Don Whitehead

I've heard and seen horror stories from all of the shippers. Foam pipe
insulation on frame tubes helps, lock everything down well with zip
ties, and use lots of packaging reinforcements wherever an axle or
part of the frame could be pushed against the box. Double or triple
the cardboard layers. Very thin wood veneer on the inside is the best
reinforcement that I've found. And think about the fact that its going
to be tossed and dragged around on its side, and have lots of heavy
things tossed on top of it.

For some reason I've had more success with international shipping than
within the US. Maybe because there were fewer trucks involved.

Don

On Sun, Dec 4, 2011 at 12:35 PM, Jesse J. Finch Gnehm
wrote:
> First, Ian, I am really sorry to hear about your luck with USPS. At least
> the insurance is covering it. I do have to say that USPS did manage to get
> my cross bike a wheels to me unscathed earlier this fall. I am convinced it
> had nothing to to with them and everything to do with the fact that Eric
> Vickers at the Bike Peddler in Salem did the packing. I had shipped my bikes
> a fair number of times before but seeing the level of care and experience
> that went into packaging it when I opened it made me glad to have paid them
> to do it. Simply put, they've unpacked and packed more bikes in a week than
> I will in a lifetime. It's worth the extra $$$ or

Jesse J. Finch Gnehm

First, Ian, I am really sorry to hear about your luck with USPS. At least the insurance is covering it. I do have to say that USPS did manage to get my cross bike a wheels to me unscathed earlier this fall. I am convinced it had nothing to to with them and everything to do with the fact that Eric Vickers at the Bike Peddler in Salem did the packing. I had shipped my bikes a fair number of times before but seeing the level of care and experience that went into packaging it when I opened it made me glad to have paid them to do it. Simply put, they've unpacked and packed more bikes in a week than I will in a lifetime. It's worth the extra $$$ or £££ to have your LBS do it.

As a side note, UPS, FedEx, United Airlines and Delta Airlines have all savaged a bike box of mine at one point or another. The box is only the first line of defence.

-Jesse

> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2011 15:52:57 -0800
> From: Ian Mastenbrook
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: [OBRA Chat] Bike Shipping
> Message-ID:
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Just wanted to mention a little about my recent experience with USPS with
> shipping a bike to Colorado after selling it on eBay. The price was $75
> with $500 of insurance, which I didn't think was terrible, but I believe
> you can find cheaper.
>
> My point though, is that the buyer received the bike with the handlebar
> poking outside of the box and all the corners and sides of the box were
> bashed in. Luckily I had the insurance and the claim went though to pay for
> the bent handlebars and dent on the top tube, but I sure won't ship a bike
> or even wheels through USPS anymore. I did some research (after I shipped
> it) and found FedEx to be the best priced, best handled, etc.. I also read
> a few other posts on the same thing with USPS, the bike boxes being
> crushed, dropped, and damaged.
>
> Nothing to bash on USPS, but I will travel the extra distance to FedEx the
> next time I need to ship something. No I don't work for FedEx, nor do I
> have a problem with USPS, just want to give some feedback for someone
> deciding which company to choose to ship a bike through.
>
> --
> *-Ian Mastenbrook*

Ian Mastenbrook

Just wanted to mention a little about my recent experience with USPS with
shipping a bike to Colorado after selling it on eBay. The price was $75
with $500 of insurance, which I didn't think was terrible, but I believe
you can find cheaper.

My point though, is that the buyer received the bike with the handlebar
poking outside of the box and all the corners and sides of the box were
bashed in. Luckily I had the insurance and the claim went though to pay for
the bent handlebars and dent on the top tube, but I sure won't ship a bike
or even wheels through USPS anymore. I did some research (after I shipped
it) and found FedEx to be the best priced, best handled, etc.. I also read
a few other posts on the same thing with USPS, the bike boxes being
crushed, dropped, and damaged.

Nothing to bash on USPS, but I will travel the extra distance to FedEx the
next time I need to ship something. No I don't work for FedEx, nor do I
have a problem with USPS, just want to give some feedback for someone
deciding which company to choose to ship a bike through.

--
*-Ian Mastenbrook*