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Any Cost Effective Shipper for Cabs

#22
I came here to say Pirateship. Ive been shocked that most packages have been about 1/2 retail rates, per my UPS and FEDEX shipper accounts. I'll ride that thing till the wheels fall off, or until they incrementally raise their rates until it's about even with the carriers directly, which is bound to happen eventually. All good things.....
 
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#24
Also, FWIW and this is heresay, I have "heard" that if there are damage claims, they are resolved more easily with the carriers as Pirateship acts as a proxy customer for the transactions. I dunno if thats true or not. But it sounds nice. lol
 
#27
not trying to be too much of a pain but, google maps tells me the middle of FL to mid KY is 860 miles so call it 800 for now, how much would you guys want to charge for gas, driver wages, wear and tear, insurance, admin and other overhead and some decent amount of company profit to ship a 60lb item 800 miles?...is that $120 with or with out taxes?...
$120 / 800 = 15 cents a mile.... I'm sure it would be on a truck with other items that add up to making money for the company as well

and I agree it is a big enough chunk of money, but I think reasonable too
 
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#28
bdplaid said:
I had a terrible time with UPS insurance. Also USPS. Just saying.
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Me too, Ive had nightmares with UPS and FEDEX. Legit horror stories. I haven't with USPS but only because I rarely ship basses or cabs with them.

FWIW, last time I checked, Fedex has a cap on insurance coverage at around $1000. They'll sure sell you more, but if you go to submit a claim on a $3k bass that you insured for $3k, they'll cap the coverage at 3k and quote the fine print. Fun stuff.
 
#31
beans-on-toast said:
Shipping ground service is more cost effective. For example: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/ground.html

Otherwise, check out Greyhound services.
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But is "FedEx Ground" actually the FedEx? Or just some stoner contractors?

Also, the link points to a quote page where you have to select a FedEx box (of unspecified size), rather than being able to enter arbitrary dimensions for your own box.
 
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#32
J.Wolf said:
Also, FWIW and this is heresay, I have "heard" that if there are damage claims, they are resolved more easily with the carriers as Pirateship acts as a proxy customer for the transactions. I dunno if thats true or not. But it sounds nice. lol
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When you purchase insurance through PirateShip, you're actually getting coverage through a parcel insurer called ShipInsurance. The claims do NOT go through UPS. I had a damaged bass that needed repair. The money was in my PayPal account within a week of filing the claim. VERY easy process. Can't recommend PirateShip enough!
 
#33
Rocket Queen said:
But is "FedEx Ground" actually the FedEx? Or just some stoner contractors?

Also, the link points to a quote page where you have to select a FedEx box (of unspecified size), rather than being able to enter arbitrary dimensions for your own box.
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Fedex, UPS, etc all offer ground service which costs less than going on a plane. Ground service is via truck. When you buy an amp from a distant retailer, it's usually shipped ground service.

There are various packaging dimension options.
 
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#34
tb-player said:
When you purchase insurance through PirateShip, you're actually getting coverage through a parcel insurer called ShipInsurance. The claims do NOT go through UPS. I had a damaged bass that needed repair. The money was in my PayPal account within a week of filing the claim. VERY easy process. Can't recommend PirateShip enough!
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Man thats what I love to hear. this is what's known as a no brainer :)
 
#35
J-Bass RMR said:
+1 for Pirateship.com
The UPS rates are the best I've seen - even better than my company's corporate discount.
The "RATES" estimator is simple to use - and for something like a cabinet, you can quickly enter a few different dimensions and zip codes and see how the rates vary (sometimes dramatically) i.e. if the box is a couple inches longer, or shipping for FL to NY, vs. FL to CA....

I was using the Paypal label app until they discontinued it (the free version anyway) ~ early 2022. I thought this was only available to paypal business accounts now?


EDIT: Just looked up Greyhound;
As of September 30, 2022, Greyhound ceased package shipping operations
  • If you need to ship large items, use uShip. This is a good option for cars, furniture, appliances, freight, and heavy equipment.
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cool! I'll keep checking them moving forward. I do have business Paypal, FedEx and UPS accounts. So far, the Paypal option has always been the same price or less for me, and I like the automated notifications for the buyer, as well as seller protection when using it.
 
#36
+1 regarding dimensional weight. make sure you have very accurate dims when you get the quote. I used to estimate it and got burned a few times with large but light items. Carriers are much more consistent in checking these now than they used to be, and will charge your payment method for additional charges, which can be significant.
 
#37
Also, last few times I have ups, I've measured dims well and rounded up to
The inch and I still have gotten charged extra once they processed the shipment for dims. Which is weird. And makes it impossible to get an accurate quote before it goes out.
 

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