. You can save a lot of that by doing the packing yourself, and you don't need any access to special discounts. What you need to do is:

1. Get the size box you need for shipping, which you can probably do for around $3-4 at Office Depot, around $6-7 at Staples or the UPS Store. Interior dimensions about 1" larger than the outer dimensions of the wheel itself - and remember, the outer dimensions are about 1" larger than the nominal dimensions which are taken at the bead, where the tire sits. For example, a wheel that is labeled 16x8 is typically about 17" in outer diameter and 9" in outer width so you would need an 18x18x10 box.

2. Get whatever packing materials you need for it. For wheels, I like to put pieces forming an extra layer of cardboard around the edges of the wheel and on the face of the wheel. I get free used display boxes at the registers at Costco/Sam's Club and cut them up into the pieces I need.

3. Pack it yourself, and pay for shipping on the website for USPS, UPS, or FedEx, using their rates for dropping it off at their nearest facility (post office, UPS Store, or FedEx/Kinko's), which will give you the lowest rates. UPS and FedEx give free insurance for $100, you can pay extra to insure for more.

You can compare rates on their three websites to see which is cheapest, which is not usually UPS. Just to take an example, here are standard rates according to their websites for ground shipping a 24-pound package 18x18x10 insured for $200 from zip code 30301 to a business in 90210:

FedEx $37.40
UPS $42.05
USPS Standard Post (formerly called Parcel Post) $38.19

 

[coldhammer]

No. that price was me packaging and dropping off. The shipping calculator on the UPS website is always off by about $10-$15. (something about it not calculating certain fees, cant remember exactly what) Fed ex also quoted me a similar price. USPS said its too big for them to ship.

 

[nsxtasy]

No. that price was me packaging and dropping off. The shipping calculator on the UPS website is always off by about $10-$15. (something about it not calculating certain fees, cant remember exactly what) Fed ex also quoted me a similar price. USPS said its too big for them to ship.

I've always found that it's accurate. However, from your description, I'm guessing you're talking about shipping a wheel WITH A TIRE MOUNTED, in which case it's not usually boxed and there is an additional fee for non-standard packaging (when an item is round rather than a rectangular box). And of course there's the additional weight of the tire to add to the cost. Here are estimates from their website for shipping a non-rectangular wheel and tire weighing 45 pounds, same insurance and zip codes, including the additional fee for "special handling" (UPS), "non-standard packaging" (FedEx), or "non-rectangular" (USPS, requires girth measurement):

FedEx $68.82
UPS $77.01
USPS Standard Post $51.86

Whoever told you that at the post office was wrong. Even if the dimensions are a little higher (say 26x26x12) it's not too big for them to ship. I've done it.

I don't think you're going to find major savings from someone who has an account with discounted rates at UPS and FedEx. Not that such discounts don't exist, but it's not going to turn a $69 FedEx shipping charge into one that's substantially less than the post office's $52.

 

[macgruber]

I had downforce side splitters which are the same lenth as sideskirts shipped USPS.

 

[coldhammer]

ahh the discrepancy could be due to non-standard packaging. No one has ever told me that was the cause but the few items i have sent have all been non-standard packaging.

Ill call usps again and see what the deal is. As far as savings go though depending on the type of account you have you can get significant price reductions. I used to know someone that could send through there companys fed-ex account at usually half the cost of me sending it myself.