The Official Retrobike shipping Sticky

john

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Seeing as we have a lot of shipping related queies here is a sticky. Please post all questions and answers here so it can be used as a reference in the future.
 
OK here's a start. Dimensions are the key moreso than weight. It is possible to get a complete bike down to a 100 x 60 x 20 cm box (I did it) and got it to Australia for £102 using Parcel2go.com inc insurance. There may be better deals but that gives you an idea. You can get a frame to Europe for around £34.

Parcel2go are also doing some good internal to the UK deals currenty.

Senditnow is another good option for fixed rate packages.

I'm sure there are more ideas, put 'em here! :D
 
Oh, lets get the ball rolling with an question which I'd like to know the answer too.

How much does it cost to send a complete bike in a box to / from a UK address, and who's best, will do home collection etc. I've got a bike box but its big (more than 1.5m long), what size should I be looking at cutting it down to so that it'll be accepted?
 
I have sent frames and bikes around and use Interparcel ... Cheap as chips and never had anything lost or damaged ...yet :D
 
Birdman":3tvec402 said:
Oh, lets get the ball rolling with an question which I'd like to know the answer too.

How much does it cost to send a complete bike in a box to / from a UK address, and who's best, will do home collection etc. I've got a bike box but its big (more than 1.5m long), what size should I be looking at cutting it down to so that it'll be accepted?

senditnow.com are brilliant for that as they dont ask for dimensions .
they only ask for weight .
talking to the driver , he said that as long as it can be carried by one person it is ok .
they are a cheap service of Parcel Force . £12 for a 24h delivery is good .
The other strong point of senditnow is that you can book collection within a 2 hour slot .

parcel2go used to be my fav but they are limited on dimensions and the time they give you for collection is 9 till 5 , not ideal . but it is a bit cheaper .
 
Key tidbit I found out today:

When shipping abroad with parcel farce keep the weight below the 2 KG mark, that way it goes as 'small parcel', above that it goes as an 'international package'.

Example:

Box to Oz, 2.1KG = £55
Box to Oz without some of the extra bubblewrap, 1.96KG = £20

Go figure..... :?
 
Senditnow gets a thumbs up from me also, But be aware when you pay for the £11, £12, and £13 services your parcels are only insured for £150. You need to pay the extra £12+ to gain higher value insurance.

Good service though and ive never had any issues with them.
 
I received a frame from the US the other day sent with USPS, it took 7 days to arrive from Mid-US and cost the seller $57.50, it was pretty light (I reckon the frame is a smidge under 3lbs) but thats still a pretty good price if you ask me!
 
theboy":ypg8wyrt said:
I received a frame from the US the other day sent with USPS, it took 7 days to arrive from Mid-US and cost the seller $57.50, it was pretty light (I reckon the frame is a smidge under 3lbs) but thats still a pretty good price if you ask me!

John...thumbs up great sticky topic!~

The frame maybe three lbs but with the carton and wrapping to protect it will push a light hardtail frame into the 9-10.5 lb range real fast. I've shipped a fair number of frames to Europe and the lowest I've gotten the weight is 9lbs and the highest about 13 for a full suspension frame. I know I use less packing than most people. Instead size my cartons tight to the frame and I tape the frame to the inside of the carton. A couple times around the top tube and down tube as well as one of the stays. The tape is much lighter than cardboard or added frame wrappings. This saves me some time and the buyer lots on the shipping.

Does anybody besides me hate it when you open a carton that has 20 gallons of foam shipping peanuts forcing you to wade to find the frame :D
 
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