Replies

1. 
   mikaol | Aug 04, 2020 09:27pm | #1

   You're getting really bad information. Go to a UPS Store, buy the boxes and packing & ship insured.
   Mikaol

2. 
   _mj_ | Aug 04, 2020 10:05pm | #2

   If you aee looking for a referral to a reliable local shipper you might wany to mention the locality. If you want to find one on your own, call antique dealers, auction houses, and artisans in your area. Most will happily share good sources just to help the folks they like to work with.

3. 
   woodshedding | Aug 04, 2020 10:52pm | #3

   Thanks for the responses.
   I’m in Madison, WI.
   The UPS Store and Fedex would be very convenient but both have quoted very high costs for shipping. That is why I am looking for alternatives.

4. 
   john_c2 | Aug 05, 2020 02:44am | #4

   Shippers have all raised rates and surcharges for oversized items. And the threshold for what constitutes oversize has dropped. UPS does not want to ship a chair, but if you insist, it will cost you. They want to carry things they can cram 5,000 of into a delivery truck.

   Shipping for furniture isn't cheap, but $1,000 is way high. They are likely gouging on the packing end. The few makers I know make their own wooden shipping crates, and use freight companies to ship, not a UPS or FedEx. It still costs a few hundred bucks though.

5. 
   chelor | Aug 05, 2020 07:36am | #5

   I am also in Madison and am wondering if you are aware of any woodworking guilds or clubs in the area. Many years ago I was involved in the Wisconsin Woodworkers Guild in Milwaukee, but I am unaware of anything similar in Madison. Ideally, it would be a mix of amateurs and professionals who hold regular, well organized meetings with scheduled speakers. I would categorize myself as a serious hobbyist who has occasionally sold things in the past.

6. 
   chelor | Aug 05, 2020 07:43am | #6

   Also, I've shipped some large items that required custom made crates via UPS Ground, but I did so from work. That was significantly less expensive that having a residential pickup or taking it to a UPS store. However, I believe there is a fairly restrictive limit on size. I would also try a few LTL carriers like Old Dominion as well as smaller more localized firms like Jeff's Fast Freight. In our company, we have found that quotes are all over the place, depending upon what other deliveries they have, where trucks are routed, if a truck had room and is traveling close by anyway, etc.

7. 
   chelor | Aug 05, 2020 07:46am | #7

   Our company is literally just next door to the main FedEx facility in Waukesha, and we almost never choose them over UPS Ground for individual boxes.

8. 
   chelor | Aug 05, 2020 07:47am | #8

   Finally, there are online aggregation sites that allow you to get various quotes easily. I believe Freight Quote is one we have used at times, and I'm sure there are others.