estimating freight?

I've sold a lot of *heavy* stuff on Ebay so I can offer a few tips. I start with the 'weight and cube' (actual wt. and the crated L, W, H), the from and the to locations. I make a bunch of phone calls and usually end up with 4 or

5 good quotes. Picking up 'at the terminal' will also save you $$ (usually the nearest major city- be sure to ask). I've always had good service with Yellow Freight, but I always shop around. Prices are all over the place!

Call Jim Williams at Freightquote.com, tell him that Igor mentioned him (I get no commission here, but I like him a lot, he gives fantastic rates). I ship a lot of stuff that I sell on eBay, through him.

For example, it cost the buyer $167 to ship a 500 lbs pallet with three PP-1104C/G power supplies, from IL to East Coast.

i

There is another alternative you could try. I just sold a pair of racing boat seats on Ebay and the buyer used

for the shipping. He located somebody 'heading his way', I loaded them up, and away they went. He saved quite a bit over 'regular' shipping.

All transport companies - road, rail and air freight use a cubic weight calculation, you have the actual weight of the item to be shipped including the packing case, then measure the box to get a cubic measurement. Depending on the company there will then be a magic number to multiply by to come up with the magic "cubic weight". If the cubic weight exceeds the actual weight then thats what you pay for and vice versa.

Some things that can get you a cheaper rate from companies that group freight to a common destination;

1. deliver to their depot with consignment notes completed, they will have a forklift to unload your vehicle, a pickup vehicle will need a crane or you will need a forklift. Dont expect to hand load 1/2 ton cases.
2. build the packing so that it can be bottom loaded (ie other goods can be stacked on top without damaging your goods), lightweight top loading gets a premium. Make sure that your goods cant damage someones eles freight with poor packing, nothing like getting a freight damage claim from someone you've never heard of. Mark the weight and destination address on all sides.
3. get the consignee to pickup at the other end, again forklift, crane, etc.

Thats probably the best way, and they do all the paper work too. I use them when I have a heavy shipment, heavy meaning up to 15k lbs.

John

Ask your supplier who they use to ship to your area that has the best discount. Ask your supplier to pre-pay and add using their dicscount. Lumber companies often use their own trucks to deliver even small (3,000 board-feet) quantities up to a few states away. How much wood we talkin' about? For a while, the US Post Office had some delivery loophole that allowed huge deliveries of building materials to northern Alaska for next to nothing.

Old Dominion seems to always have the best motor freight rates, if you choose to ship stuff direct with a carrier.

Yes, the amount of hassle, and paperwork, is a very important factor.

Note that I had a less good (but still decent) experience with a previous freightquote rep, who is no longer there. Either rates have gone way down, since he left, or Jim is better than the previous guy at finding good shipping deals.

That $167 did not include $50 that I was personally paid to deliver to the shipping company terminal.

i

Hi, Not all that much... 120 bf. Here, cedar runs $5/bf; elsewhere I understand that it goes for much less. If it's going to be $200, then it's about break even to ship it on or buy it locally; but if I can partially freeload on a shipment "coming my way," $100 saved is significant in my budget. And, I imagine that I'll be buying heavy machinery in future years, so this advice is applicable well into the future :-)

thanks! -Bernard Arnest

that is a fantastic rate, I used freightquote, $437 for 220 lb pallet, PA to MA, crazy but had no choice (or didn't know of any other choices)

Jim Williams has been surprising me a lot lately. I have no idea why these buyers get such outrageously good (in my opinion) deals. They pay shipping, so I do not benefit from low shipping quotes.

Did your quote include a pickup or dropoff with a forklift (no loading dock on either side)? That could make a difference.

I do not have a loading dock, but I usually take my stuff to a shipping company, I charge my buyers $50 extra for that. That usually saves them a great deal of money. I like going to loading docks, they remind me of my home country, I usually take my son with me.

i

partly, there was a loading dock on one end (seller), no loading dock on my side, it was $100 cheaper if I picked it up at the local shippers dock

Benard: What thickness width and length do you need? And what is Your location? I may be able to find a load from one of the local cedar mills coming Your direction. Jim

Forward Air has great rates but is not flexible or customer service oriented. Yellow Freight costs more but is much easier to deal with.