Shipping costs looney?

skipshot12
skipshot12 Posts: 1,169
in Speakers
I need to vent…..
I like to think I understand supply & demand a tad but damn!

Went to one of the shipping places this morning, it has three letters, to ship my 1978 Phase Linear preamp from Wyoming to Washington state, 3 states away?
After having to give them all my information, including my first born’s social security number, I was quoted one hundred and four dollars.

The shipping box is 7”x10”x12” and weighed 15 lbs.
After the long pause to catch my breath I asked, seriously? The answer was yep.
Me being a smart-****….. I don’t want it there today I would like your cheapest shipping cost as this isn’t a rush job.
That’s our cheapest shipping it’s via ground and will be there in x amount of days.
Nope, that’s crazy I said and started to grab all my stuff to head out. The person said…. Don’t blame you that’s ridiculous.

Drove 3/4 mile to the other shipping outfit and had it shipped for $53.78 same same.

With my tiny understanding of economics, how in the friggin heck can there be a double the price difference here?

One of the reasons why I chose to drive across the country to pick up my Polk speakers…. Along with not trusting that they would arrive in the same condition as they left via one of the shipping yahoos!

Thanks for letting me vent……..
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Comments

  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,444
    edited November 2022
    If you told them it was a Flame Linear, they may have given a hazardous cargo rate to your shipping quote….
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    I've found with ups, if you do the label online ad do a coupon. Search they are actually much cheaper than FedEx.

    The coupons sya like 3 to 8 bucks which adds up
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,523
    USPS will take a 12 x 12 x 5.5 inch object anywhere for around $22 in a flat rate priority box. That seems to be the biggest box they do these days for the flat rate.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,553
    Emlyn wrote: »
    USPS will take a 12 x 12 x 5.5 inch object anywhere for around $22 in a flat rate priority box. That seems to be the biggest box they do these days for the flat rate.

    But it might take 12 days to get to your house.
    I recently watched my package sit at our local post office for 8 days before they "received it" to delivered it. So it can make to the local PO but if they do not check it in they've never "received" it. The games they play.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,645
    I once was tasked with shipping a pair of floor standing speakers to Yellowknife NT, that's way up north in Canuck land for those that may not know. Anyway, got a quote from the 3 letter guys for $1200.00. Took them to the 5 letter guys, $600.00.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • skipshot12
    skipshot12 Posts: 1,169
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    If you told them it was a Flame Linear, they may have given a hazardous cargo rate to your shipping quote….

    Bahahahaaaaaa....
    I actually did say it was a Phase Linear preamp from 1978 :D
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  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,371
    I bought a tube dac from British Columbia and it shipped though Canada post to USPS and it only cost me $70.
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    A long... Long time ago.... It took usps to ship me amp 2.5 weeks from Virginia to NC...

    Ever since then anything over 2 or 3 pounds is shipped thru usps or fedex
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • invalid
    invalid Posts: 1,371
    It only took a week to get my tube dac last December, it was supposed to take 10 days. I must just have good luck with the postal service.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,523
    USPS can definitely be hit or miss. I ordered something once that shipped from New Jersey, popped up in California next, then in Texas, then in Georgia, then Florida where it sat for a month, then finally arrived in Virginia after I'd forgotten I'd ordered it. It looked like the box had been damaged in shipment and ended up in the place in Florida USPS sends such things.
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  • msg
    msg Posts: 10,116
    Five letter guys, and open an account for yourself, even if you don't think you'll use it much. Never go the the three letter guys store to ship unless you enjoy sandy Vaseline.
    I disabled signatures.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,553
    edited November 2022
    Sandy Vaseline waaaaaa

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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,732
    This is a valid point. In my area, the UPS store is franchise and they mark everything up to the moon. They charge $5 to tape a box, $2 to print a label.

    The Fedex store is owned and operated by Fedex and there is minimal upcharge over the website, if any.

    UPS online though is cheaper!
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 7,107
    Shipping to/from Canada is a loonie? That's only a dollar!

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