Shipping Skis/Boards

[KnuckleDragger]

I just sent a snowboard to Commander Baker using UPS. First off, I couldn't find a box the right size and ended up having to wrap the board in bubble wrap and pieces of cardboard and tape the crap out of it. The 6 pound board ended up weighing 12 pounds with all of the packing materials and then because of the dimensions USP assigns a "dimensional weight" which means they charged me as if it weighed 18lbs. In the end it was $60 for shipping plus the $15 in cardboard and bubble wrap.

I was wondering what the rest of you do when shipping skis/boards. Is there a cheaper way?

[funkendrenchman]

USPS is cheaper ... usually costs 20-25 to send skis.

[hemas]

USPS is cheaper ... usually costs 20-25 to send skis.

Yep,when Iggyskier sent me a pair of Iggies to Yurp, the postage was something like a bit under 30 $, and Denver Wholesale Skis asked about the same to ship BD's. Both were sent using USPS Global Airmail Parcel-post, I think...

[KnuckleDragger]

I was under a bit of time pressure and didn't really have a chance to compare prices but those prices sound much more reasonable. Thanks.

What about boxes/packaging?

[mntlion]

with that much packaging the dem weight will be huge, if you find the right box/wrap it tightly skis only CAD => US are usually $30ish, with bindings $40, UPS and postal are about the same price

[real9999]

UPS is stricter on dimensional weight. With USPS as long as your dimensions are "Large" and not "Oversized", you'll be billed by weight. 15 lbs is the minimum; anything else gets bumped up to the 15 lbs balloon rate. Whatever you do, don't get slapped with oversized with either carrier or you'll have to give up your left nut; even if the box is empty.

[schuss]

it can also be helpful to go to one of the shipcenters, as they can compare all the carriers at once. The one I've gone to also helped me cut down the size of the package by 2 inches so I could save $20.