on 6/23/04 11:58 PM, Scott Sweeney at goscotty@msn.com wrote:
> I have used the U.S. Postal service to ship bikes as they are cheaper than
> UPS. Problem is most counter personnel are shocked when you bring one in and
> most often will turn you away because they don't fully understand their own
> rate schedules, and don't want to take the time to learn! Here are the
> following USPS size guidelines for oversized packages:
>
> 1(length) + 2(width) + 2(height) cannot exceed 108 inches.
Right. Good luck fitting a complete bicycle into a 108" box. I ship frames and smaller items via USPS all the time. Complete bikes go via UPS or FedEx. In our area, I haven't noticed any noticeable difference between UPS and FedEx rates or service.
We receive and ship hundreds of bikes a year by UPS and have had very little damage. We've only had to file one claim for a damage to a bicycle that we shipped. UPS paid the claim promptly.
Last week I shipped our Raleigh International (complete bicycle) to Jack Fortune in Eugene, OR. From LaSalle (90 minutes outside of Chicago), this cost $50.40 including insurance via UPS. The counter clerk measured the box, and I was charged the OS rate.
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com