Shipping many boxes for upcoming move : Any advice ? Archived From: Deal Discussion |
I'm planning to ship most of my important stuff rather than getting movers.
Anyone who has done this, or ships a lot, any advice ?
Should I open an account with UPS/Fedex ?
I see that Fedex has an option for scheduling a pick up -- how does that work ? Do I need to weigh the packages beforehand and print shipping labels ? What if my weight is wrong ?
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My experience using Fedex Ground has been very good. Here are some stackable discounts that you can use -
1. Create an account online
2. Get an AMEX biz card to get an automatic 5% off on payment, provide this card number in your online profile
3. Get ShipRush for additional discounts starting at 10%
Also, check with your employer and see if they have contracted rates with any shipper that you can use.
pyeed: for pickups, you have to keep the package ready with shipment labels. Note that there is a charge for pickups. If the weight is wrong, Fedex will correct it when it goes through their distribution center.
I looked at ShipRush, when I selected ShipRush for fedex, it asked me to select the target application, and I have none ! IS it not a stanadlone program ?
Also, do you know how much is the pickup charge ?
skullcandy said:I looked at ShipRush, when I selected ShipRush for fedex, it asked me to select the target application, and I have none ! IS it not a stanadlone program ?
Also, do you know how much is the pickup charge ?
ShipRush is a standalone application. Pickup charge varies, call Fedex.
Any books, magazines, software (restrictions) or other things that are heavy but qualify for the Post Office's Media Mail, use that. Its slow, but cheap.
After that, look at FedEx and DHL for heavier stuff.
Unless absolutely necessary (and light) seriously look into selling it and repurchasing it later. Or just toss it. Shipping gets expensive.
For weighing stuff, a bathroom scale is fine. To schedule a pickup, you usually need 5-7 boxes or the services will charge you for it. Pack them, weigh them and measure the dimensions, print out labels online, schedule a pickup.
PODS, if you got a lot of stuff. One container.
Morty said:Any books, magazines, software (restrictions) or other things that are heavy but qualify for the Post Office's Media Mail, use that. Its slow, but cheap.
Anyone know how picky USPS is wrt restrictions on media mail? I'm thinking of shipping books and dvds via media mail, with some sweatshirts put in for proetection. Will they object, and do I need to get bubble wrap or other protecting material ?
The last time I moved, I shipped everything via UPS. My main piece of advice: DO NOT cram everything into the largest box you can find. I did that and of course it rained the day they came for pick up. The cardboard got wet and several of my boxes ended up ripping. The larger the box, the weaker the cardboard can get when wet.
With UPS, you can order a pickup from their website for a fee. Just tell them where to go and what time. They're usually really accurate when it comes to the pickup. When you're preparing your shipment, just measure the dimensions of your boxes (whole numbers only), weigh it, and assign an approximate value. Boxes over $200 in value gets charged an extra fee as well. Once you've entered all the information, UPS will generate a bar code label for you. You just need to print it out on regular paper and tape it to your box.
In general if you use any of these shipping services, you're bound to get charge extra for. But when your moving, that's what you gotta do, right?
Morty said:Unless absolutely necessary (and light) seriously look into selling it and repurchasing it later. Or just toss it. Shipping gets expensive.
This is by far the BEST advice. Unless the items have some major sentimental value, or are family heirlooms, think carefully how "important" the items are before going through the hassle and expense. True FWers never pay retail for most items, and should be able to recoup most if not all of their purchase price on CL or Fleabay, or the nice writeoff and satisfaction for donating to a local charity.
For high value fragile or breakable items, I wold consider a mover or at least a packing service that includes shipping insurance. This way, if something is damaged, you won't have to prove to the carrier that it was due to their negligence, and not the packaging.
I also have the same question and am looking into alternatives. I looked into the ShipRush, but it looks like it is $80 for FedEx ... but free for eBay? I will look into it to save 20%.
I am probably shipping clothes as I am driving about 1500 miles and will be taking the LCD tv/computer/laptop/picture frames.
I have a FedEx account already, and if I am shipping 6 boxes or more, the pickup charge is waved from my residence.
My understanding, at least with FedEx Ground is that to do estimates on your box size and weights. Sometimes a little bit smaller box can save you a ton of money
Have you considered Amtrak option? I did it about 7 years ago shipped most of my house stuff from Cleveland, OH. to CA. I could not recall cost, but it should be cheaper than any other shippers at the time. Not sure it is still valid, I think Amtrak offered 1-month free storage at the destination at the time, that really helped. And packages were all in good shapes.
Spac3d said:I am probably shipping clothes as I am driving about 1500 miles and will be taking the LCD tv/computer/laptop/picture frames.
If you have a lot to ship I would look into getting a trailer hitch installed ,, you can rent a 4'*8' or 5'*10' enclosed trailer at U-Haul pretty cheap and a 5*10 will hold A LOT ,, 250 cubic feet of STUFF ... then you don't have to worry too much about weight or items getting lost.
kentoh said:Have you considered Amtrak option? I did it about 7 years ago shipped most of my house stuff from Cleveland, OH. to CA. I could not recall cost, but it should be cheaper than any other shippers at the time. Not sure it is still valid, I think Amtrak offered 1-month free storage at the destination at the time, that really helped. And packages were all in good shapes.On a side note, I looked into Greyhound, because they can ship bulky items for cheap and their maximum for my route is 1 item.
kentoh said:Have you considered Amtrak option? I did it about 7 years ago shipped most of my house stuff from Cleveland, OH. to CA. I could not recall cost, but it should be cheaper than any other shippers at the time. Not sure it is still valid, I think Amtrak offered 1-month free storage at the destination at the time, that really helped. And packages were all in good shapes.
Thanks, I never knew about that.
On their website,
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&cid=1080080554164&c=am2Copy&ssid=482
they say Weight limit for each shipment: 500 lbs.
I have many boxes, and the total weight woould be arond 1000lbs, so does that mean that option is out ? Do they allow multiple shipments ?
skullcandy said:kentoh said:Have you considered Amtrak option? I did it about 7 years ago shipped most of my house stuff from Cleveland, OH. to CA. I could not recall cost, but it should be cheaper than any other shippers at the time. Not sure it is still valid, I think Amtrak offered 1-month free storage at the destination at the time, that really helped. And packages were all in good shapes.
Thanks, I never knew about that.
On their website,
http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Copy/Title_Image_Copy_Page&cid=1080080554164&c=am2Copy&ssid=482
they say Weight limit for each shipment: 500 lbs.
I have many boxes, and the total weight woould be arond 1000lbs, so does that mean that option is out ? Do they allow multiple shipments ?Are you able to ship to a business?
With that much weight, you may want to look into FedEx Ground Multi-Weight. It is for multiple boxes weighing about 30lbs each with a minimum of being 200lbs. They give you a discount by counting it as one large shipment.
Spac3d said:
Are you able to ship to a business?
With that much weight, you may want to look into FedEx Ground Multi-Weight. It is for multiple boxes weighing about 30lbs each with a minimum of being 200lbs. They give you a discount by counting it as one large shipment.
Thanks!
unfortunately I wont be able to ship to a business.
So I guess that means I wont be able to use Multi-Weight ?
Also, I will be be staying at a temp place till I get a permanent one at the destination. Is there a way
to tell Fedex to hold the packages for 3 weeks and then deliver to the new address ?
skullcandy said:Spac3d said:
Are you able to ship to a business?
With that much weight, you may want to look into FedEx Ground Multi-Weight. It is for multiple boxes weighing about 30lbs each with a minimum of being 200lbs. They give you a discount by counting it as one large shipment.
Thanks!
unfortunately I wont be able to ship to a business.
So I guess that means I wont be able to use Multi-Weight ?
Also, I will be be staying at a temp place till I get a permanent one at the destination. Is there a way
to tell Fedex to hold the packages for 3 weeks and then deliver to the new address ?It does not sound like you could do use FedEx Ground Multiweight.
Also, I will echo the people above you should defintely reconsider shipping 1000lbs - that is a ton of stuff. You should look into selling it and buying again. I had about 1000lbs I wanted to move, and it was just too costly, and I was surprised how much money I got for most of my stuff on Craigslist.
FedEx does have 3 services:
- Specific Day Delivery
- Evenining Delivery
- Appointment Delivery.
Each one costs more than the previous and it is charged by shipment - but you can dictate when and where you want a shipment to a 2 hour time frame. I am not sure, however, if they can hold it for 3 weeks ... The website has some info (but has poor wording, IMO), but if you call in the reps are pretty helpful and can explain in more detail.
http://www.pods.com/
Try pods like an earlier poster mentioned.
They deliver you an empty container and you schedule when container is delivered.
While looking at PODS on google, there are sample discounts from AAA Memberships.
AAA Western & Central NY
PODS. PODS moving special: Our biggest savings ever on moving! So, you're moving down the street, clear across the map, or maybe you need storage.
www.nyaaa.com/discounts/retail/pods · Cached page
AAA Arizona - Member Discounts - PODS
PODS . 10% off of initial local delivery and first month’s storage (promo code aaaa) 10% off of long distance/ inter-franchise moves (promo code aaas) through Dec. 2008
AAA South Dakota - Member Discounts - PODS
PODS (Portable on Demand Storage) offers mobile mini-storage and moving alternatives. PODS are convenient: With a PODS storage unit you pack at ...
atlanticfisherman said:http://www.pods.com/
Try pods like an earlier poster mentioned.
They deliver you an empty container and you schedule when container is delivered.
.
Thanks for the link on how to get discounts. Unfortunately, PODS is being quite expensive (its a west coast to east coast move)
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