Crazy saddle shipping fees!

[rhymeswithfizz]

I am trying to get a big western saddle shipped from PA to CO. (Great ebay find!) The seller took it to a UPS store to get them to pack and ship it. I was expecting maybe $150, $200 max – they wanted $480! GOOD GOD. They quoted $120 to pack it up and $360 to actually ship it. I spoke to the UPS folks directly so it’s not that the seller is trying to gouge me. Something about the weight of the saddle, plus its value, and size of the box pushed it into a new category.

I just about fell out of my chair. I just had a huge pile of jumps and standards that weighed more and cost more shipped to me for less than that!

Seller has kindly offered to cancel the sale as we were both shocked, but I thought I’d look for other options first. Sooooooo, any other recommendations??

[elleng0728]

USPS should be around 60.00 to ship

[Princess_Sparkles]

It’s a big, heavy, awkward package. I’m not surprised. The jumps/standards you had shipped–presumably they were from a company? Companies can contract with shippers for lower rates because they ship so much volume. I had an English saddle shipped from France and it was like $100, but I assumed that was because the company I bought it from ships thousands of saddles a year and has a contracted rate. I would never presume that I as a private person would be able to get that kind of deal if I just went in with a saddle to a courier service.

Definitely shop around–it will also depend on how fast you want it–if you are willing to wait and ship it ground it would be cheaper as well I imagine. Postal service should be cheaper than a courier company (it generally is in Canada, I don’t know about the US).

[Tee]

I packed and shipped USPS from Washington State to Michigan in January. Western saddle and if I remember right, shipping was right around $85. I got a box from home depot and used bubble wrap and air packs to keep the weight down. All told, it was 38 lbs.

[Bedina]

Just thirding the suggestion to check with USPS - I’ve always found them to be the more affordable when shipping anything.

It’s not saddle-sized, but I once had to sent a small piece of jewelry to the UK; UPS wanted $45 & USPS did it for something like $8, insured.

[soloudinhere]

USPS will be cheaper, but insurance can drive the shipping price up quite a lot. $60 can become $150 when you insure for $4 or $5k.

[Bluey]

We just sent an old western saddle to a museum, FedEx, insured for a high figure and it was $48 for 40lbs.

Box was about 20" x24"x 18" I think, big and bulky and unhandy, but not that heavy.

[soloudinhere]

@Bluey

We just sent an old western saddle to a museum, FedEx, insured for a high figure and it was $48 for 40lbs.

Box was about 20" x24"x 18" I think, big and bulky and unhandy, but not that heavy.

Distance is going to heavily influence the price with a freight carrier like fedex, so hard to say how useful this data point is.

[x-halt-salute]

Last time I shipped a saddle (a dressage saddle) I used USPS with a high insurance dollar amount and it was under $70 coast to coast. I can’t remember what I paid for shipping last time I bought a saddle, but it was also a coast-to-coast route and I’m sure it was under $100.

Last time I paid UPS to ship anything I brought them a box all packed (a decorative large gift box with a homemade baby quilt and a few other non-fragile gifts inside – nothing heavy or expensive but awkwardly sized) and wanted to buy a box to put around the exterior and ship it to my sister one state away. Lo and behold, their “generous” offer to tape up the exterior box for me resulted in a $$ packing fee (which I was not warned about) instead of the few dollars the box cost – the grand total was well over $70. And then the package was delivered to the wrong address, before finally showing up well over a week after the estimated date, crushed as flat as a pancake. Thank goodness it was a baby quilt and not a saddle! Between the absurd packing charges and the poor service I’ve had, there’s no way I’d trust UPS with a saddle.

If you bought it on eBay the shipper should have access to some slightly reduced eBay shipping rates through USPS and plenty of insurance options. You can get bubble wrap and appropriately sized boxes at Walmart or Home Depot, and probably other places too. If the seller is willing to pack it herself that would be the option I’d recommend.

[cutter99]

I have shipped USPS much cheaper than UPS.

[RubyTuesday]

You’re being gouged, period. I’ve never heard of a figure that high, not even to Australia. Tell them to check USPS and FedEx. You can probably check yourself by going to www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create

[freshman]

The only mistake here was seller taking it to UPS store to have their staff pack it (at huge inflated expense of materials like the box and all the padding plus employee labor surcharge to do it) and charge to ship it based on their own store calculations, which are also outrageous in store by employees at counter. At the beginning of my eBay selling career I took a sort of relatively bulky but secure retail package of 6 ESPRESSO CUPS AND SAUCERS that weighed less than 3lbs total to UPS store to pack and ship…which was a struggle watch and took forever to so inefficiently. And when they through and presented me with $150 bill at the end, I sort of gasped…then laughed a little and said NO WAY. Firmly. And more than once. Then made them UNBOX THE WHOLE THING and give my item back to me and left store.

Packed the stupid thing myself for less than $5 materials and then $23 shipping cost via label purchased and paid online that included expedite and insurance for $200 retail cost item. Even that was overkill at the time because I was a newb and overestimated box size/padding/weight/fragility, etc.

Moral of story is that seller is going to have to do some research into shipping costs online to get reasonable deal and package the saddle himself. He/you will get gouged otherwise. And $50-60 max cost unless it is going to/from Alaska, Hawaii, or international.

Good luck!

[kcmel]

Just beware with USPS there is a certain size over which the price increases exponentially. The dimensions can be found on the USPS site. I’ve never had any problem keeping the box size under when shipping an English saddle.

Good luck!

[iberianfan]

I just shipped a dressage saddle via UPS because I was in a hurry and it was convenient. Cost of box and packing, ridiculous. Insurance ($4000), $90. Shipping itself, not too bad. Lesson: buy box and pack it yourself. USPS would have been a better option.

[Leather]

The UPS Store is a franchise and charge ungodly amounts to pack items, and typically have their own shipping rates as well. As you’ve found out, NEVER have them pack items or purchase shipping from them.

I will box things myself and pay for/print my own shipping labels at home, and then drop the item off at the UPS Store.

You would probably get the same shipping rate as online at an actual UPS Customer Care center if you have a terminal nearby, but I haven’t shipped from one in a while to know.

[mswillie]

She might want to look into shipping via Greyhound. I shipped a tuba from Delaware to Seattle, Washington and I remember the price being very reasonable. The fellow who did the restoration shipped it back the same way and it arrived in perfect condition.

[clanter]

@rhymeswithfizz

I am trying to get a big western saddle shipped from PA to CO. (Great ebay find!) ?

fly there and bring it back on an airplane cheaper, Frontier’s first checked bag is $45

https://www.google.com/flights?lite=0#flt=/m/0dclg.DEN.2019-01-19DEN./m/0dclg.2019-01-25;c:USD;e:1;s:00;a:F9*F9;sd:1;t:f

[Gloria]

Have they tried Fedex? The last time when I tried to ship a saddle, FedEx was much cheaper than UPS.

[tabula_rashah]

UPS is beyond ridiculous if you use their shipping service. Another vote here for USPS. That quote you got is more than I’ve paid to ship saddles back and forth to Europe. I think the main key with shipping is to make sure that sucker is packed in their tight as can be in a good, sturdy box (a saddle maker actually showed me how to roll a saddle for shipping).

[hoopoe]

You should be able to get an appropriate sized and weight box at office Depot. I think the first issue is you went to an independent shipping service store . They are going to charge a premium for the boxing service up front