Charlie don't surf (but needs to ship a board)

February 9, 2013 10:13 AM

I am in San Francisco for a few days visiting a friend. My friend has a board that needs to be shipped to Texas. I have called the local surf shop (Wise Surf), but they don't have any board boxes at the moment, and won't have any until well after I leave. Is there a service (UPS, FedEx, etc) that will take a board, package and ship it for us? I can't find any such on the Googles. Cost is not a huge issue, we just want to get this done.
posted by drfu to home & garden (13 answers total)

A nearby MailBoxesEtc or similar business might be able to do this for you. The mom & pop versions of this type of business might be better, since they have a variety of shipping options at their disposal (I recently shipped USPS media mail via a similar place, when the post offices were shut down after Hurricane Sandy).

The biggest question is whether the length of the board makes it ineligible for standard UPS/FedEx type service. They have maximum package dimensions. Those dimensions are rather large, but a surfboard might be too long. A MailBoxesEtc type business will be familiar with the limitations and have the ability to tell you whether it's possible. I once took delivery of a coffin via DHL, so it stands to reason that a surfboard might be perfectly OK.

If the board does exceed the dimensions, you'll probably have to ship freight. I'm not entirely sure that MailBoxesEtc does this, but it's worth asking. If they don't they're at least in a better position to refer you to someone that might know than just randomly googling.
posted by Sara C. at 10:22 AM on February 9

I live in SF but don't surf. The googles tell me there are a number of surf shops in the city - did you try calling more than just Wise Surf? If you've got access to a car, Pacifica and Santa Cruz shops might be able to help.
posted by rtha at 10:33 AM on February 9

UPS Freight.

Go to their website, plug in your location.
posted by nacho fries at 10:59 AM on February 9 [1 favorite]

UPS Store specifically mentions surfboards, and offers packing services.
posted by nacho fries at 11:02 AM on February 9 [2 favorites]

I've had UPS stores make boxes (just taking parts from whole boxes and cutting/taping into new size) for me when I've had something large/oddly shaped. I'd just call around and ask.
posted by curious nu at 11:15 AM on February 9

Well if price is no object have the UPS store build you a box, otherwise you need cardboard, bubblewrap and duct tape. Get two or three rolls and don's skimp.
posted by sammyo at 11:38 AM on February 9

One thing I would do before handing off the board to UPS or whomever: Take "before" photos of the board. Go to a hardware store and buy pipe insulation (long black foam rubber tube thingie dingies -- cheap). Slit the insulation, and use it to wrap the rails. If you have some closed-cell foam, protect the nose and tail with that.

Make use of the UPS insurance add-on.
posted by nacho fries at 11:41 AM on February 9 [2 favorites]

Can you buy a case for it and use a luggage forwarding service?
posted by snickerdoodle at 2:15 PM on February 9

As mentioned above, the most important issue here is crafting a great container. Picking a shipper is not so important. Here's a guide for building a container.

The most important part of that process is the blocking and bracing...the box should provide a few inches of void all around the board to that you/he can fill it with soft but dense material. Fortunately materials are cheap and light so this is actually a pretty low cost venture both in materials and shipping cost.

Good luck to you both!
posted by snsranch at 4:35 PM on February 9

Take it to a Mom and Pop shipping store and let them pack it for you. This is exactly what they specialize in. They will most likely build you a custom crate.
posted by MexicanYenta at 4:01 AM on February 10 [1 favorite]

Thanks so much! Dunno how I missed the UPS freight option, but there you have it.

The closest UPS store doesn't open until 1:00, so I'll let every one know how it went after we get back.
posted by drfu at 7:59 AM on February 10

Just FYI, shipping a surfboard is an expensive nightmare. You may well be better off just buying a new or new-used board wherever you/your friend is going. It's not that it's impossible. It's just that surfboards are incredibly delicate; packing companies don't realize this no matter how many time you tell them, and you need a custom box because of the size regardless.

You could contact a boardmaker or another surf shop to see if they'll pack and ship it for you. When I've been traveling, I've had pretty good luck just calling up shops and asking if they do x, y, or z, or if they can point me to someone who would. I wouldn't bother with UPS, frankly. It just won't be worth it, is my guess.

In case you're wondering, yes, I speak from experience....

edited to add: I ended up building my own "box" and packing it myself the one time I tried to do this, and it was STILL time-consuming and expensive -- just hundreds of dollars less so.
posted by Nx at 4:07 PM on February 10

Thanks all - again, I don't know how I missed the UPS freight options before.

Dragged the board the the UPS store on Market near Castro, and $320 later, it's off to Texas. Done and done.
posted by drfu at 8:13 AM on February 12