Bye Bye Beddie.

August 12, 2007 8:46 AM

Mailing a bed 2,000 miles- how can I do it, and is it even worth it?

I need to ship a twin mattress and box spring from New York to Utah. Origin and destination are both residences. Neither I nor anyone I know is making that drive anytime soon. Time is not an issue, but money is. If there's no inexpensive (under $75 or so) way to do it, I may decide to just sell the thing instead. But I'd like to at least investigate mailing options before I fire up Craigslist.

My Google skills are massively failing me. Previous AskMe's are mostly about moves that involve more pieces of furniture and the owner actually accompanying said furniture. Help me find my options!

posted by doift to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

I was looking at shipping a queen-sized bed and headboard from Ohio to Massachusetts, and a place called Transit Systems quoted me over $700 for the shipment. It'll obviously be less just for your mattress set, but I don't know it'll be anywhere near $75 or less.
posted by olinerd at 8:57 AM on August 12, 2007

Your only two economical options are motor freight or U-Haul, and realistically you're not going to get either for under $75.
posted by rolypolyman at 9:04 AM on August 12, 2007

Try Geyhound Package Express. I've had neon signs about half the size and probably the same weight as a twin mattress for about $20. I'm not sure if they can take anything as long as a mattress, but I did once stuff a twin mattress into the backseat of an Oldsmobile, so you never know.
posted by Yorrick at 9:38 AM on August 12, 2007

I've looked into Greyhound before and I'm reasonably sure that your stuff needs to be packed/secured very well, if not boxed. The effort/expense needed to do this, in addition to Greyhound's shipping rates, are likely to push even that well above $75. Plus, there's the risk of damage.

Ditch your bed on CraigsList. Buy a used one from there when you get to Utah. There's always a glut of mattresses on CL, people practically give them away.
posted by mkultra at 10:11 AM on August 12, 2007

I shipped a bike cross-country once (though in Canada, not in the U.S.) and it came out to about $75. Twin-size mattresses are larger and probably heavier.
posted by chrominance at 10:27 AM on August 12, 2007

Sigh, that's what I thought. The Greyhound Package Express estimate is about $100, which isn't bad until I add in the cost and hassle of packing it and getting it to the Greyhound station. To Craigslist it goes.

There's always a glut of mattresses on CL, people practically give them away.
posted by mkultra at 10:11 AM on August 12

Yeah, that's the problem.
posted by doift at 6:53 AM on August 13, 2007

Unnecessary update: In a wonderful turn of events, turns out I have bedbugs anyway. I'm just gonna chuck it.
posted by doift at 5:07 PM on August 13, 2007