The best wheel-specific boxes I've ever seen were shaped like this:
http://www.raydobbins.com/
Each box of these boxes is meant to hold one wheel, which makes shipping a little more expensive, but they were definitely superior to the typical box that holds two wheels and requires padding them and tying them down.
I don't know who makes these boxes, but I'm guessing that buying these boxes would strip a lot of the profit from one of our typical wheel sales.
I've found that the easiest way to ship wheels (in the absence of wheel-specific boxes), is in a small bike box. You have to overlap the rims and tie them down to each other so they don't move around, and pad the rims where you overlap and tie them down. The same goes for traditional wheel boxes but there is a lot more overlapping in those, and therefore more padding and tying down required.
I have found that Fedex Ground is less expensive than USPS to ship these boxes.
Hope this helps.
Ray Dobbins Miami FL USA
Earle Young <earle.young@tds.net> wrote:
From: "Eric Elman"
>I've been doing more sorting and will soon be posting to the CR list
>numerous (~10) on topic wheelsets accumulated over >the years. Any
advice on
>the best way(s) to package and ship a set of wheels?
>Thanks in advance,
>Eric Elman
>Somers, CT USA
Perhaps I'm spoiled because I work for a large retail shop, but the best
way to package wheelsets is in wheelset-specific boxes, which are the
right size and shape and have well-designed internal spacers. At
Machinery Row Bicycles, we sell Bontrager and Zipp wheelsets, and both
companies use very good boxes which can be easily re-used. Check with a
large retailer that carries one or both of those brands. Let them know
you want wheelset boxes and are willing to wait for them.
If you are shipping several wheelsets to the same address, the box from
a U.S. made carbon fiber Trek will hold three or four sets of wheels and
protect them will if you wrap them in enough bubble wrap to keep them
from rattling around.
With either box, I've had success with FedEx ground, but, as always,
your mileage may vary.
Earle Young,
Madison, WI