How do you ship large items? Help


Yeah, I want to buy these very large speakers from someone in Audiogon, but he does not have the boxes or crate that they were shipped in. I talked to UPS frieght and they told me that large, heavy items must be on a pallet, secured and wrapped before they would accept it. How would i go about finding a pallet and then securing it to the pallet and wrapping? Is there such a service that will professionaly pack items like this? Ive never had to deal with something like this so im totally lost here. The speakers weigh 250lbs each and are over 60 inches high. I quess i could drive there myself, but its 1100 miles away!!
Not your average day trip ya know? Any help would be appreciated here. If i can't find a solution i just won't be able to buy them, but it is a good deal! Thanks all!
bathory_127
It is a day trip - a day driving there, a day driving back. Make a weekend out of it. Drive out on a Friday, relax Saturday, pick the speakers up on Sunday morning and drive back.
I bought some decent sized speakers a couple of years ago. The seller built crates to ship them, and we used Greyhound to transport. Worked like a dream, and very reasonable price. You might look into Greyhound Bus Line.
Bathory127, I shipped a pair of Dynaudio C4's uncrated across the country last year fully insured without incident. I used a company called Mini Moves. Another company is Micro Movers. If interested I can dig up the paperwork and contact numbers.
Most pallets aren't sixty inches. They will have to be custom built. Don't let them stand the speakers upright on standard pallets--that means a strap over the top. This endeavor will be expensive like you cannot believe. I bought a pair of Altecs that weighed in at 90 lbs a piece. Craters and Freighters fit both nicely on a standard pallet, sheilded them with poly styrene wrap and thick styrofoam inside a heavy cardboard box. They shipped Yellow freight to my house in Wisconsin from Connecticut with no damage for $515. I won't do it again.

I'd imagine they'd want at least twice what I paid to ship yours. Find a truck, a friend and take a weekend drive to get these speakers.
There is a site where you can have various truckers bid for your services- something like "freightbid.com"? Search for it.
I sold 2 pairs of Avalons using this service and both worked like a dream.
The seller ought to find someone (phone book) to build crates. If the speakers are big, have one crate for each speaker.
This is my best recommendation, other than making the drive yourself.
Good luck. Let us know what happens.