04-07-2012, 10:11 AM
I have had pretty good luck with Greyhound, both in price and in time it takes to go from shipper to reciever.
USPS priority mail is a decent compromise, as it is fairly quick and this lessens the amount of handling and therefore the opportunities for damage. But they will not allow oversized shipments.
FEDEX and UPS ground service are pretty good IF shipper and reciever are located in the same area served by their regional truck hub sort. If so, you get next day service at ground rates. This again lessens the amount of handling.
Parcel Post is cheapest, but the shipment is exposed to a lot of handling. Same for FEDEX and UPS ground if shipper and reciever are distant from each other.
MOST IMPORTANT THING is that the shipment is WELL PACKED. For a console, this is difficult due to the size limitations of some companies and the prohibitive cost of others. For smaller radios, positioning or the radio, use of padding that won't shift, and double boxing all serve to minimize the chance that the radio will be damaged.
For me, I always assume that the shipment will be dropped or at the bottom of a palletized stack of boxes, and pack accordingly.
USPS priority mail is a decent compromise, as it is fairly quick and this lessens the amount of handling and therefore the opportunities for damage. But they will not allow oversized shipments.
FEDEX and UPS ground service are pretty good IF shipper and reciever are located in the same area served by their regional truck hub sort. If so, you get next day service at ground rates. This again lessens the amount of handling.
Parcel Post is cheapest, but the shipment is exposed to a lot of handling. Same for FEDEX and UPS ground if shipper and reciever are distant from each other.
MOST IMPORTANT THING is that the shipment is WELL PACKED. For a console, this is difficult due to the size limitations of some companies and the prohibitive cost of others. For smaller radios, positioning or the radio, use of padding that won't shift, and double boxing all serve to minimize the chance that the radio will be damaged.
For me, I always assume that the shipment will be dropped or at the bottom of a palletized stack of boxes, and pack accordingly.
