Shipping a drumset

**+Donny** · 06-15-2005, 03:42 PM

Anyone have any idea how much it costs to ship a drumset, or how much it typically weighs? I am shipping from Austin to Moscow, ID and have to consider selling it and maybe just buying a new one up there if it's too expensive.

It is a typically 5 piece with hi-hat, one crash, 2 rides (one 22" one 18"), 2 chinas (12" and 16"), and a crash/ride (18").

**thesteve** · 06-15-2005, 05:34 PM

i know typical ebay shipping on a bass drum is going to be around $30. Floor tom will likely be around $20-$25. High tom $15-$20. Snare $15.
Hats - $10 Crash - $10-15 Rides - $15. I'd imagine chinas are going to be about the same.

this being said, if you removed the heads and put all of your shells in a single box (or two) you can reduce shipping greatly. part of the price isn't just the weight but also the size of the boxes. I'd imagine you can combine (up to a certain weight limit) the cymbals as well.

**+Donny** · 06-15-2005, 05:48 PM

Actually, in my experience with UPS, box size doesn't matter. Mainly it's what type of shipping (this will obviously be ground), location, then weight. I really have no idea how much it weighs, though, so I can't give a good prediction.
Oh, and multiple boxes count against it, too. You can do one shipment of multiple boxes, which I think might reduce the price, but it's always cheaper to do fewer boxes.

**thesteve** · 06-15-2005, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by +Donny

Actually, in my experience with UPS, box size doesn't matter. Mainly it's what type of shipping (this will obviously be ground), location, then weight. I really have no idea how much it weighs, though, so I can't give a good prediction.
Oh, and multiple boxes count against it, too. You can do one shipment of multiple boxes, which I think might reduce the price, but it's always cheaper to do fewer boxes.

ah...some shippers will charge you "oversize" shipping if the box is over a certain size, regardless of weight

cjcdrums · 06-16-2005, 12:25 PM

I worked for UPS and the UPS Store for two years.

First of all, do whatever it takes to consolidate as many boxes as you can. If you can somehow get everything in one large box, you'll be able to ship it for far cheaper. If not, get it in no more than two (one for drums, one for cymbals.)

Pack it well. If the packing is not up to "UPS Standards" (2" of cushioning on ALL sides, no loose items within the package, no visible damage to the {sturdy} box, etc, etc), then UPS will not provide insurance on it, and if something happens to it in transit, it is YOUR fault. By the way, ALWAYS pay the little extra for insurance. That really IS a great deal.

However, DO NOT EVER buy packing services from the UPS Store. It is a total rip off. Believe me, ripping people off was my job. Their boxes and everything else are WAY over-priced.

Now granted, each store is a franchise, and the owner sets the prices. So it may be different for you. But as a general rule, the UPS Store can sell most items and services for much more than they're worth, and most people won't even flinch.

And Donny, trust me, SIZE MATTERS. In my experience, after the service time, the dimensions of a package have the most bearing on price.

So, here is the UPS Shipping formula: size * weight * destination zip code (distance) * service options = cost.

Check this out: http://wwwapps.ups.com/calTimeCost?loc=en_US

It will probably take the package three or four days to get to Idaho from Texas.

**+Donny** · 06-16-2005, 12:43 PM

Alright, I appreciate it.

Now, regarding size, I trust your statement, but at work, we ship at boxes every day from 4X12X12 to 14X14X14 and the shipping cost never changes according to box size. We do it through the nice little UPS worldship software and print labels for them. Occasionally we will have large orders where we wrap and tape up 5-6 boxes together and treat it as one large box. Even on these, the software never takes into account box size. Why would this be?

**thesteve** · 06-16-2005, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by +Donny

Alright, I appreciate it.

Now, regarding size, I trust your statement, but at work, we ship at boxes every day from 4X12X12 to 14X14X14 and the shipping cost never changes according to box size. We do it through the nice little UPS worldship software and print labels for them. Occasionally we will have large orders where we wrap and tape up 5-6 boxes together and treat it as one large box. Even on these, the software never takes into account box size. Why would this be?

maybe your company has flatrate shipping because they are a business?

**+Donny** · 06-16-2005, 01:14 PM

Everything else, like weight, location, type of shipping, etc. changes the price. It should be some sort of business deal, though, I guess.

cjcdrums · 06-16-2005, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by +Donny

Alright, I appreciate it.

Now, regarding size, I trust your statement, but at work, we ship at boxes every day from 4X12X12 to 14X14X14 and the shipping cost never changes according to box size. We do it through the nice little UPS worldship software and print labels for them. Occasionally we will have large orders where we wrap and tape up 5-6 boxes together and treat it as one large box. Even on these, the software never takes into account box size. Why would this be?

Hmmm... That's odd. The only service I can think of that doesn't factor in size is USPS mail, unless you count ARS packages...

Are these boxes you ship to be returned to the sender? That would account for it.

**+Donny** · 06-16-2005, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjcdrums

Hmmm... That's odd. The only service I can think of that doesn't factor in size is USPS mail, unless you count ARS packages...

Are these boxes you ship to be returned to the sender? That would account for it.

Not that I know of.