SHIPPING speakers?

I have sold and shipped 3 pairs of Vandersteen speakers. I had the 2Ci, 2CE and 3A signatures. All three pairs were shipped in the original cartons via UPS Ground and insured for the sale price. I had zero problems getting them to the buyers unscathed. I have bought many speakers on Audiogon and they were either shipped via Fed Ex or UPS. I never had any damage except for a new pair of Tekton Pendragon speakers. One was damaged mostly because the boxes used were very flimsy and thin.

I'm in the midwest and recently received shipment of large speakers from a private seller located in the Pacific Northwest.  The seller shipped via Old Dominion freight with the speakers standing vertical, banded to a skid.  I got the impression from the seller that Old Dominion was easy to work with.  They provided the skid and worked with the seller at the freight terminal to assure the speakers were safely secured.

I've sold large speakers to TMR and they shipped me a skid with bands and detailed instructions, then sent a truck with a lift several days later to pick them up.  Aside from the low price, it was a satisfactory experience and I will likely use them again, both as a buyer and seller.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone and @tomic601 !

I will check with TMR and Old Dominion, and local dealers who might take them on consignment. Shipping on a pallet is ideal, but maybe not 100% required. 

@bigtwin - Nice job!

P

Thanks for sharing.  The issue is the cost of freight shipping in my experience.  I’ve had speakers delivered on a pallet but from a manufacturer that had a free return policy in case there were any issues.  I try and sell any gear locally including a pair of tower speakers recently that would have cost more to ship than they were worth.  My most recent freight shipping experience was with boat docks at the lake.  The manufacturer said that shipping was based on volume, how much space it takes up on a truck, so we had to calculate for what I wanted and the cost to ship.  Bottom line was I had the aluminum legs made locally because at 8 and 10 foot lengths it was less than the shipping.  Same with my boat.  One add on piece of equipment was going to cost more to ship than the item and the item was $600.  Crazy.  

pdreher +1. TMR is the way to go as they assume responsibility and it is free to you. They charge a fee to sell you speakers, but you need to compare the costs.