Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Shipping

Poor little banjo on the doorstep

tmcw — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:04:08 -0800

How do I receive a USPS Parcel Post package that is (probably) getting delivered to my (closed) office this week? So, I mistakenly thought that everyone uses tracking numbers these days and the guy I bought a banjo from didn't get one[1]. And then I mistakenly thought it would be delivered quickly, which it hasn't been. So, the office is closed (although the store downstairs is open, and I'm not there, and neither is anyone else, to receive the package.

My office is about 15 minutes walking away, so I'm checking daily, but nervous about this thing sitting outside in the cold and possibly getting stolen. I wrote and attached a Post-It to the door begging USPS to deliver it to my apartment instead, with full knowledge that that probably wouldn't work. Is there anything else I can do? This has taken a long time to ship, but I guess the holidays delayed it severely. For reference, it was shipped on the 11th from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Is there anything else I can do? Talk to a post office? Post a different note? I signed the one I wrote, if that helps at all. Stay at the office all day long? This sucks.

[1] I trust him, and have recourse, please don't derail with 'u got scammed!' answers.

Ordering/shipping champagne internationally?

John Borrowman — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:12:51 -0800

I am in the US. How can I order champagne (preferably in a package with some nifty glasses) from a French vineyard, for delivery to an address near York, England?

Get our neighbors to the South drunk!

SassHat — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:56:58 -0800

Sending a gift of wine to Atlanta from Toronto - Atlanta companies that deliver wine/other solutions? One of my bosses wants to send some gift bottles of wine from Toronto to Georgia. It doesn't seem likely we will be able to buy here and ship across the border without huge hassles. Are there any companies within Atlanta that will deliver a gift basket of wine or just a bottle? Barring a local source, any national wine shipping companies that are legit and will ship to Georgia?

What's the cheapest way to ship an electric guitar to New Zealand?

media_itoku — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:50:54 -0800

What's the cheapest way to ship an electric guitar to New Zealand? I'm having trouble figuring out the cheapest way to ship an electric guitar, in its case, to my brother in New Zealand from the US. Time is not an issue - it can take a couple of months, if necessary.

I've gotten quotes from UPS ($800) and FedEx ($550). Seriously?? The Mailboxes dude said USPS won't ship an item that large. Google is less than helpful. Has anyone shipped a large item to New Zealand without mortgaging their soul?

What type of tracking number is this: LJO14137785US?

JPigford — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:17:15 -0800

What type of tracking number is this: LJO14137785US? I've got a bunch of tracking numbers that all start with "LJ" and end in "US" but so far can't figure out who the carrier is or how to get tracking information.

Liquor stores that ship to Georgia?

Fleebnork — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:03:08 -0800

Having difficulty finding an online liquor store that will ship to Georgia. My Google-fu has failed me. A few years ago, I ordered my wife some Porto Kopke Colheita, which is not sold in Georgia. Unfortunately, the store I ordered from no longer ships to Georgia. The way I understand it, stores outside Georgia can ship to Georgia if they have some sort of license to do so. Apparently the store's license lapsed or something to that effect.

All wines and spirits in Georgia must be approved and ordered through the state liquor board, so some smaller or rarer items just aren't sold here, and cannot be ordered from local stores unless the item is in the state-approved book.

I did some Google searching this afternoon, but it's very difficult to easily find online liquor stores that will ship to Georgia. I looked through several online retailers' shipping policies and even emailed a couple. No luck so far.

Help me, Hive Mind!

how do i send booze in the mail

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:41:44 -0800

looking to deck the halls with homemade liquor (infused vodkas, lemoncello, something like that) - but now how to get it through the mail. i'm in oklahoma and i'm sending it to new york. this would be smallish bottles without professional labels.

(anon since these are gifts)

Where to find a bag to ship in?

R a c h e l — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:22:08 -0800

Where can I get one of those durable bags that clothes and such are sometimes shipped in? You know the ones I'm talking about? Grey, opaque? I've gotten several shipments of clothes and things in them. I'm mailing someone a number of tote bags, and I think it would make more sense to ship in one of those than a box or something. I'm not sure if they'd fit, though. Is there anywhere local (Fedex, UPS, post office) where these might be available? I've got to get these in the mail this weekend, so I'd rather not order online - I /can/ use a box.

What does it cost to ship a Guitar Hero controller?

IndigoRain — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:07:18 -0800

How much does it cost to ship a Guitar Hero controller? I am putting a copy of Guitar Hero World Tour for the PS3 up on eBay and need to estimate my shipping costs. I know the guitar is fairly light but it's also long and I was wondering if anyone knows roughly what it costs to ship it within the contintental US.

How to fix

NorthCoastCafe — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:36:24 -0800

How can I to Amazon to ship to my door? Amazon always used to ship UPS which delivered right to my door. I'm in a rural area, 7 miles from the post office. Lately, they ship via USPS which does not deliver to my door but to a roadside box half a mile from my door. With these deliveries the post office leaves a slip of paper telling me they have a package and I have to drive to the post office when I have a day off to fetch my package: 45-minutes round trip, 20-minute queue time, gas money, etc. Amazon just changed from UPS to USPS. They say they cannot inform me in advance of which method of shipping an item will be delivered unless I select and pay extra for 2-day shipping. I'm about to say goodbye to Amazon unless I can get the to resume the delivery service I used to enjoy and depend on. I'm a heavy user of Amazon because it was so convenient. But if I have to drive to town to pickup my packages I might as well shop in town in the first place. My emails to Amazon customer service get only canned, bloated corporate scripted replies in return thanking me for using Amazon. I don't think they get it.

Vehicle Shipping

Bokononist — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:50:53 -0800

Is there anything tricky I should know about shipping a car across the country? I'm moving from Florida to San Jose. I have a 2003 Honda Accord. I filled out a form online and got some shipping quotes sent to me that seem reasonable (my standard being they are about the same as the sales tax on a replacement there. I've had the car long enough that I wouldn't have to pay use tax to bring it in).

Has anyone done this before? I know plenty of horror stories involving moving companies, and it seems like a lot of the same trickery could go on with this. So any of the following would be helpful:

1) Contacts for specific companies someone has worked with that aren't sheisters.
2) Things otherwise to look out for or consider in choosing someone, and
3) Any radically different approach that is way better for some unconsidered reason.

How do I get US-address-only items delivered to Australia?

katala — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:22:10 -0800

Can anyone please recommend a reputable mail-forwarding service for someone living in Australia who wants to buy from US-only stores? Hi MeFites, I need to buy some items (headbands of all things!) which I can only find on US store websites and they will only ship to a US address (no international shipping provided).

Can anyone please recommend a good mail-forwarding service who I can have my items shipped to, and then they will ship them to me in Australia?

Many thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Katala

Sites that sell wine shipped by wineries

aburd — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:16:06 -0800

Is there another site that sells wine that is shipped by wineries aside from wine.woot.com? I live in Tennessee which allows wineries to ship to TN residents, but online wine shops can't ship to us. Wine.Woot sells for wineries so it works. But I would like other options. It's too difficult to find individual wineries that have paid the Tennessee tax in order to ship to us so a reseller would be great. Are there other services that do sell wine for wineries?

ship or rent?

nihlton — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:32:16 -0800

vacation ideas... wanna take the girlfriend on a two week motorcycle tour through the south in early january. had planned on going from texas to florida. we live in seattle. what is the cheapest way? looks like we can rent bikes for about $500-$800 a week (two bikes for two weeks = $2000 - $3200). Or we can ship our bikes for about $600 one way (two bikes, round trip = $2400), but im not sure we'd be able to get exact pick up and delivery dates.

or we could ride our bikes from seattle to texas, then to florida. how much of our two weeks would seattle to texas take up, assuming we were really aggressive about covering distance?

anyone know of cheaper rentals/shipping? alternatives im not thinking of?

general advice/tips related to the trip itself? (things to see, routes to take etc)

the dates are pretty concrete, but the locations (start/destination) are stretchy. can you think of better places? kind of wanna do this same thing in mexico/south america but air fare would get more expensive and i'd be worried about safety.

I need to ship a package on Sunday in NYC

fake — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:43:29 -0800

I need to ship a book scanner today in NYC/Manhattan. It is fragile. It's an 11x11x22" box, which needs to be put inside a box. I don't have this box. Any carrier is fine. The fact that it is Sunday makes things unusually hard. Suggestions? Is Mailboxes, etc my only option?

weird shipping label

puckish — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:37:06 -0800

Going through old stuff, I found a box for an old Ibook that had a weird handwritten shipping label from "I.S. 339 School Of Communication Technology." Google says it's a performing arts school in the Bronx. What gives? It's possible that I had it sent in for repairs and Apple outsourced it. It's been years since I looked at the box. Any idea why my computer might have gone through these folks?

Shipping a caravan

newpotato — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:45:36 -0800

What difficulties/expenses should I expect in shipping a caravan from the US to Melbourne Australia? We've been looking for a caravan here in Victoria to put on a block of land and the prices for what we are looking for are in the $20k to $30k (used) range.
The same styles, but newer, nicer versions with slide outs, etc, are being had on Ebay in the US for under $3000. I've bought a similar one on Ebay for some Upstate property I have with no problems, so I have no issues with the whole Ebay thing.
The style we're looking for are called camper trailers in the US, they get towed behind the car, and have hookups for water for the sink, toilet, shower, etc., LP, and electric.
I know shipping is expensive as I've had a half container shipped from NY to Melbourne and that alone was $2500 back before gas prices went through the roof, but I'm interested in other issues I might have bringing one of these from the US to Aus. as well.
Anybody out in mefi land ever done this before?

Can I mail fresh chanterelles?

scose — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:51:38 -0800

How can I mail chanterelles? Will freshly picked chanterelles hold up unrefrigerated in a cardboard box for 3-5 days? If not, will sauteed and vacuum-sealed ones make it? I would like to send some fresh as a gift, but not if they show up rotten and slimy.

Ideas for Baked Goods/Confectionary Exchange

Mayhembob — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:49:03 -0800

I'm participating in a baked goods/confectionary exchange. What are some things I can make that can be easily packed and that won't spoil/stale during shipping?

Who is shipping LTL?

ieatwords — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:59:19 -0800

What kind of US companies ship LTL? I am working on a research paper about LTL (less than truck load) shipping in the United States. What industries ship product daily on pallets? I am looking to contact some companies and see what their personal experience has been with the major LTL carriers in the US.

Shipping art over the ocean

jonathanbell — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:06:42 -0800

I'm looking for international shipping strategies and recommendations, UK to Canada. I have a large amount of family ephemera and memorabilia - mostly old photographs, notebooks, small framed pictures, etc., - that needs to be shipped from London, UK, to Canada. It's probably two standard archive boxes worth in its un-bubble-wrapped state. In addition, there are also 4 or 5 large glass-framed artworks (probably about 1m x 70cm max) that have to go the same way.

Does anyone have any tips or recommendations for getting this stuff over the ocean cost-effectively? I suspect the latter needs some kind of art specialist, but would they also take the family ephemera? Or would we be better off just bubble-wrapping the ephemera into standard FedEx (or other) boxes? None of it is enormously valuable.

Any personal recommendations or suggestions would be hugely welcome. Thank you in advance.

Script/extension to display third-party shipping costs on Amazon?

IndigoRain — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:27:07 -0800

I am looking for a Greasemonkey script or Firefox add-on that will show me the shipping cost for Amazon third-party items in search results. Example: I found a bottle of Aloe Vera gel for $10.37. Thinking there had to be a better deal, I scrolled down the search results page and found a larger bottle for $8.79, making it look like the better deal. Once I clicked into the second link, the price instead was $8.79 + $8.22 shipping, making the first bottle the actual better deal.

I want a script that will get that $8.22 shipping cost (you can see where it is displayed on the page here - just above the shopping cart button) and at least display it on search results pages, if not add it in to the original cost. If this isn't possible I would also welcome a script that simply indicates on the search results page whether a product is a third-party item (indicated at the above link by the text "Ships from and sold by CosmeticMall.com") or shipped directly from Amazon.

Failing the existence of this script, I don't know javascript, so is this something I could do myself using the Platypus extension?

I found the Amazon TotalUsed 2.0 script but it doesn't work. Unfortunately, even if it did work, I'm not sure if it would only display shipping costs for items shipped by Amazon using their standard shipping prices, or also be able to retrieve third-party shipping costs.

Invitations Direct

eggerspretty — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:32:26 -0800

Online Invitation ordering that can be sent directly to invitees? I need to order and send out bridal shower invitations from an online vendor, but I would like to have the invitations sent directly from the printer to the invitees. Has anyone used or just know of a website that will allow this service?

Ship or sell my computer from Japan?

greasepig — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:27:00 -0800

Is it worth it to ship 2-3 year-old computer components from Japan? In a couple of months, I'll be moving back to San Francisco from Japan. Here I've bought a computer, printer, and monitor (and accessories) that I've been using for the past few years. The printer is a three-year-old heavy and fragile HP copy-scan thing. The monitor is a two year-old but really nice 23 inch LG, and the CPU was used when I bought it a year ago but heavy desktop. Audio is very heavy but sounds great Creative set. I am wondering if it is worth it to try to pack and ship these things back home, or just sell them for cheap and get new versions when I get back to the states. Since I don't have any of the original boxes, packaging would be less than optimal, so I think there would be a chance for damage, especially if I choose the cheapest, slowest freight. Or would it be possible to pack this stuff in luggage? If anyone has a similar experience of shipping similar old items across the ocean like this, I'd be most appreciative of hearing your opinions.

A boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money ... but if it's a ship, money comes out?

coffeefilter — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:46:56 -0800

(Freighter experts) Does the world-wide shipping industry have hidden (or open) subsidies? Boats are expensive. Big ships must be really expensive.

So, how is the shipping industry subsidized, or costs externalized, so that it becomes preferable to manufacture or grow something on the other side of the world, and ship it to the US?

How much does it cost to build, maintain, and operate a superfreighter?

[I think everyone's familiar with the labor cost side of the issue, so let's focus on ships.]