Shipping a windsurf board?

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

I received a board earlier in the year from Brian Hinde of Open Ocean, but we were unable to use Delta airfreight because they don't fly certain commercial planes into the Santa Barbara airport. Instead, Brian used UPS Freight, a separate arm of the UPS company that specializes in larger freight shipments. I picked up the board at their Oxnard facility, and the board arrived free of any damage.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

Surely UPS didn't charge him/you the $400-500 they quoted me?

Mike

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

Actually, for this latest board, Brian used Fiberglass Supply to assist him with the shipment, and it's very likely that charges were predicated on a business rate. Also, UPS Freight isn't the same operation as the more well known UPS segment of the company. Standard UPS rates are super expensive for larger items, especially if air freight is involved, as in shipments to and from Maui. UPS wanted about $300 to ship a 170cm boom to Maui, and FED-X and DSL were only about $25-50 cheaper. I ended up shipping USPS for about $136.

If I recollect correctly, the charge from Washington to Santa Barbara was under $140.

isobars · Joined: 12 Dec 1999 Posts: 20935

I was referred to the "freight division" by most of the carriers I called, including UPS. Even then they all wanted several hundred bucks to ship a board. I finally gave up on the idea of buying or selling a board if it involved shipping between two individuals without big corporate rates. The threshold was based on size, and most boards larger than maybe 70-80 liters would push the limits, depending on individual length/width/girth.

Another good deal bites the economic dust.

Mike

Epenrose · Joined: 05 Nov 1997 Posts: 402

It is not that companies don't want the business.

The problem with windsurf boards is that they are large and bulky and you have to use a dim calculation:

L x W x H (cubic inches) / 194 = Dimensional Weight. Whichever is higher, actual or dim is what you use to calculate.

An item as bulky as a board takes the same handling time and effort as a 1000 lb. dense pallet, actually more of a pain. The less fuel used doesn't make a huge impact.

You can't expect a transport company to charge $300 for a dense pallet and $35 for a board that takes up more room in a trailer.

Hence the rate.

To back East, Yellow freight should be fairly decent. You cannot send via air unless on a straight cargo aircraft such as UPS or Fedex as you are probably not a known shipper, TSA rules.

U2U2U2 · Posted: Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject:

my 2cents worth.. have sent and received DHL, FEDEX, and truck freight
where you take it to a trucking terminal and its taken by a series of 18 wheelers. Others have told me about Greyhound, but never used.
Cheaper if you ship to a business, or pick up at the shipper terminal.

Air freight prices as quoted to me seem really low by an indivudal.

The large windsurfing companies for sure have negotiated prices with certain companies, DHL, UPS, FEDEX as well as size, like said if you enter the size into a price estimate it won't allow shipping cause its too long.
Otherwise they couldn't ship large boards.

AS well all these companies have INCREASED prices due to rising fuel costs.