# Why did this go so cheaply?



## Bicycle Belle (Aug 26, 2013)

I thought this bike was beautiful and fully expected it to go for a lot more money. Am I missing something as to why it didn't? Congrats to the winner if he/she is a member of the CABE and hopefully it will stay together.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1952-columb...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


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## bricycle (Aug 26, 2013)

They were smart to bid (even though the shipping was high). They won it!!!


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## Talewinds (Aug 26, 2013)

Because I was driving home from Wisconsin and not able to bid on it. If there's something you want to sell for high $$$ just ask me to put it on my watch list, that seems to drive the prices into the stratosphere...


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## Boris (Aug 26, 2013)

Talewinds said:


> Because I was driving home from Wisconsin and not able to bid on it. If there's something you want to sell for high $$$ just ask me to put it on my watch list, that seems to drive the prices into the stratosphere...




If I list my Colson reflector in the "For Sale" section of the CABE again, would you mind feigning interest?


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## jpromo (Aug 26, 2013)

I probably would have jumped on this if I wasn't gone all last week, with no internet access to search it. Cleveland is close enough to drive to avoid the exorbitant shipping cost. Not the first one missed and not the last..


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## Aerocycle36 (Aug 26, 2013)

*shipping*

Once you tack the 169 dollar shipping cost onto it, the price was about right....


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## rustjunkie (Aug 26, 2013)

Was the shipping charge too much?
Recently bought a bike, had to go from NJ to CA. Seller said: $100 shipping...he had not shipped a bicycle in a long time.
Told him it would certainly cost more and it was not right for him to get stuck paying the extra.
Asked for the bike to be securely packaged, with fenders removed and boxed separately.
Cost not including materials and labor was $182.05.
The bike was packaged as it should have been, and arrived undamaged in CA in the same condition as it left NJ.


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## silvertonguedevil (Aug 26, 2013)

A friend of mine in New Jersey just went to FedEx today to send me a bike and they quoted him $150. He went to UPS and it was $93. Food for thought.....


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## jpromo (Aug 26, 2013)

alw said:


> Was the shipping charge too much?
> Recently bought a bike, had to go from NJ to CA. Seller said: $100 shipping...he had not shipped a bicycle in a long time.
> Told him it would certainly cost more and it was not right for him to get stuck paying the extra.
> Asked for the bike to be securely packaged, with fenders removed and boxed separately.
> ...




It's all about box size. If you put it in a standard bicycle box, they are sized to just slip under the oversize package constraints. Though, I can't count how many times I've brought boxes back home to cut 1/2" off them to make these constraints (and shave the rate in half). That being said, I've shipped over a dozen bikes and maxed out at 85$ to BFE Arizona.

So next time you ship a bike, remember to measure it (and round up every measurement). You want 2xH + 2xW + L to come in under 130 linear inches. Follow this simple rule and you won't pay over 100$ to ship a bike again!


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## Bicycle Belle (Aug 27, 2013)

jpromo said:


> It's all about box size. If you put it in a standard bicycle box, they are sized to just slip under the oversize package constraints. Though, I can't count how many times I've brought boxes back home to cut 1/2" off them to make these constraints (and shave the rate in half). That being said, I've shipped over a dozen bikes and maxed out at 85$ to BFE Arizona.
> 
> So next time you ship a bike, remember to measure it (and round up every measurement). You want 2xH + 2xW + L to come in under 130 linear inches. Follow this simple rule and you won't pay over 100$ to ship a bike again!




Exactly correct! Measure your boxes!
Another thing to remember is that if you can use a business address to ship FedEx it will be significantly cheaper.


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## jd56 (Aug 27, 2013)

Bicycle Belle said:


> Exactly correct! Measure your boxes!
> Another thing to remember is that if you can use a business address to ship FedEx it will be significantly cheaper.




Interesting, never knew that a business address was cheaper, Makes sense I guess.
How much cheaper on average, I wonder?


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## bricycle (Aug 27, 2013)

I'm think'n 10-15%


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## scrubbinrims (Aug 27, 2013)

Last year, I sold a super nice one for over a grand on ebay.




Different condition, but I admit not 800.00 plus difference...this bike was a steal.

It just seems like a buyer's market right now and I am going to hold onto stuff until Trexlertown, only 5 weeks away.

Chris


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (Aug 27, 2013)

scrubbinrims said:


> Last year, I sold a super nice one for over a grand on ebay.
> View attachment 110927
> Different condition, but I admit not 800.00 plus difference...this bike was a steal.
> 
> ...




That's a Nice ride for that price!


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## Nickinator (Aug 27, 2013)

Wow, that was a steal...feel sorry for the seller. Just goes to show you, ebay is fickle, some things go unreasonably high, other times it's like no one is there....

Rule of thumb for me on Fedex is the box needs to be under 27" high- a lot of the bicycle boxes we get are 29" high x 50-52" long x 8-9" wide., and they would incur an oversize charge (extra $50 tacked on to the shipping cost). Someone who used to work at Fedex told me the 27" height is important because the shelves on the planes can accommodate a 27" high box. Whether that's true or not I don't know.

However, it is rare that I can get a complete fullsize ballooner in one box, safely anyway.  The rear wheel and fender usually go in a separate box. So I would not be shipping to any coast for under $100.

And UPS? Don't even get me started.....

Darcie


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## filmonger (Aug 27, 2013)

*RE: Shipping*

Greyhound is cheapest by far...and great for locations that are not in big cities. You just have to pick the bike up from your local greyhound Depot. I consider it the cheapest solution next to the large consolidators.


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## MrColumbia (Aug 27, 2013)

I just shipped a balloon tire bike from Massachusetts to Florida today for $31 through FedEx. Make the boxes as small as possible and ship to a business and it's pretty reasonable.


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## Bri-In-RI (Aug 27, 2013)

I shipped a complete balloon tire Columbia recently from Rhode Island to Oregon for $82 through bikeflights.com
It was a standard bike box that measured 56x9x33 and weighed 62 pounds. Would have been about $7-$8 cheaper if it went to a business.
-Brian


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## Babyboomerbikes (Aug 29, 2013)

*amtrak the bike*

If both parties live near an Amtrak station that accepts baggage (the larger stations). Size of the box doesn't matter, they even sell over/over size boxes. When it arrives at the destination, the new owner is called and must pick it up. Cheaper than ups or fedex.. The bike is simply placed in the baggage car where it rides securely to destination .. Doesn't go thru conveyor belts or ruff handling with thousands of other boxes.Tim


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