Shipping Freight for dummies (and people without a forklift)

So I have this machine that I bought a few years ago, largely because I thought it looked cool. (gotta stop doing that).

Anyway, I bought a kwikprint floor standing embossing machine for a ridiculously low price at auction. Not so ridiculous once you figure it was broken and I repaired it, but I'll still probably make $800 off a few hours of labor and a few years of storage.

Problem is, it weighs in at a couple hundred pounds. Big enough that disassembling it and strapping it to a pallet is the best way to ship it.

So how does a layman such as myself, without industrial space, without a forklift or loading dock, go about getting an item shipped across country?

Is there an idiots guide? When I start looking in to quotes I find all these fancy terms like "class".

I've attached a photo (someone elses, but the same machine)

Try Freight Quote. They are shipping brokers, it's all they do. Theyb will give you pricing and carrier options, as well as arrange the whole transaction. We use them with some frequency, but be prepared for callbacks asking if you need further services.

ECJ

I just used Freight quote for the first time a few weeks ago to get a machine shipped to me. There website explained how to figure the class of the shipment (a combination of weight and size) The shipper didn't have a loading dock so a lift gate was arranged at pickup. Not sure how their pricing was but for an infrequent shipper such as myself, it seemed to go pretty well.

Avoid ExFreight-Zeta!

These jokers burned me but good. Purportedly they are sending me a check this week to cover damages from a shipment made in APRIL!

You have to shop the shopping sites. I needed 1100 lbs shipped from Wisconsin to Kansas. The seller used freightquote and got a price of $950. I knew that was quite high, as I had just paid $1200 to ship 21,500# from a different place in Wisconsin to Kansas. I tried Unishippers, their price was $195 for the 1100# load.

Funny thing was both brokers were quoting Lakeville Motor Express.

I have received truck freight where the shipper took the items to a shipping facility, Pack n ship I think. They packed and crated the shipment and loaded it onto the truck.

Interesting....I won't be doing much of the "shopping". I'm doing the selling, I'll let the buyer figure that out if they don't like the numbers I give them.

Thanks for the freightquote suggestion, I'll see what they say. I'll also try packnship

I've used Forward Air for small machines like yours and the price wasn't substantially more than ground shipping.

might want to try uship.com as well

As for getting the pallet into the truck, if you order lift gate service, there should be a pallet jack on the truck... Just roll it in.

Jon

Usually, some version of the below method that I used to ship a small but heavy machine a while back.

Tossed the custom-sized pallet on truck bed. In this case, it was a small (Benchmaster) mill, that I unbolted from it's heavy, all-welded steel stand which I inverted top down on the pallet and then lifted the mill with an engine hoist, backed the truck under it, lowering it down between the heavily braced C-channel legs, bolting it inside that cage, through the original bolt holes in the steel top and the pallet.

I then screwed together a plywood and 2 X framed box, plywood lapped over and screwed to the pallets 2 X sleepers, tight around the machine, padded where needed, loose parts wrapped in rags and wedged in, finally the plywood top screwed on.

I arranged the box/lid to close, touching the legs, which had threaded leveling pads and I drilled the plywood top, to screw the 5/8" leveling bolts through large washes and the plywood, into the up-turned legs.

It would have taken a dedicated basher to have gotten through all that to the little mill, bolted in isolation from the stand but I sidestepped them. I drove to the cross-country shipper with the best price at that time and they took the load off of my truck with a forklift and placed it on their dock, next to the truck that would take it to Louisiana.

This saved the "local handling" that so often is the cause of damage. Often less professional than handling by the cross country trucking company. Saves a lot of waiting and shuffling in various terminals by uncaring incompe-tants too.

The pleased buyer 1,800 miles away, reported it arrived with no damage to the packaging and of course the machine was perfect.

Being a retired building contractor, I've got quite a bit of building material saved in a large, covered lumber rack, just a little labor, yea.... of love.

Bob