Any suggestion as to how to ship a cast iron intake manifold as cheaply as possible???
shipping a manifold
- Thread starter str12-340
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Packed well in the proper sized box. UPS and FedX will cost $35-45. Probably cheaper through USPS. The post Office used to have a flat rate "game box" that a normal manifold would fin in but they dropped that one. Probably too many shippers abusing the size. .
If you can find a USPS monopoly game box size flat rate box, it's my understanding the USPS will still honor it, even though they aren't offering them anymore.
The last SB iron intake I tried to ship came up as $79 on the UPS site (cheapest of the big three) but at the store it was going to be over $100.
Smallest box it would fit in and only one side longer than 12"
That killed that deal.
Smallest box it would fit in and only one side longer than 12"
That killed that deal.
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
I sold a 1969 cast iron 340 intake about a year ago. I wrapped it up in a little bubble wrap and then rolled it up in cardboard from a large box. It wasn't pretty, but Fedex accepted it, and it got to where it was going.
How much?
junkyardhero
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use a 3rd party shipper: parcel monkey, shipping easy, etx
signup is free, rates are well below UPS site and in-store. box it, measure it, weigh it, print the label at home and stick it on there and drop it off with a driver or at the local.
i sent a 45lb box LA to houston this week and it was bigger than how i would package a manifold and it was only $27
pro-tip: don't fudge the numbers at all and if anything round up that 1/2" and that 1/2 lb. also, if you can reuse standard sized (read: amazon) boxes the calculations fall more favorably.
the only down side is that they only offer standard insurance. so if you need any more than basic service you're SOL.
No way in hell at that cost.
You are severely undercutting what it's going to cost in sending out a cast iron manifold.
Depending on distance, and total weight of the package.
I know, as i regularly send out brake and suspension parts, USPS, and FEDEX, and it ain't cheap anymore, in this modern day and age.
Jim Lusk
Well-Known Member
Just shipped end of October/beginning of November 318 poly intake. $140 for shipping. Box is 60 lbs and 20x17x10.
Been a while since I have sent out a cast intake. Sorry.
This is a 273 four barrel manifold that I shipped last week. The box is HD from Lowe's cut to size. Shipping via Fed Ex was $56 from Kansas City to Nashville.
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
NO!! (LOLOL)
Pack it well in a good box, and THEN PACK IT some more with the first box inside a SECOND box!!
(I learned this years ago when many of us bought used amateur radio gear and test equipment)
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
And what would have happened, (I'm serious and asking nicely) if that was dropped at a bad angle off that 8' loading dock?
It might get broken and it might break a toe or two? The box is double thick and when you cut the box the way I did you get four layers on the sides. Put the extra cardboard inside the box to keep it from shifting. It arrived just as I had sent it.
That's how I did it in the monopoly sized flat rate box. I packed one inside the other with bubble wrap and whatnot. It made it fine.
They do that "what if" nonsense every day on Sesame Street. What insurance is for....
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
It was about $35. But I would have had to buy a box for it, alter it for a good fit, and then insert proper padding.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
I tried what @CudaChick1968 suggested on here, and tried Pirateship.com I'm shipping two boxes that weigh 42 lbs each, from NC to Indiana. I toted one box the post office and it was going to be $62 just for one, so $124 total for the guy buying the brakes I have for sale. I went on Pirate Ship and entered the weight and a 13 x 13 x 10 inch box....and it was $28 each! They give you prices for several shippers and UPS is the cheapest thru Pirate Ship for standard shipping. All I gotta do is print the labels and drop them off at UPS.
Um... just wondering how to ship an intake manifold in several pieces...
Just kidding,Um... just wondering how to ship an intake manifold in several pieces...
Sorry for the derailment.
I always think I'm being funny lol
67Dart273
Well-Known Member
You ever see a nice piece of electronics that was dropped --on the corner, say--that was otherwise "properly packed" in a single box? Here is what infuriates me. Packages do not get dropped, mangled, damaged on airplanes or trucks. They get that way from the gorillas on the loading docks THROWING packages. Sometimes, it's the ape on the delivery truck THROWING packages.
You know what an Eimac 8877 is? Look it up. I once shipped one from a local small town where my Mom lived, because I was there. This girl takes it, does whatever she does for checkin, and then threw it over 15' into a bin. That tube at the time was worth 400-600 bucks used. New I don't remember. Lots. Over a grand.
I looked it up on GOOGLE.
Expensive piece of equipment, that's for sure.
$800.00 bucks on ebay, from selling vendors.
Expensive hobby.
I appreciate saving money, and saving my customers' money even more.
Shoving anything into a box that barely fits it, even with "a few layers of cardboard," is merely inviting damage and a denied insurance claim.
Read through the insurance regulations on any shipper's website and you'll discover that they all require a minimum of three inches of collapsible material on all sides of the item(s) being shipped in order to cover any damage the item incurs.
The box itself is also scrutinized to make sure it has a Crush Rate Label on it showing a sufficient weight for the item inside. Lowe's boxes for example have one but the box your floor jack or new printer came in likely do not. Without that label, any insurance claim will be automatically declined.
UPS and the USPS typically offer $100.00 in free insurance but FedEx does not. We all know a hundred bucks doesn't cover much of anything these days, and if Seller Bob doesn't buy additional coverage and pack an approved box worth a flip, your intake that arrives in three pieces is your problem.
Insurance is cheap, usually under ten bucks. If the thing you're buying is important to you, offer to buy extra insurance even after you read the rest of this. It really is worth it in the end.
The SELLER has to file the claim. The shipper will then contact the Receiver who will be required to provide documentation (photos) of the injured item, the box, the label and all packing materials that accompanied it.
High-value items (i.e., an STR-14 with two grand in insurance) will often result in the shipper dispatching someone to personally inspect it at your place too before sending out a check. If you threw the box and packing materials away you're SOL.
Guess who gets the check if they approve the insurance claim??? The Shipper, NOT the Receiver ... who is now not only out the item they purchased but the money they spent for it as well, and who must rely on the integrity and follow up of the Seller in hopefully getting their money back.
I've had a few claims on incoming parts here and two on outgoing shipments in 17 years in business. The first outgoing shipment was a big box of BMW parts sent to California. My customer watched from his driveway as the FedEx guy got it out of the truck and try to heft it onto his shoulder. It kept going, crashing hard onto the pavement. Long story short, the $936 check -- which was to cover his bare parts and the amount of my restoration work invoice -- took my claim, a declaration from the driver, a statement from my customer and TWO formal demand letters from me (outlining all the work done as well as a copy of my invoice) before it arrived but BMW Mike got his money.
The second one was a cluster**** in every way, a pair of Mopar Performance valve covers shipped to Canada. The box had been caught on something and one of the outer black ribs had about a half inch of missing powder. Rather than advise me though, he filed his own claim putting himself down as the Shipper AND the Receiver! He only let me know about the damage after seven weeks of waiting for a reply that never came.
Dealing with International USPS Claims was something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, literally hours on the phone and more paperwork from me after they tracked it down and finally figured out what happened. It had been "automatically declined" since he claimed to be the person who sent a box to himself. Then Canada Post KEPT the damaged valve cover! I ended up buying one (from someone on here I think), coated it to match and sent it to him with an international money order because he couldn't cash the USPS' check in Canada! He put up a nice post on Facebook ... but that was it. You can see by the dates on these screen shots just how long the entire sordid story took.
Notice how big that box is? It contained the one replacement valve cover.
Pack your boxes well and work with the other party on adequate insurance. It's just good business!!!
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I hear ya Leanna, I was somewhat tongue and cheek to this statement... "What if that was dropped at a bad angle off that 8' loading dock?". Ever seen an 8' high loading dock? That and with a 2 year old Granddaughter I "get" to watch Sesame Street damn near every day! LOL
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