Shipping Question

[Guest Daviondude]

I have sold a Model T frame and axles. I have never shipped something like this (size and weight). Whats the best way to ship it from Utah to Florida? What company would you recommend and how would you go about shipping it? Also whats the best way to make a charge for shipping? I did sell it on Ebay but put pick up only. Stated that I could ship it but it would take some time for me to figure it out. Thanks for any help!

[Restorer32]

Any trucking company will help you. We use Estes but any of the major companies will be fine. You may not have to palletize the items, just slap a label on them and deliver to the trucking terminal. There are different rates for different materials. Likely the cheapest rate for these parts would be "Used auto parts". They will allow you to ship with the buyer paying the shipping charges "c.o.d."

[mercer09]

first advice, don't get involved with shipping-2nd advice- use USHIP

good luck!

[Scooter Guy]

Uship...been there, done that.

I would encourage anyone thinking about arranging shipping though Uship to do their homework on what uship is, how it works, what happens when there are problems ("customer service"), who EXACTLY is going to be shipping your stuff, and when/how you're going to pay for the service. Buyer (shipper?) beware.

I think that's about all I can say about it without breaking the forum rules, I suppose.

[Restorer32]

Also, whose insurance pays if some fly by night shipper loses or damages your shipment? Old school trucking companies are regulated by the ICC.

Uship...been there, done that.

I would encourage anyone thinking about arranging shipping though Uship to do their homework on what uship is, how it works, what happens when there are problems ("customer service"), who EXACTLY is going to be shipping your stuff, and when/how you're going to pay for the service. Buyer (shipper?) beware.

I think that's about all I can say about it without breaking the forum rules, I suppose.

[Scooter Guy]

Yep, that gets to the heart of the matter, Restorer32:

Fly by night shippers often operating outside of the law and/or DOT regulations. I guess since I've said that much, I can go on and say that the one time I shipped though them, the carrier I was using was suspended from the site for not operating legally, unbeknownst to me and having represented themselves otherwise. I was as careful as I could be as a layman to check into the shippers legitimacy. I actually ended up contacted by the authorities and asked to cooperate with their investigation and prosecution of the particular carrier I was working with. It seems that that person had been under the microscope for some time and I was just among the last "victims" before the authorities pulled the trigger on trying to put the brakes on him. Mind you that this was while the shipper was in possession of my stuff! I eventually got my stuff, but it was a nightmare.

The problem with the site is that ANYONE with a truck, trailer, van, or empty car trunk can go on the site and register as a shipping provider, so many are illegal operations. The site does NOT screen them, guarantee them, or intervene if there are any issues (you can spend days trying to navigate their site to find all of the fine print). They are simply providing the forum, or so they say. Illegal shipping is not always intentional on that site either. In some cases, the "one man operation" type folks don't even know they're operating illegally until they run into a shipping problem and the (now unhappy) shipper exposes them to the authorities that go "hey...wait a minute." Does that mean that everyone on the site is illegal in one way or another...no, of course not. It boils down, as always, to "buyer beware" and "you get what you pay for."