Shipping rates generally have been going through the roof. Moreover, volumetric weight seems to be the flavour of the day - Canada Post, UPS, Fedex, etc. all seem to have this provision - and it just happens to bite particularly at large lightweight parcels - such as bikes!!!
Recently, Canada Post quoted me $315.00CD to ship a frame to a list-member in NY State - no more than a few hundred miles from here. Ironically if the box had been a fraction smaller it would have been a lot cheaper!
I ended up going with UPS (who picked up from my place - total of about $50). Nevertheless, I have noticed that a few recent small items my wife has ordered from the US have come with hefty shipping charges - last year a list-member sent me a whole bike for around about $30USD - recently I ordered a couple of pairs of sunglasses from Longscycle and they quoted me about $15USD just for postage on two items that had cost $3.95ea! Needless to say I cancelled the order.
I don't know what the answer is - I guess I am going to have to go the UK to pick up my frame which is being safe-guarded by Doug Smith.
Paul Williams,
Ottawa, ON, Canada
> Parcel Force shipping rates for a bike from the UK to the US have gone up
> drastically.
>
> Consider a bike package with a total weight of 20 KG. Previously, using
> "economy" service, the price for this was GBP 87.50. Perhaps that seems
> like a
> heavy package to you, so you can pick your own weight, but the price
> generally was in the 70 to 87 GBP range according to the last parcel force
> schedule I
> had. The new price for a given weight of package has gone up by about
> 20%,
> so a package costing 87.50 would by that same actual weight now cost
> 104.20.
> But wait. Here comes the really good part.
>
> They have introduced a new concept: "volumetric weight." I'll resist the
> impulse to comment on that catchy turn of phrase. If the volumetric
> weight
> exceeds the actual weight, you pay the volumetric weight. Volumetric
> weight is
> Length times Width times Height (in centimeters) divided by 6,000. Pick
> your
> package size; 38 by 28 by 9 inches? Volumetric weight is 26 KG (97 x 71
> x
> 23 = 156,923, divide by 6000 = 26); 41 inches by 31 inches by 9 inches?
> Quite
> literally, off the chart, which stops at 30 KG. Cost? 124.55 GBP for
> the
> smaller package cited above.
>
> If someone knows something about this or UK shipping alternatives I would
> appreciate a heads up ASAP.
>
> Jonathan Agnew
> Darien, CT