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SHIPPING speakers?

Y’all, HOW do you ship speakers that you have sold?

I just a like-new pair of Vandersteen Treo CTs to replace my super clean Vandy 2CEs. The DILEMMA is shipping them! I have listed them online, and got a query from WI who asked me to check on shipping them from here in WA. I called Vandersteen and they say they ship all their speakers strapped to pallets, with the boxes in vertical orientation. They use freight companies including FedEx Freight, but told me nightmare stories of speakers getting damaged in transit, including a new pair of Sevens ($70K) that a forklift driver punched a hole through with the fork on his machine. WTH? They said that their price increases in the last 2 years are in large part because of big increases in shipping costs.

I called FedEx, and was told that the closest freight office is 2 hours from me, and the speakers have to be dropped off already on a pallet, ready to go. That’s 200 lbs of speakers! I have no way to do this—no van or pickup truck, nor a forklift. Plus, I can imagine that if something goes wrong and the speakers are damaged, they will weasel out of it saying that I packed them on the pallet and surely didn’t do it correctly.

I got a freight quote online from another LTL freight company and it was $800! For a $2200 pair of speakers. So, I am trying to sell them locally, within a 4-5 hour drive (I will deliver or meet halfway).

I don’t ship gear often, especially speakers, and it’s a real hassle for larger speakers. Someone I know who builds great amps etc (you’d know his name) bought a used pair of big Borresens (250 lbs each iirc) and rented a van and drove from the Midwest to TX to get them, because shipping was going to be a small fortune.

Thanks.

128x128patrickdowns
bjesien
1,334 posts
 

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.

tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,009 posts
 

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

larsman's avatar
larsman
2,026 posts
 

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. 

bigtwin's avatar
bigtwin
1,236 posts
 

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

 

 

pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,215 posts
 

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.

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