Intake Manifold Shipping
With the alternatives mentioned by some (FedEx One rate, or UPS simple rate), what prices are you guys getting to ship a typical aluminum manifold?
The FedEx volume discount I get is passed on to customers so others may vary, but $60 is probably a decent average for the ones I ship. They're around 20-24 pounds usually. I always insure shipments for original market value plus my metal finishing cost (so customers are covered for everything if a forklift runs over it or something) but insurance is nominal ($5-7) compared to a new intake.
I too have never had an insurance claim denied on anything shipped out. Three inches of collapsible material on each side, cooperation with your shipper, saving your paperwork and tracking info, and having pics of all the packing materials and box usually win the day.
One BMW customer's FedEx driver hefted the big long box onto his shoulder and it just kept on going ... right onto my customer's driveway in front of him! His $900 check took about a week from FedEx.
The second was a nightmare, an International Priority Mail to Canada. He didn't tell me one valve cover got a little scratched before filing a claim directly. He put HIMSELF down as the Shipper
and the Receiver (???) so it was automatically denied. Once I knew about it, it took several hours getting it straightened out, but he eventually got reimbursed too.