Shipping Question

[saddles]

I need to ship a saddle to Switzerland. Any suggestions on how to get it there? UPS and FedEx are both around $650. Anyone have experience with UPS freight?? Post office won't touch it.

[Mike516]

Yea, unfortunately the USPS won't deliver anything over 70 pounds to anywhere, not even within the US. What does the saddle weigh, are you packaging it or do you need it packaged and where in Switzerland is it going?

Edited March 24, 2012 by Mike516

[dirtclod]

I send quite a few things to Europe not saddles though. Just went to USPS website and put in a box size of 30x30x24 and it said it was to big to be mailed out of the country. How ever you send it i would go to and get some corners out boxes at a appliance store and hot glue to the inside corners of your box so it will harder to mash up. Did you go to a UPS or Fed Ex store ? The reason i ask is where i live to send something UPS or Fed Ex you have to go through them and they RIP YOU OFF !! Check UPS or Fed Ex's website and see if you can ship it through there.

[saddles]

I have my own UPS account, so that's where I got the quote from. I went online for the FedEx one. The saddle weighs 40 pounds with the box. We have our saddle boxes built for us, so I am pretty confident it will survive the trip. For what they want I could damn near buy it it's own plane ticket! I may have to send it as extra baggage with a fella heading over there.

@Mike-it is going to Buhler, Switzerland.

[Mike516]

According to the US Postal Service website, a 40 pound package no bigger than a total of 9 feet - length plus girth - costs around $116 if you print your label online or $122 at the post office. How big is the box?

http://postcalc.usps.gov/

For #1 just select Switzerland, then plug in the rest of the info. Hope this helps.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Mike516

[Sylvia]

The saddle weighs 40 pounds with the box. We have our saddle boxes built for us, so I am pretty confident it will survive the trip.

Couple things. If you are building your box, you are paying a LOT of shipping for lumber weight. All packages are subject to dimensional weight which is why they always ask the L X W X H. You might be better off with a sturdy cardboard box just large enough to create a frame inside with your lumber. Then pad it will with bubble wrap or similar materials.

You may want to weight your current crate/ box before you put the saddle in it to see how much it is costing you.

I don't think your dimensional weight will be the same as what the physical weight. But this is worth a shot.

Edited March 25, 2012 by Sylvia

[saddles]

Box dimesions are 29x20x20. They weigh 6 pounds and are rated to 250 pounds. Thanks Mike! I'll try and recalulate.

[saddles]

Okay, problem solved! Thanks Mike, you were absolutely right. I CAN ship it through the post office for $183.40. Far cry from the 600 and something UPS wanted or the $200 extra baggage fee the airline wanted! Thanks for all the input everyone!

[Sylvia]

Okay, problem solved! Thanks Mike, you were absolutely right. I CAN ship it through the post office for $183.40. Far cry from the 600 and something UPS wanted or the $200 extra baggage fee the airline wanted! Thanks for all the input everyone!

Just a little tip from a former Airborne Express employee. Make sure you put a tag inside the box with the delivery address. And mark it on the box itself. If the box gets separated from the paperwork and they have to open it..... you are taken care off.

I'm glad you are able to ship via USPS... it's good to know that.

[Mike516]

Cool, that's a lot cheaper. I try and use the USPS whenever possible. Their prices can't be beat most of the time.

[Newfman]

Having worked for UPS and their oversize and international division (Cartage), I can tell you, they try to cram as much as possible into the shipping pods. I have watched a few of my fellow emplyees just cram something in and not care that the item they put on top will crush the item below. Not their 'personal' problem. Heed the advice of getting your container reinforced. You will never really get satisfaction from them, after the damage is done.

Luan, ie., wood door skin is available at home depot. It is a Very strong, and very light plywood. We used it for making flats (walls) for the movie industry a lot. You could make inner linings out of that and some cheap one by. Bill it to the customer. Twenty five dollars in materials to get their wonderful, hand made saddle there, has got to be worth the price. Maybe that is excessive, but you should talk to the people that make shipping containers for this very purpose. They have seen it all. I also have watched some of the drivers and dock workers at ABF, throw things into the trucks as well. It will never come back to the individual that did it, so there is no reason to change their ways.

[saddles]

Update! We shipped the saddle USPS in a box that we have built to ship our saddles in. I had to cut it down about 2 inches height wise to fit their shipping specs. We wrapped the saddle in 2 layers of open cell foam. I ran 3 rows of duct tape around the box just to be safe. We shipped on March 28th and it was delivered on April 3rd. Total cost was $191.80. I could only insure it for $650 though. Made it there just fine! Thanks for all the advice!