SLudlow Report post Posted February 15, 2014 Hey folks, We've gotten a load of leather sides in, and are trying to sort out the most economical way to get them to the customer. If you've shipped leather sides before, what was your method? Did it get to its destination in good condition? What price did you pay? Thanks in advance! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hornm Report post Posted February 15, 2014 Being a shipping guy for a living I would suggest contacting UPS and/or FedEx (ground). UPS ground service is 4 business days (outside of the Christmas season). Being a company you could potentially negotiate well below street rates depending on expected volume in/out. The only issue I might see for the hides is the size. Normally anything over (I think) 144 cubic inches (2x width plus 2x girth) is considered oversize and might end up pushing into truck freight but that is something a rep could help you figure out. They make house calls for free when they have a new potential business customer. Horn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SLudlow Report post Posted February 16, 2014 Thank you for the input! My main concern is that if we just wrap the leather, we really risk a box getting set atop it, potentially damaging what someone might be paying $100+ for. But, 50" boxes are not cheap. Considering the dimensions (50"x6"x6" with 20" girth @ 10lbs) we probably will get tossed into freight. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hornm Report post Posted February 16, 2014 (edited) You'd be between 112 & 124 inches (I don't have to do too much of that calculation as most of what I ship ends up well undersized). Something that long though would probably have an additional handling fee (approx $5) because of the size it wouldn't make it through the conveyors so would need alternate transport through a hub. As for having something set on top...couldn't really give any suggestions on that. Normally though the small pack trucks aren't loaded to the brim when they pick up or deliver. Unless you end up on the same route as an Amazon distributor or something like that. Additionally it wouldn't cost too much to insure. 1st hundred is automatically part of the price and then you'll pay for I think $500 insurance for three or four bucks then about 80 cents per hundred afterward up to $50k which hopefully you wouldn't need. Horn Having a heck of a day. Totally missed the "wrapped" portion at the beginning of your last post. Honest'y though. Boxes are probably what you are going to need. Edited February 16, 2014 by hornm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SLudlow Report post Posted February 16, 2014 This is perfect advice, thank you very much. I found a box that is 8x8x48-90, expandable. That should work to keep the hides safe, and particularly for smaller hides the shipping shouldn't be horrible. Again, I really appreciate it, and hopefully my customers will too! I'll give UPS a call and see if we can work something out with them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hornm Report post Posted February 17, 2014 Either way best of luck to you. I'm hoping that this works out to be a beneficial venture for both you and your customers. Horn Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
