# Help with shipping



## fotoman54 (Jan 2, 2009)

I am a one man shop and live on the west coast and am trying to ship a 7 draw dresser. The prices I am getting to ship this 700 to 1000. How do most of you guys ship your large pieces. This dresser has to go to the east coast. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Rob


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## interpim (Dec 6, 2008)

I shipped an engine via freight from North Carolina to El Paso, TX for $80 a few years back… but my mother worked the deal out. Her job is shipping.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

We have a truck lines that is a shipping business. that is what you need to find. They would be the people that would receive from say Grizzly if I ordered a saw….I think. Somebody other than UPS or Fedex because they are outrageous.


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## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

I know that you can ship pretty cheap vs Grayhound if there is one by you.
Arlin


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## BobTheFish (May 31, 2011)

If it's larger than a certain size, it's going to have to be shipped freight. UPS and fedex are ridiculously expensive and their freight versions (if even available to the private consumer) only compounds the issue.

Your best bet is to contact a shipping company to handle the issue. You'll need to know the approximate weight and measurements (for dimensional weights) and approximate it from there. If you are going from a private residence pick up to a private residence drop off, it's gonna cost a fortune. I can easily see it being $200+, as at work we've shipped from east coast to west upholstered chairs that range a little bit less than that (and it's direct from factory to in the client's house, using someone we've used for years).

As to who to use? I don't know. Like with our coast to coast deliveries, typically it can change delivery company's hands a few times (the original company handles it for us). You can probably find a number of companies on the web that will do such a thing though. It WILL be expensive. Gas is NOT cheap.


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## bubbyboy (Jan 10, 2011)

My buddy recently shipped his Ford F150 truck from Southern Calif to Oklahoma City for $450.00 He used North American Truck Lines and they called it a filler load on a return trip to the east coast. His truck was put inside a full size trailor which had several items from different areas but then combined to make a full load. That might be worth checking out.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Shipping cross-continent will kill your profits unless your brand can
support the mark-up. One guy I saw makes everything with sliding
dovetails so his furniture can be flat-packed and also broken down,
moved and re-assembled by the end user (major PITA as far as
moisture management but do-able as he's doing it as a point
of competition).

You can also do the groundwork to persuade future clients your
work is worth big bucks, but for the present you're likely to have 
to take a bath to make the delivery and keep the sale.


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## woodworkerscott (Sep 12, 2010)

Shipping sucks. I have some products that people want badly, but when the shipping cost is added they back off.
I feel your pain.


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## huff (May 28, 2009)

Rob, 
You will have a problem with this one. Shipping a piece of furniture across country will be tough. First thing to consider is; you can't just throw this piece on a truck and send it on it's way. You will need to build some sort of crate to protect it….......and I do mean protect it! Most furniture moving companies that do this for a living can't move furniture from one state to another without something being damaged, so don't expect a freight Company to treat your furniture with tender loving care. 
You need to contact different motor freight Companies and see what requirements they have or restrictions on shipping private merchandise. You have to remember, they will not want to be responsible for any damage to your furniture, so some may not even want to deal with you. Check them out though.
I'm a one man shop on the east coast and I have furniture in 13 States, but since I do Custom Work, I deliver my own stuff becausse most of it has some sort of installation involved. It's really tricky pricing out of state work and all those factors need to be figured in before quoting any sort of price to your customer. Sorry I dont have a good answer or solution for this situation, but hopefully you will learn a lot from this experience. Maybe a vacation to the East Coast for you and your wife would be nice? Myrtle Beach, SC is beautiful this time of year. Just kidding, but I have combined vacation time and work time in the past to help justify the expense on some jobs. Good luck and hope you will keep us posted on how you make out.


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Rob, sign on with FreightCenter.com and open an account. You list the item dimension that you want to ship and to where and they'll give you about 10 different quotes, from low to high in price. I've been using them for years and have been very happy with the service.


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## rsdowdy (Aug 25, 2009)

Rob,

I would see what the freight cost would be to ship it from terminal to terminal and then from terminal to customer house. Of course the terminal needs to be within driving distance for you and the customer, but it is usually less expensive that way. And do as Tim says above as well and see which way is the best for you and your customer.

-- Royal


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## nate22 (Jul 12, 2010)

I am having the same problem. That and shipping cost stink. Ups and fedex is nice but they cost way to much. See if you can find somebody or maybe you know someone that has there own trucking business where they deliver for businesses and people like you and me. If you can find someone it might be cheaper. I have a friend that his dad has his own business shipping for companies and other people. I have had him deliver for me one time and it saved me about $200.


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