Shipping heavy packages

July 6, 2005 2:25 PM

I'd like to ship somewhat-heavy, somewhat-awkward packages from Toronto to various U.S. addresses, and I've had no luck shipping them via the big name carriers. I know there have to be companies that specialize in door-to-door shipment of heavy packages, but I'm at a loss as to what I should be looking for.

The packages are about 36 inches cubed, and weigh 180lbs. Fed/Ex and Purolator say they don't handle such large items, and UPS has destroyed or lost every package I've given them.

I'm not sure if the shipments qualify as "freight", and given that I'm only shipping one at a time, and not on a pallet, I'm not even sure if they count as "LTL". But those seem to be the only search terms that turn up shipping companies who'll take anything above ~75lbs.

Does anyone know of companies that handle this type of business (especially in the GTA)? Or which search terms I should be using to find the people who can help me?

posted by deshead to Grab Bag (7 answers total)

Sounds like maybe you want DHL. They're physically located in Markham, near 14th & Kennedy, but I imagine that doesn't matter so much if you're having them pick stuff up, anyway.
posted by jacquilynne at 2:49 PM on July 6, 2005

You might want to recheck FedEx. They have a service called International Priority Freight which is specifically for pieces that weigh in excess of 150lbs. There are some limitations on the avaliability of the service by area but I'm pretty sure it is avaliable within a 50 mile radius of Toronto.
posted by Carbolic at 3:09 PM on July 6, 2005

Try "air freight" as your search term. (You'll get a ton of results on Google - you might be better off using a local directory.) For example, Air Canada offers air freight from Toronto to major US airports for $1-$2 per kg, with rates quoted up to 500kg. They don't deliver door-to-door in the U.S., but I'm sure you could find either another airline that does, or a service that would do the final delivery for you. When I moved across the U.S. in 1990, I had some furniture shipped door-to-door via air freight with no problems.
posted by expialidocious at 3:09 PM on July 6, 2005

Pilot Air Freight is the name I always hear being thrown around. Looks like they do Canada, too.
posted by trevyn at 3:57 PM on July 6, 2005

try greyhound or other type of bus. you go down to the station, say bye-bye, and the person on the other end picks it up at their station. people do it all the time. it's how a lot of people ship furniture on ebay.
posted by centrs at 11:19 PM on July 6, 2005

Canada Post is oft overlooked.

I have had small packages sent from Vancouver to Illinois or Minnesota expecting "about a week" (parcel air) which would end up getting delivered-to-door over the weekend (sent Friday before 3pm,. arrived before 9am Monday).

It'll definitely depend on *where* your destination is (and where your origin is), but Canada post is a lot better than a lot of people think.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 11:28 PM on July 6, 2005

On the sellers' discussion board on eBay Canada, freightquote.com is often given as the answer to this question.
posted by winston at 5:28 PM on July 7, 2005