Shipping Heavy Speakers: Freight of FedEx

I would get more details... 

FedEx freight? If it's LTL (less than load or less than truckload) it's going to move from truck to dock to truck a few times. 

Is U-ship consolidating it with other shipments? Same thing, it might come off the truck a couple times depending what they are shipping with it (if it's a partial shipment.) I would ask for more details. If it's a guy with a cargo van, you might be able to slip him a tip to take extra care of the speakers. 

You could go with a dedicated truck, but the cost would be more. (probably significantly more.) 

FWIW, I've been in expedited logistics and brokerage for the last 12 years. 

Freight. Though you can usually do better than FedEx in terms of price. Since you are in Phoenix check out Mach1 or Old Dominion.

I'm in Phoenix and work in logistics for what its worth.

Hello! Sometimes we all face the situation when we need such services. When I needed it, I did it via freight moving and it was a positive experience because tha vans are really good and they deliver all your things on time and this influences your attitude.

I shipped my Revel Salons to the buyer by BAXGlobal. They did a perfect job. Those speakers were about 150lbs each.

Another vote for strapping both boxes to a pallet securely and ensure they have ample straps to prevent 'sway' when the pallet is moved; heavy shrink wrap and taping is a vital additional measure. UPS Freight does a good job with this sort of thing. Old Dominion, Estes and Southeastern have also served me well on both the inbound and outbound. Yellow Freight and Orange were very good contenders but I believe UPS bought them both a while back. If I was to ship today, I think I'd call OD first and UPS 2nd though Estes would be close behind. Caveat,...not all may serve your area.

***LTL carriers are not guaranteed to bring pallet jacks or ***lift-gate capable rigs with pallet jacks. You have to specify this at time of contract, otherwise they will assume they are backing up to a loading deck and that you have pallet jack, etc......***

Thanks for the replies. I decided to go with a shipper from UShip. The speakers I will receive are Spendor S100. The original boxes are in good shape with all original packing materials, corner and edge guards. Speakers weigh 95 lbs each, boxed.

I am able to handle the entire transaction on my end.

At the same time, I am shipping a pair of Klipsch Cornscals from Scottsdale, AZ to McKinney, TX. These are also going freight, using a shipper found thru UShip. The buyer is handling the transaction.

The driver handling the Klipsch shipment has asked that the speakers remain as is, no additional packing or crating. He said he will handle everything.

I should have a good feel for this in the next couple of weeks. So far, it seems to be a great choice for shipping large speakers. I did purchase additional insurance thru UShip for the Spendor S100 I will receive.

Have you tried IPSparcel，I used it twice and the services were excellent。

I just sent out some large bookshelf speakers to my daughter in San Diego. I live in Wisc. Distance of approx. 1800 miles. shipping boxes were 18"x18"x30" tall. 40 lbs. each. Sent them FedEx Ground insured. I put 2" styrofoam on all sides of speaker in the box, and sealed securely. If this thread is still going in a couple of days, I will fill everyone in on their condition once my daughter receives them. This could be interesting for better or worse. A few years ago I had a pair of speakers shipped to me UPS ground from New York. They arrived severely damaged. I was paid the claim, but was out the $150 shipping charge. I guess you always take a chance with things like this. One thing I have learned about this is the greater the distance, the greater chance of damage.

Lol,meant to write ;of course,,not -of douse

I worked shipping /receiving for a while recently. Pbnaudio ,good advice! Also may want to make sure speaker boxes are centered on the pallet ( nothing hanging over or to close to edges of pallet) to keep from having another pallet or machinery ,boxes,,,, from hitting your speakers while whoever is loading unloading the truck or moving pallet in ware house. Make sure if possible to cover the speaker boxes with additional protection ,,cardboard ,corner protectors ,,,as well as possible.Make sure they put plenty of ,Do Not Double Stack , and,Fragile stickers on all sides and on top of pallet. Make sure the boxes are held down very good ,as to not slide off ,over the edge of the pallet. Assume the pallet will be moved many times with fork lift as well as manual jacks.Of douse use a good sturdy pallet,,no damaged or flimsy pallets .

"02-05-15: Twb2
Most shippers who have experienced damage with FedEx, UPS, and USPS, have repeatedly stated these companies policy is to deny claims."

I can only go by the dealings that I've had. But when someone tells you their claim was denied for no reason, that may not always be the case. Who knows what really happened? I won't tell anyone what to do, but if you do all the stuff I listed in my first post, I think they would probably pay the claim.

But there is one more important thing that I forgot to put in my first post. If you are the seller, NEVER refund payment to the buyer before the matter gets resolved. That may sound like its something dishonest, but its not. In the event of a claim, you need the buyer to work with the shipping company. If they won't cooperate with the shipper, they won't pay the claim. The buyer has to fill out some claim forms and speak to an adjuster, and maybe even bring the items in. If they do pay a claim, the item in question now belongs to the shipping company. They bought it, and they always want it. So, where I'm going with all this is, if you issue a refund on an item that was damaged in shipping before the company pays the claim, there's a very slim chance that the buyer will follow through with all the necessary steps. At that point, the buyer has no incentive to help you with the claim because they already got the money and could care less.

Most shippers who have experienced damage with FedEx, UPS, and USPS, have repeatedly stated these companies policy is to deny claims.

"Went to UShip.com for a freight quote and the rate is the same as FedEx Ground ~$200.

What method of shipping would you choose?"

It really depends on what it is. If the speakers are rare or ultra expensive, or something else that makes it really bad for you is something happens, drive them yourself. If the box its too big, make 2 trips if you have to.

If its something replaceable, or easily valued, ship them. I would use FedEx ground, not because they are so good and careful, but because I’ve had a few claims with them over the years, and they have always paid for what ever the damage was. If the speakers are something you sold here or on a place like ebay, there's not too much to worry about. You'll have proof of what the items sold for because you can reference the actual listing. You'll have proof of payment from paypal, or something like it. If you get a check, just photo copy it. Then, just do a thorough job filling out the shipping papers. Don't over or under value anything, and just put as much details down as you can, like serial and model numbers. So, if something does happen, you'll be able to prove there was a listing of some sort that resulted in a transaction, proof of payment, accurate valuation on the papers and maybe retail price conformation from the manufacturer, it doesn't leave them any reason to deny the claim. The problems begin when people lie to get more money for something, or if the item is very difficult to value, like a vintage component.

How well is the factory packaging? My Zu Def III's were shipped in their factory
boxes, shipped UPS ground with no issues. However the packaging was amazing.
Def IV's had to go freight because just over the weight limit. It's going to take a
pretty major screw up for a well packed speaker to get damaged. Could very well
happen even strapped to a pallet though.

If you want them smashed go Fedex.

I had my speakers shipped "on the pallet" but they arrived damaged without a pallet. I would do what Peter suggested - wrap/strap them together making package to heavy to move without a pallet.

And add something small on top so that nothing else can be set or stacked on top of the load .

I would do exactly what Peter suggests. I worked the dock for a time at UPS. It's just not a good environment (FedEx would be the same) for sensitive electronics or speakers. If it's up to me I would always have my equipment shipped by pallet.

Cheers,

Scott

Strap both cartons securely on a pallet wrap the whole thing with shrink wrap and ship them via motor freight. Cost is about the same as fedex and ups only difference is that they will arrive in good shape,

www.saturnfreight.com is who we use, from their site you can find your closest local office.

Best of luck

Peter