Freight Company for Shipping Furniture

[Jason Tuinstra]

Well, I find myself with a kitchen table (see: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=45474 ) Long story short, my neighbor backed out of the deal when it came time to square up on the bill. I was pretty disapointed to say the least. What am I supposed to do with a kitchen table? Anyway, I figured if the Lord wants someone else to have this table, I can live with that. Sure enough, I got an email from a friend today who is looking for a table for his wife for Christmas and heard via my wife that we just so happened to have one. Sweet! BUT, he lives in Michigan.

What would you guys recommend as the best/cheapest way to freight this to him? I went on UPS Freight and got a quote for $344. That seems a bit steep. I found another place that was just under $150, but I've never heard of them before. Any ideas?

Thanks!

Jason

[Bill Simmeth]

Some neighbor! But, it sounds like the story will have a happy ending.

If I recall correctly, the legs on that table knock-down, so you can make a pretty compact crate for it. I'd recommend www.freightquote.com (http://www.freightquote.com). I've had good luck with them brokering freight for machinery. I'd call them, however, and not use their online quoting app given the somewhat unique-sized crate you'll have.

Good luck!

[Roy Wall]

Jason,

I have a neighbor that has his own home based business. He uses UPS all the time and has an account with them. They set up a machine to print labels for shipping on goods he sends out.

He gets the box dimensions and weight from me - and of course the address - and gives me quote that has always been a good discount over going to the UPS store. I just pay him personally.

All this said, I know it is UPS Freight.....but maybe a friend with a business can work the same type of deal......

Any business usually gets superb discounts with UPS, Fed Ex, etc due to volume.....so hopefully you have an aquaintance thru that church membership!!!:)

Good Luck -

[Joe Unni]

Jason,

I know a guy who is in the freight and logistics business. I've actually tapped his brain for this very thing in the event I get to shipping product nation wide. One of the services he offers padded freight. In other words it's like a blanket wrapped moving company. I don't know pricing, but I'd be happy to provide you with his contact info.

PM me if needed.

Good luck,
-joe

[Doug Shepard]

You might want to check one of those outfits like Mailboxes Etc (or something like that). I'm not positive which one she used or if I have the name right, but my sister had some furniture shipped from MI to AZ about 5 years ago. After a couple weeks of calling around like you're doing, she stumbled onto them. They essentially took over the rate quoting that you're doing plus built (or farmed out to someone) the crating. They ended up having the best rates she was able to find. Dont know which carrier they ended up using, but everything arrived intact.

[Jim Becker]

This has been covered a few times here at SMC. There is a specific firm that a number of folks recommended. Check with Alan Turner.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Thanks guys!!! You've given me a number of different directions to look into. SMC to the resuce again.

Jim, I tried checking the archives but when I typed in shipping and/or freight, I came up with a number of responses that didn't seem to apply to my situation. I'll send a PM to Alan and see what the wise sage of SMC has to say. Thanks for the heads-up.

[Charlie Plesums]

I have used Mail Boxes Etc - bought by UPS and now called the UPS store. They do both the packing and shipping - cost $125 to pack and ship a toy box from Texas to New York City, but it arrived on time and in good condition.

Several woodworkers have recommended Craters and Freighters for this service. Their on-line estimator came up with a quote that was twice as high as I got from a call to the local franchisee, but it was still high enough to kill a couple potential sales.

[Earl Kelly]

Jason, check with these people http://www.plyconvanlines.com/ I had blanket wrapped furniture shipped to Ohio with no damage and they will place inside the home. They're not cheap, but what good service is.

[Alan Turner]

Freigters & Craters, if I recall the name correctly. Expensive, but arrived in one piece, which FedEx did not do. YOur should be easier. Give the flat nature of it, if you do the crating, then perhaps some 1" styrofoam insulation?

[Eric Mims]

you could always consider standard freight companies like Saia, Old Dominion, Yellow, etc. Nothing wrong with these guys, and while I haven't shipped furniture by them, I did ship a 21' (yes, 21 feet) kayak, wrapped only in bubble wrap and one layer of cardboard, across the country for 100 bucks. That was Old Dominion and it took 1 day and arrived without a scratch.
I would have paddled the boat across the country before I shipped it UPS.

[Rob Millard]

Jason,
Too bad about your situation.

I can unhesitatingly recommend Craters and Freighters. I have shipped several dozen pieces with them, and only one has been damaged. As odd as it seems, I’m even more impressed with them, now that they have damaged a piece, because I know how well they handled a claim. The down side is all this comes at a price; your table will cost around $400.00 to ship. Some people balk at the cost, so I have been putting the shipping cost into the price and saying the piece is shipped free, not very honest, but human nature is such that people hate paying for shipping. The up side is you won’t have to do anything but wait for the truck to show up.

Be sure to have receipt of some sort ( a copy of a check or a signed receipt) before you release the piece, and if possible have the customer pay for the shipping cost directly to Craters and Freighters.

Rob Millard

[Loren McDaniel]

I own several The UPS Stores and yes we can do that. I (we) are expensive to some and reasonable to others. These are relative terms. Sometimes just a matter of perspective. I will say that if you can get it packed then a broker online, Freightquote.com, has been very good at getting the lowest prices for some situations. I have used them myself. I am not affiliated in any way, I have just had good experience with them. PM me if you want a phone number.

[Lee Schierer]

If you use a common carrier freight company such as CCX, Yellow or others, you need to iunsure your table can be handled by a fork lift or pallet truck and not damaged in any way. Also, remember, gravity sometimes does not exist in the back of a truck. If your crate cannot withstand anything on top of it mark it "NO TOP LOADING" and "THIS END UP"

If you work at a company and your friend does also, it will be less costly to ship it from and to a loading dock or have him pick it up at the local terminal.