I’ve done a lot of buying and selling foils over the years and shipping was on the order of $40-50 even though the box is a bit big. Lately, I’ve been getting quotes of more than $150-200 from UPS/FedEx and US Postal is $100 or so. Anything I’m missing here, or have the prices just gone up a lot?
Use PayPal shipping service gets you discounted rates. You might need to sell as goods and services if you dont have a business account
They’re usually half the normal cost and let you compare companies and shipping times too.
4 Likes
I think a lot of it is seasonal. I’ve made the mistake of trying to ship stuff close to the holiday and gotten crazy quotes. Was that TODAY?
Shipping as an individual will result in crazy pricing. You’ll have to work the system, as mentioned above ship via Paypal as they have the high volume clout. If you’ve sold something recently on Ebay you can ship again to another address using the same sale. Usually 1/2 the price compared to my individual UPS and Fedex accounts.
pirateship all the way! Same rates as if you have accounts with everybody.
Thank you to who ever recommended it several weeks ago.
2 Likes
FWIW, Im shipping something now and got the exact same rate from PayPal and Pirateship. Its large, so the carrier options were limited and maybe it gets more competitive when more carriers are available…
This is the answer.
These guys blew my mind on shipping for a paddle. Shipped via UPS and less than half of what it would have cost going through UPS directly.
Any tips on packing methods for lift/code-style front wings? About to ship one out for the first time ever. The one I’m shipping isn’t super high aspect, and is pretty sturdy, but I still want to make sure I give it as much protection as it needs. I assume with pirateship you have to know what box setup you need before bringing it to UPS/USPS (understandably).
I generally just cannibalize random amazon boxes to make something that fits. My suggestion for protection is to vertically split a pool noodle or buy pipe insulation foam and wrap it around the edges of the foil to protect them.
1 Like
Thanks. I have some pipe insulation left over from my last Indo surf trip, and totally didn’t consider. I may just get a quote for shipping and see if the seller is willing to cover first.
I’ve done what @Velocicraptor does and make boxes/protection to fit. i’ve shipped a couple lift wings/tails and theyve worked our great. I’ve used boxes or pieces of boxes taped with painters tape to protect edges, but the pipeinsulation works great as well. I shipped a high aspect wing recently and a moving box from Lowes was a perfect fit, I just used it in its flattened (not boxed shape) and it fit a lift 180x foil inside with all my home made foil protection on it.
Pirate ship is great, but yes, you need to know weight and dimensions to get a quote.
1 Like
Whenever I’ve ordered gear it’s always come more or less loose in a box relatively close in size so I take the same approach. bought / sold / traded lots of gear on online and the forum, never had any issues, most used gear I’ve ordered people send the same way just toss it in a box with the foil cover and call it a day. if it’s a larger box I’ll throw some foam/cardboard whatever I have laying around just so it’s not bouncing all over the place but generally they’re light and strong enough they shouldn’t get damaged during shipping. personally I make my own boxes from a larger box or piece of cardboard we end up with 4’x8’ sheets at work I cut up. also used cut up home depot moving boxes before.
1 Like
materials:
-pool noodle
-bubble wrap
-lots of tape
-old boxes cut into shape of the wing
and then usps clickn ship
1 Like