Greetings, my question friends if you fell in love with a pair of excellent condition very heavy 130lbs. each floor loudspeakers would you drive say 1,500 or more miles to pick them up saving tons of money on shipping and also, knowing they will be perfect once you get home. The point of this forum how many audiophiles, would actually do the drive, I have been trying to sell my Andras, without success for near 6-months!! I have no shipping crates. Thanks for reading any help, or advice I would so appreciate it... anyone else have this problem??
Offer to meet the buyer halfway, such that a 1500 mile drive becomes a 750 mile drive for each of you, which is do-able in one day.
I know that's not answering the question you asked, but imo it doesn't matter how many audiophiles would or would not drive 1500 miles for your Andras if your potential buyer won't.
It would depend on if I had a large enough vehicle to get the speakers all the way inside, (like a large cargo van without rear seats). Where I live, the weather can change really quickly, so they would have to be covered and safely secured the whole trip.
If I had to rent such vehicle, I would need to add all the expenses together and see if it really was cheaper than having a crate built and shipped.
That said, I have driven (2) different times to pick up speakers. Once was around an 8 hour each way drive and the other was around a 6 hour each way drive. Both times it worked out great and saved me quite a bit of money and I felt very good about the condition of the speakers once I got home.
I drove about 7 hours one way to pick up my speakers. Had to measure a couple of times to make sure they fit. I rented some moving blankets to help pad them because the owner didn't keep the original boxes. It worked perfectly. The way I look at it, if someone isn't willing to drive a bit to pick them up then how interested can they really be?
Well if you're the seller, then just ship them and collect the insurance. If you're the buyer, and you really want the speakers and can't locate another pair, make 2 trips, one for each speaker, if you have to.
I would get some quotes from U SHIP....BUT...I would certainly make sure they were protected.You might get them safely shipped for around 300.00 or less as they just would not take up much room in a shippers truck.Once you start getting quotes you can contact a shipper and address the fragile nature of the shipment,in fact,they might crate them for you.This would be a door to door service.This might sound crazy to some,but it is a solution without crates.Check it out.
It's really just a math problem, right? At 3k round-trip miles getting 23 mpg and gas at 2.30/ gallon + a night at motel 6 and fifty bucks worth of McDonald's you're at $400 for the trip. After that, you need to figure out how good a deal you offer someone as well how desperate you are to sell. For anything in the Andra line I would make a road trip out of it. I recently bought a pair of 140# speakers from a gent who offered to drive them 300 miles free in his Agon ad to make the deal. He was a good guy and helped me set them up for a test so I gave him enough money to split his expenses 50-50 before he left.
It's hard to fall in love with speakers that are 1500 miles away. They would have to be playing pretty damn loud for me to hear them and fall in love with them from 1500 miles away!
I would consider a trip of that sort, but how would I know that I love the speakers, if I haven't heard them in my listening room. If I have them in my listening room, I don't need to drive 1500 miles.
Time for professional help. Look into White Glove' services when it comes time for shipping. However, to assure you get what you paid for, it is best you be at the pickup point when they are shipped. Find a cheap airline ticket. First, to assure they are fully operational and not damaged before shipping. Pictures a must. Second, to actually be the shipper who signs off on the shipping manifest, a must in case any transit damage takes place. Lastly, since each weights 130 pounds, you would be foolish to not use professional movers. Think about it, you could easily physically hurt yourself trying to move these pieces, especially since you are emotionally involved. Happy listening.
You don't need crates, you can pack them in cardboard boxes lined with 2" styrofoam and tightly strapped to a skid. 1500+ miles is way too far for most people to drive, myself included. We have passed on items where the seller wasn't willing to ship or help with arrangements with a shipping company but I will fly out to inspect the items prior to payment. david
....you probably already have, but as been mentioned here, I would see if you can't buy the crate or box from the manufacturer themselves. I had the same situation with a pair of Avalon's and they sold me a brand new crate, it was not cheap but once I got the crate, I was then able to sell the speakers. But, now at a much larger ''loss'', but they sold. As also mentioned, the buyer may eventually have the same problem and I'm sure will come up in the overall price negotiations.
Sorry, have done all of the above. I think Vegasears, had the best advice "Good Luck" everyone else thank you for your help, I am thinking once the bad winter weather breaks, someone will make the trip...
Highly doubtful as many have said. Consider that at 3000 miles round trip with a vehicle that would get 20 MPG (you're not picking these up with a Prius, are you?) you would use 150 gallons of gas. Assuming gas costs an average of $2.25 a gallon you would spend $337.50 just on gas. I can't speak for others, but 750 miles a day is about my limit, then think you will do it four days in a row, talk about a sore butt! Then there is the question of where you rest, some could sleep in the car, but let's say you get a hotel each night. For a cheapo place $50 a night is possible (if you don't mind cockroaches or unsolicited proposals for "services"), so you have another $150. So you're talking $487.50 and four lost days. Would someone do it, sure, but don't count on it. I would think $500 would ship these if you did your homework, so where's the savings? Maybe you should do the footwork on packing and shipping then build it into your asking price. That might help sell them.
OP- I save all boxes and packing materials- this is me. Offer tomeet prospective buyers half-way from your location. For a really good deal on speakers, I always travel as well. Too many bad things can come from shipping. Happy Listening!
Pmotz- Your thoughts mirror mine. Most people who would be interested would not be up for doing the 1500 miles in one day so you have motel and gas and in some places, highway and bridge tolls, plus wear and tear on your vehicle. I also think you've left out meals, which for 4 days is gonna cost you at least another $100. I think I'd get a quote from the UPS store or Kinkos who will insure the packing job. Split the packing cost w the buyer who then pays the shipping.
Years ago I purchased a large pair of JBL 4676-A Pro Series theater horns. The bottom cabinets alone weigh 195 lbs each. The seller offered to deliver for $500 from Ohio to E. NJ. He borrowed a friends SUV as it had a trailer hitch. When he arrived the transmission was acting up badly.
BTW, Dkarmeli is correct, assuming you can get boxes that are the right size and you use corner protectors of some kind. Rigid foam insulation works very well,as long as the speaker is held securely in place...so that it cannot move AT ALL.
Given the weight and size of the Andras, definitely pay the price for getting the right replacement shipping boxes/crates from Eggleston Works. While using commodity cardboard with foam, etc...works with smaller speakers, something like the Andra with granite finish and heavy bottom-end (IMHO) needs the boxes that EW themselves would use. Lacking that, get a UPS Store rep to give you a quote on "custom crating and shipping"; works for antiques and all manner of valuable items. This is not to be confused with them doing a traditional boxing prior to shipment, this is a custom service that would build crates and cradles that are tailor made for whatever you will ship.
Next time...SAVE YOUR BOXES/CRATES!!!
For the record, I would not drive 3000 miles roundtrip to buy a pair of speakers or other electronic gear. Too much time, exposure on the road, etc...
15 years ago, I drove from new orleans to Charlotte to pick up a pair of khorns. My wife loves to share the story as she wanted to go to Asheville nc for many years. I come in on Friday and told her "get packed" we going to Asheville this weekend. She was so excited about the "spontaneity" of her romantic trip and we hit the road. All went well in Asheville until we got ready to leave and I drive up with a uhaul trailer. I told her then, since we were in the area, let's go visit this guy in Charlotte. She ask was I going to get her some furniture. I said kinda! Didn't go over well when we went inside to only see these khorns. However she let me get them but 15 yrs later, every one we meet hears the story!
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