SHIPPING speakers?

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

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.

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.

IMHO, this is the only way to ship speakers.  $100 worth of material.  Piece of mind, priceless.  If the speakers are worth this effort..........   Cheers

Even for bookshelves, which in my case are still usually rather heavy with matching stands, I always insist on local pickup. Might take longer and I might have to sell for a bit less, but the lack of hassle is worth it to me. 

Echo in Portland, Hawthorne and Turntables n Trails in Seattle, Gig Harbor Audio in… all likely to consign…

CL and FB are vibrant markets in WA….

GLWS

I've shipped a ton of stuff. The one time I let UPS pack an amp it got smashed. It was a heavy class A integrated and they didn't protect it the way I would have, but like mentioned above, they made good on it.

I can only imagine over time the rules will change so verify. Just make sure you document the ad (with value), take good before photos of the item, really make sure UPS knows the stakes and value, get a screen shot of Paypal transfer or payment, pray.

I'd go one step further and make sure the buyer is willing to work with you if the item does get damaged. Perhaps pull that email aside because it's happened to me maybe 5% of the time. You can usually smell it.

contact Team Worldwide

By the way, nice come up!
now would be a good time to consider donating them to a starving audiophile in Spokane. 🔊

@tomcarr - I think you're right. 

@bjesien re "Heavy speakers really are a pain but normally worth it until you sell."

YES! And that’s why I don’t change speakers often. If I had bought the Treos new, I would have traded in the old ones (but for less than I can sell them privately).

If I ever have a next pair of speakers, they might be stand mount monitors, for this reason. 

FWIW:

I will only ship them the way that Vandersteen does when they ship to dealers: In their original boxes (which I have), strapped to a pallet so they are shipped upright. Any other way is too great a risk for damage (which is quite common), and as far as I know, only a freight shipper will do this. FedEx ground will not, but FedEx Freight will, and I already described the problem with that. Other shippers are too much $$.

I haven’t weighed them in the boxes, but I would guess that on the pallet total weight would be 160 lbs or so, or 180 if I pack the stands on the pallet. It’s the cubic volume on a pallet that drives the cost, more than the weight, I think.

So, I will hope for a local buyer, or local-ish. Thanks for the replies! I was hoping someone had a magic/secret solution, but alas...

Another vote for Uship. When I bought my Maggies, the seller used them. It was perfect. On time and undamaged. And the driver helped getting them into my house.

Using Pack and Ship, when you buy or sell, puts the entire responsibility for damage in UPS's hands.

Letting buyer make his own arrangement, is why I wouldn't even put them inside factory package, I would give it loose to UPS, let UPS be totally responsible, confirming condition received as they are out of the box.

$800 to ship those speakers sounds like a good deal, Yes, this is the problem. I had buyers for a set of ribbon speakers and the $1,000 was the quote to box and ship. But there was no garentee that they would arrive in perfect condition and the buyer wouldn't reject time. You want to sell them locally or trade them in. 

Above craigslist, facebook marketplace could be good. TMR audio might buy them but won’t pay much. Heavy speakers really are a pain but normally worth it until you sell.

shipping costs when palleted are in that range there are independent freight shipping services that do competitive quotes

Wow, what a hassle. You have a very vibrant audio culture in Washington. I would just sell them on Craigslist, or one of the selling sites as "local pickup only" and be done with it.

Nothing gets damaged in shipment more than floor standing speakers. Not worth the hassle for me.

If UPS packs them expect them to be damaged. Make sure explain the value and how both speakers need to arrive undamaged. I've in the past shipped expensive speakers and it's risky.

Drop the price, sell locally. Offer to drive them to the nearest city Drop the price sell locally, chalk it up to a loss and move on. If not you might end up paying in your time and stress level.

@tomcarr I used to get my mail at a UPS store.  So I was there most every day and watched them pack a lot of pacages. None for me as I do my own. 

What I saw was mostly overkill. they used larger boxes and more bubble wrap/packing materials that I would have.  that pack it while you wait with you watching.  They charge for all the material so the more they use, the more money they make. They only lose money if it breaks so they are very conservative in their packing choices.  They aren't cheap.

Add to the cost of packaging the fact that they charge full retail for shipping, not the discounted rate you get when you package it yourself.  If I packed these speakers up I would expect to be able to ship them myself for about $200.  Take it tot he UPS store and you'll probably pay 4-500.  

That is my observations from real world experience.

jerry

The best way to sell speakers is getting lucky and having a local buyer.

The next best way to sell speakers is meet the buyer half-way and do the deal person to person.

The last  best way is strapped to a pallet.

Don't let UPS or any other shipping company pack your speakers.

I did that and they arrived at the buyer's home damaged.

UPS has a pack and ship service. You or the buyer can make the arrangements, I would simply do this:

1. find the closest UPS that does pack and ship (they all do not).

2. give the seller the UPS contact info, the weight and measurements.

3. let seller make his own arrangements, you simply drop them off unpackaged.

IF you have factory packaging, tell buyer you will give it to UPS separately to use or not, his/ups’s choice, after they are dropped off.

I’ve used UPS Pack and Ship successfully 3 times. We can use it to buy something seller says is local pickup only, all seller has to do is agree to drop them off for us.

btw, this keeps the shipping cost out of any system like eBay that both charges tax on shipping, and charges a fee on the shipping and tax amounts.

I've had good luck with U-ship for larger items. Craters and freighters also is known to do a good job with speakers. Good luck!

Maybe a Long weekend trip meeting the other person half way...Or lower cost of speakers to sell them more local.. Either way its cost to sell items..

That is reason my Harley is in living room..Could not sell unless give away price. So love seeing it as art ..But sure could have sold it but not at that price....

Sell inexpensive speakers locally.  

Reading the other reply, seems they are only 60 lbs and of reasonable size.  I would just pack them up and ship them with UPS or Fedex. 

 I guess you don't have the original boxes.  You can take them to a UPS store and they will pack them for you.  It won't be cheap but less than freight.  

Jerry

Specs show the 2CE's as 60 lbs each.packed..I see no problem shipping these packed in factory boxes but fully insured ground cost will probably be almost $400.00....If your anywhere near Seattle,Olympia or Spokane I suggest trying to sell them on consignment through one of the decent audio shops still in business in those areas..