Shipping tires???

Bunyan · #1 03-20-2010, 09:28 PM

Hi Guys,

This doesn't really pertain to the X5 other than the fact that once I sell the tires the money will go towards new wheels for the X.

Has anyone shipped tires? UPS must be the way to go. Any idea how much that costs (rough estimate - East Coast to East Coast) and if I have to box them up or simply throw a UPS shipping label on them.

The tires are a set of winter tires off my M3.

Thanks

Sponsored Links

HuskerX5 · #2 03-20-2010, 11:18 PM

Paul,
I am assuming these are just tires and not wheels and tires. You can actually band the bare tires together in sets of two. You can use zip ties and/or packing tape to secure them. The shipping label can be affixed to the tread of one of the tires and held in place with the clear packing tape wrapped round and round. If you have ever seen how Tire Rack or Discount Tire sends them, it is much the same except they use fiberglass banding straps.

Try to get the recipient to give you a business address as it is less expensive to ship there than residential. If you are shipping a wheel and tire combination, then that is done individually.

CharlieHustleX5 · #3 03-21-2010, 03:04 AM

Ive shipped a set of wheels from California to Atlanta. I used UPS. All i did was get cardboard to cover the faces of the wheels and wrapped them up with plastic wrap. You can pick it up at office supply stores.

Bunyan · #4 03-21-2010, 07:37 AM

Cool, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions guys.

motordavid · #5 03-21-2010, 08:18 AM

To the OP,
Depending on your local situ, sometimes FedExGround is less pricey than UPS...
and, if you can zing them out the back door of "the company" you work at,
that's even better, lol! Avoid local MailboxesR Us, private shipping joints, etc.

Charlie's pics are right on, and if you are bored, here's a longer version of basically
the same info, pulled up from the Board's ref section:
http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/...ires-rims.html
GL, mD

sprocket1200 · #6 03-21-2010, 11:53 AM

hey guys, what about Greyhound or another bus company. I find them cheap for many things. i think it helps lower the cost since it is depot to depot.

chefwong · #7 03-21-2010, 12:27 PM

Greyhound is another option but it depends on the locale of the recipient as it may be a b1#%h to receive them depending on the parking situation.

One more thing to note is just make sure you are aware of all shipping costs. I must have sold 15-20 wheel sets . Last month I sold a set and after the recipient received them, I got a special handling surcharge..

It is in UPS t/C that wheels, tires, must be in a enclosed cardbox box. If not, it is applicable for special handeling fees, FWIW

CharlieHustleX5 · #8 03-27-2010, 01:04 PM

I received a set of wheels from tirerack a few years back and all they did was tape cardboard discs to the face and back side of the wheel, then poly-strapped the whole wheel and cardboard setup to hold it all together, which provided a handle to grab onto when moving it around.

TowX · #9 03-28-2010, 08:08 AM

Be very careful with Greyhound. I only use them when I have to ship something that's too big for FedEx or UPS (I have found that in most cases when shipping car parts that FedEx is cheaper than Big Brown). Only use Greyhound as a last resort. Here are the reasons:
1) Absolutely no tracking capability. Once you drop your part at Greyhound nobody has a clue where it is until it eventually shows up at the other end.
2) No time commitment, so basically they will get it there when they feel like it. The way Greyhound works is that the driver looks over the available space in his bus then looks at the packages ready to go out and picks the packages that will fit. I've been told that the drivers like to avoid anything that looks really large or heavy. So your part may sit there for a week before a driver finally takes it or a dispatcher gets tired of looking at it and begs a driver to take it.
3) On a delivery, your package could get offloaded and reloaded at several terminals along the way, so the risk of damage goes up exponentially. And see #2 above multiplied for each stop
4) You have to deliver the part to a Greyhound Package Express location. Not every terminal will take a package. I have to go 25 miles to drop packages, passing another bus stop along the way. And you have to deliver to another GPX location near the buyer who has to go get it.

I swapped Porsche whale tails with a fellow in CT. I shipped mine to him the same day he shipped to me. Mine got to him in 4 days, his took 3 weeks to get to me. But for things like body parts and rear bench seats, it's still a viable option.

Sponsored Links