# FedEx strikes again!



## Robertriley (May 4, 2015)

FedEx blew the box open at each end and lost on of the pedals.  Terry said that they were wrapped up so my guess is that they fell out and someone threw them back in the box loose.  The loose pedal beat the crap out of an original paint bike and bent the fender brace and fender and scratched the frame and the fender.  What a-holes!


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## Robertriley (May 4, 2015)

Otherwise.....it is a beautiful bike.


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## bikewhorder (May 4, 2015)

I just shipped a bike with Fed Ex and the buyer reported that the front of the bike was poking out of the box when it arrived. Luckily there was no damage but the WTF are they doing with these packages?!?! You really need to pack the hell out of these bikes. Foam pipe insulation and double boxing is required for any OG bikes.


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## Euphman06 (May 4, 2015)

I usually have good luck with fedex...not sure what's going on with them.


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## SirMike1983 (May 4, 2015)

Foam pipe insulation is mandatory for shipping a bike in my book, as is a fork block. You would be surprised how often the boxes are "tossed" into the truck or people drop them. I've left bikes at Fed Ex in the past, only to see the clerk just let the box dead drop onto the floor once he had moved it to the pile and the transaction was complete. I've seen guys dead drop bikes onto the front step, either because the box slipped or he just dropped it. I save virtually all decent packing material from stuff I buy and I almost inevitably end up using close to all of it on a later package to account for all this rough handling. I suspect your bike got even rougher treatment that foam pipe insulation even could not stop.


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## Robertriley (May 4, 2015)

It had foam pipe insulation on everything but the pedal ripped through it and to bend the fender brace like that is crazy.


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## pedal_junky (May 4, 2015)

Yep Chris, she's a beauty alright. I tape all seams on the bike box for added strength, especially whe re-using boxes. Zip tie pedals together into a cardboard sandwich then to the spokes etc. Pack them to be dropped. Can we get a group photo of your collection?  It's getting ginormous!


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## jkent (May 4, 2015)

you cant blame it all on FedEx, to me it looks like poor packing from the shipper. Not the carrier.
just my .02


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## vincev (May 4, 2015)

Doesnt seem like there are any good shippers out there.I rather go see the bike in person now.


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## scrubbinrims (May 4, 2015)

You have to protect the bike from trauma on the outside and from itself on the inside.
I put all loose parts like pedals in a box and pull the front wheel axle, using cardboard buffers between everything.
Always fork blocks and take the rear fender stays off the rear hub for some flexion.
Front fender removed and strung to the front wheel, seat well padded and between the fork and downtube.
Chris


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## tanksalot (May 4, 2015)

I'm sorry that happened to you.


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## tanksalot (May 4, 2015)

What he said . Thats exactly how I pack Balloon tire bikes. 







scrubbinrims said:


> You have to protect the bike from trauma on the outside and from itself on the inside.
> I put all loose parts like pedals in a box and pull the front wheel axle, using cardboard buffers between everything.
> Always fork blocks and take the rear fender stays off the rear hub for some flexion.
> Front fender removed and strung to the front wheel, seat well padded and between the fork and downtube.
> Chris


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## Euphman06 (May 4, 2015)

I make sure to cover with pipe insulation, and zip tie the front wheel to the frame so the bike travels with both wheels on the bottom of the box. I figure most of the impacts will be guys dropping the box or sitting it down hard so both wheels on the ground will absorb the impact.


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## CWCMAN (May 4, 2015)

That's to bad Chris. Looks like the FedEx shipping gorillas handled that box. 

Great looking bike though......Can you say black walls..


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## Robertriley (May 4, 2015)

pedal_junky said:


> Yep Chris, she's a beauty alright. I tape all seams on the bike box for added strength, especially whe re-using boxes. Zip tie pedals together into a cardboard sandwich then to the spokes etc. Pack them to be dropped. Can we get a group photo of your collection?  It's getting ginormous!




I have three more coming.  I'll update a family photo for you.


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## Robertriley (May 4, 2015)

jkent said:


> you cant blame it all on FedEx, to me it looks like poor packing from the shipper. Not the carrier.
> just my .02




I have to say, the packing was just as good or better than most.  I'm not sure how the pedals got loose but that's what did the damage.


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## decotriumph (May 4, 2015)

That's a lot of damage from a pedal. That looks like fork truck or drop damage. Those fenders would be hard to bend that much on the edge like that even if you threw a pedal at them.


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## Joe Buffardi (May 4, 2015)

The fender trauma is from impact. Its creased. I cant stress this enough to all bike collectors. Treat the packing like if you were receiving the bike. Think of all the bad things that could happen to it and proceed with the very best packing job everytime not matter what! Even if it takes you 2 hours to do it. 

Loose pedals in a giant box doesnt fly with me.
Loose fenders faced down in a box with a light still attached. Try again!
When you take a wheel off of a fork and remove the axle, install the axle back into the dropouts of the fork and add two backing nuts so the fork will not collapse under pressure. Remember these boxes are stacked in a plane and weight is not your friend on a brazed fork leg. 

Oh and take the flippin rack off I just saw a beautiful rack that looked like it was  rear ended by a semi. Its 4 bolts guys take it off. 

The box pictured by RoberRiley looked exhuasted to me. Possibly recycled and passed around too many times. Know when to say when. If you find a box that has had more use than a drag slick on race day, Throw it in the trash and get a better box ! 

I could go on and on but I wont and now seeing this Im keeping all my complete bike buying local. After seeing to killer bikes go from hero to zero. Im bummed out and feel bad for the receiving end of the deal.


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## 37fleetwood (May 4, 2015)

the absolute tragedy of shipping a bike is that you have no control from across the country as to how well the seller packs the bike. when I bought my big tank bike I called BBC and begged them to pack it well, I offered to pay extra (and did) and the guy acted like I was insulting him, and the douche bag packed it so badly is came with big dents and scratches where the front axle rode all the way across the country against the rear fender, and the rear fender was smashed into the rear tire from being dropped.
that said when I've complained at FedEx the girl at the counter just kinda goes blank and shrugs when you explain they can't just drop the box on it's end.
there's a part of me that just wants to beat someone with a crank arm!


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (May 4, 2015)

I think that could have been packed better. .. I also tape every side ocd style regardless if it's a bike box or not... especially if the box has been used many times before.  Pedals always go in their own little box... imho...I also wrap padding  around critical edges or whole bike depending on condition. .. ends are always stuffed with padding tell nothing can move... no side to side or rear to rear moment at all... can't just throw a bike in a box with some newspaper and Xtra cardboard and expect it to arrive in one piece. ..


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## cyclingday (May 4, 2015)

I just had a bike shipped by Amtrak, and I was very pleased. The boxes they provide are huge, so the whole bike came nearly completely assembled.
The packing was done by a veteran, so it was wrapped in a cocoon of foam, bubble and plastic wrap. 
As far as I know, thats the first bike I've had shipped by rail, but those guys have lots of space so big boxes are not a problem.

Fed Ex is the absolute worst in my opinion. Everytime Ive had an issue with shipping, they have been the culprit.
Sorry to hear about the damage, Chris.
It's always such a bummer to have something so avoidable happen just because of carelessness during shipping.


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## GTs58 (May 4, 2015)

My favorite busted up bike came partially disassembled and everything just thrown in a box. Then the box was completely filled with super soft popcorn for protection just in case the bike and parts might be sliding and flopping around in the box.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (May 4, 2015)

Robertriley said:


> FedEx blew the box open at each end and lost on of the pedals.  Terry said that they were wrapped up so my guess is that they fell out and someone threw them back in the box loose.  The loose pedal beat the crap out of an original paint bike and bent the fender brace and fender and scratched the frame and the fender.  What a-holes!View attachment 212528View attachment 212530View attachment 212532View attachment 212534View attachment 212536




I ALWAYS zip-tie the pedals to the chainring, as well as other small parts. Zip-ties are your friend and enemy to the knuckle draggers! I also use high-density foam in a can, to fill in the nooks and crannies. This keeps the parts from shifting.


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## Andrew Gorman (May 4, 2015)

The last bike I bought on e-Bay came rattling around in a bike box with some little girls' birthday party wrapping paper and cards thrown in for "padding".  It didn't make it,but there were still a few useable parts.  Never again!


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## jd56 (May 5, 2015)

Old used up worn out boxes always are a gamble. I get used boxes from a couple different bike shops. 
I probably spend better than 4 hours packing a bike. I use foam insulation in most cases coupled with large bubbled bubblewrap.  Shrink-wrap as well. I take the fork off and wrap separately.  As well.as the rear racks if it's a tight fit with it still installed. Always remove the front axle. All loose parts are Bubblewrapped and placed in a separate box or bag (which is also Bubblewrapped). 
Probably the most tedious put of the job is stuffing balled up newspaper in the box to fill the voids. Adds weight but eliminates the shifting of loose parts if any. 
I try to wire tie all the loose parts to the bubblewrapped frame. If the pieces can be moved within the box then they will cause damage.
I probably spend over $30 in supplies for each box.
Peace of mind as a shipper is top priority to me.
I know I hate surprises when a bike box shows up at my door.
I don't think I have shipped a bike with damage within as result.
And fedex has been good to me. But it's because I expect the worst and prepare for it.

It's all about the Tanklights!!

How did I run out of room so fast?


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## partsguy (May 5, 2015)

While I have had nothing that bad happen yet, I did make some rookie mistakes when I shipped my first couple of bikes. Well, first couple of bikes and first part.

The first lesson I learned was when I first started out and shipped a springer fork off a beat-up Spaceliner I was going to scrap. I didn't leave enough room for packing or for the box to have any "give". The result was a fork that punched through the box. I always leave anywhere from 1-4 inches for packing, depending on what the item is.

The second lesson is that you CANNOT trust tape to hold a bike together inside the box. I zip-tie EVERYTHING to the bike and go over the parts with foam tubing and cardboard. I use buffers on all axle ends and anything fragile I either wrap really good or ship separately.

In the case of bike equipped with brake and shifter and shifter handles, I now remove all of them and box them up and shrink wrap the box and everything else to the bike. The bicycle has to be all one shrink-wrapped, padded, zip-tied, and hog-tied cluster of metal before it goes in that box. Don't leave a single screw loose.


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## militarymonark (May 5, 2015)

to avoid the box breaking I wrap the entire box in tape.


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## Duck (May 5, 2015)

- and then some people get all pissy when a seller won't ship. I feel your pain- you should see what's left of a once valuable antique radio I just took delivery of...


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

The only way around it is if each delivery step has accountability, and that will cost the consumer more and take longer.
Nice if was handled as a vehicle delivery, with a sheet marking all box damage and signed off by next person taking delivery over....


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## partsguy (May 5, 2015)

Duck said:


> - and then some people get all pissy when a seller won't ship. I feel your pain- you should see what's left of a once valuable antique radio I just took delivery of...




Oh no...what was it?


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## Duck (May 5, 2015)

bricycle said:


> The only way around it is if each delivery step has accountability, and that will cost the consumer more and take longer.



-or just remember to write; "Fragile/ This Side Up" somewhere on the box...


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## partsguy (May 5, 2015)

bricycle said:


> The only way around it is if each delivery step has accountability, and that will cost the consumer more and take longer.
> Nice if was handled as a vehical delivery, with a sheet marking all box damage and signed off by next person taking delivery over....




YUUUPPP!!!

Those fat cats in high up corporate don't give a rat's ass about their customer's items, so long as they make their millions. They'd rather pay the insurance claims than implement a quality management and accountability system. It's cheaper that way. I hope they enjoy their fish eggs!


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

Duck said:


> -or just remember to write; "Fragile/ This Side Up" somewhere on the box...




that would work if the handler treated it as if it was their own package....


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## partsguy (May 5, 2015)

There was a postal worker who took my package, and asked if it was "fragile, liquid, potentially hazardous, or contains perfume or lithium-ion batteries", to which I replied "no". The took the package and threw the damn thing like it was a Frisbee, into the pick up cart 15ft away.

Even though the item wasn't "fragile", it's the principle of it. She did it right in front of my face.


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

partsguy said:


> There was a postal worker who took my package, and asked if it was "fragile, liquid, potentially hazardous, or contains perfume or lithium-ion batteries", to which I replied "no". The took the package and threw the damn thing like it was a Frisbee, into the pick up cart 15ft away.
> 
> Even though the item wasn't "fragile", it's the principle of it. She did it right in front of my face.




it's what you don't see, that's the killer.....


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

not positive, but believe even though a box is in super condition, if box has been used more than once, insurance may not be viable.


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## Duck (May 5, 2015)

bricycle said:


> that would work if the handler treated it as if it was their own package....



Apparently my "Factitious" font isn't showing up again-


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## bike (May 5, 2015)

I once got a bike that was foamed in and it took me days to chip out the foam- very frustrating


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## Joe Buffardi (May 5, 2015)

Just pack the bike as if it were going to war.


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## Obi-Wan Schwinnobi (May 5, 2015)

Joe Buffardi said:


> Just pack the bike as if it were going to war.



So no loose 1 inch bearings just tossed in ?


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

Duck said:


> Apparently my "Factitious" font isn't showing up again-




oh... I get it czarchasm


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## Robertriley (May 5, 2015)

bike said:


> I once got a bike that was foamed in and it took me days to chip out the foam- very frustrating




Lmao, I know it's not funny but I can just see your face and the WTF look on it.  I would be pissed.


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

Robertriley said:


> Lmao, I know it's not funny but I can just see your face and the WTF look on it.  I would be pissed.




...been there, done that. I jest pretended I was an Archeologist


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## Joe Buffardi (May 5, 2015)

Hahah


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## Joe Buffardi (May 5, 2015)

Obi-Wan Schwinnobi said:


> So no loose 1 inch bearings just tossed in ?




No! No


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## cyclingday (May 5, 2015)

One shipping disaster that won't forget, was the one where the tip of the front fender got hammered so frequently during shipping, that it was literally rolled like the top of a sardine can. It looked like a scroll.
I sat on the front porch and rolled it back out with my thumbs and forefingers.
Amazingly, it worked, and now you can't even tell.
But, I always wondered how it could have got like that it the first place.


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

cyclingday said:


> One shipping disaster that won't forget, was the one where the tip of the front fender got hammered so frequently during shipping, that it was literally rolled like the top of a sardine can. It looked like a scroll.
> I sat on the front porch and rolled it back out with my thumbs and forefingers.
> Amazingly, it worked, and now you can't even tell.
> But, I always wondered how it could have got like that it the first place.




dem dern shipp'n Gremlins!


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## cheeseroc (May 5, 2015)

Bought a stingray on ebay last week and this is how it arrived... On the plus side, my wife didn't think it was a bike.


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## bricycle (May 5, 2015)

cheeseroc said:


> View attachment 212630
> 
> Bought a stingray on ebay last week and this is how it arrived... On the plus side, my wife didn't think it was a bike.




looks a bit like a body-snatcher pod...


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## Sped Man (May 5, 2015)

cheeseroc said:


> View attachment 212630
> 
> Bought a stingray on ebay last week and this is how it arrived... On the plus side, my wife didn't think it was a bike.




Did the bike arrive in good shape? Was it damaged to the inferior packing or did it arrive without a scratch? Just curious


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## miskeeta (May 5, 2015)

Back in 1989 bought a bike from Larry (memory Lane) schwinn straight bar came in two boxes thru UPS they lost one of the boxes showed up about a month later.Just bought a bike on the cabe packed real nice came thru fed ex just the luck of the draw


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## HIGGINSFOREVER (May 5, 2015)

You can go in any post office and get rolls of priority packing tape FREE.I have 12 rolls that i picked up when ever i pass a post office


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## Duck (May 5, 2015)

bricycle said:


> oh... I get it czarchasm



 Fascist wit in the west ...


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## fordsnake (May 5, 2015)

I have a simple tactic that actually deters the shipping morons from throwing my box around. I print each of these placards out as large as possible on 8.5" x 11" (big means business). Then add them to both sides of my shipping box...it works for me.


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## partsguy (May 6, 2015)

cheeseroc said:


> View attachment 212630
> 
> Bought a stingray on ebay last week and this is how it arrived... On the plus side, my wife didn't think it was a bike.




Is that a car windshield deflector?


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## Nickinator (May 15, 2015)

I have shipped over 200 bikes with Fedex, first time I've ever had a problem with them....what is going on? Did they hire a bunch of laid-off UPS workers? Is this sabotage? LOL 

Seriously tho', sent a frame/tank/fork to SoCal last week, small size new bike box, with huge arrows markered on the sides (a Fedex employee at the store told me they don't pay any attention to those anyway ) and enough bubble wrap and foam so it could not move in the box, well looks like it was either laying flat at the bottom of a very heavy pile, or it got ran over, rear stays were squished down to 2" apart! No packing would've prevented that....very disappointed with Fedex, I suppose it only takes a few careless employees, I wonder if it is an issue with a certain hub? May have to start insuring everything, and then pray.

Darcie


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## partsguy (May 15, 2015)

What I got from jd56 the other day was the most well packaged item I had ever received. I'll post a pic later.


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## Joe Buffardi (May 15, 2015)

I would go with UPS. I just received my 37 Firestone Fleetwood and no damage at all. Fedex is a joke these days.


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## catfish (May 15, 2015)

HIGGINSFOREVER said:


> You can go in any post office and get rolls of priority packing tape FREE.I have 12 rolls that i picked up when ever i pass a post office




You can't beat their free boxes too!


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## catfish (May 15, 2015)

Joe Buffardi said:


> I would go with UPS. I just received my 37 Firestone Fleetwood and no damage at all. Fedex is a joke these days.




For years fedex was my go to for shipping. in the last few months that has changed.


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## Euphman06 (May 15, 2015)

I'm a little concerned over this... fedex always had the cheapest rates and bikeflights works through them. I had a fedex bike pop through the front, but luckily no damage just a few weeks ago. The last time fedex dropped off a package (non bike related) it was the wrong thing. My package and someone elses package got switched I guess because we both have a 150 address but different streets. The package I got was rush delivery, overnight by noon from a pharmaceutical company that's only 30 minutes away... seemed like something important to have been put on the wrong doorstep. I had to deliver it myself.


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## Nickinator (May 15, 2015)

catfish said:


> For years fedex was my go to for shipping. in the last few months that has changed.




That's what I'm seeing too. Wonder what has changed? 

Darcie


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## partsguy (May 15, 2015)

FedEx will lose my business if any of these horror stories happen to me on a regular basis. Luckily, they have not been a problem. Their claims department has been very cooperative and made things right.

There were some small parts that somehow fell off a bike and got lost a couple times. But that was a long time ago and I simply packed them better next time and sent the buyer replacement parts.


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## Lux Low (May 15, 2015)

I have shipped thousands of bikes with no damage, Sellers think you can just put it in a box and your done, IT IS THE SELLERS RESPONSIBILITY TO DELIVER A GOOD PRODUCT TO A BUYER, There is no magic protection because you bought insurance, Nothing like telling your buyer oh Fed Ex Did it why don't you not use or assemble your bike for 6 months while the claim goes through. JUst Sayin


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## decotriumph (May 16, 2015)

Nickinator said:


> I have shipped over 200 bikes with Fedex, first time I've ever had a problem with them....what is going on? Did they hire a bunch of laid-off UPS workers? Is this sabotage? LOL
> 
> Seriously tho', sent a frame/tank/fork to SoCal last week, small size new bike box, with huge arrows markered on the sides (a Fedex employee at the store told me they don't pay any attention to those anyway ) and enough bubble wrap and foam so it could not move in the box, well looks like it was either laying flat at the bottom of a very heavy pile, or it got ran over, rear stays were squished down to 2" apart! No packing would've prevented that....very disappointed with Fedex, I suppose it only takes a few careless employees, I wonder if it is an issue with a certain hub? May have to start insuring everything, and then pray.
> 
> Darcie




No way would I ship without insurance, whether FedEx, USPS, or UPS. It's only $1 per $100 of value w/FedEx (BikeFlights). $10 to insure a $1000 bike? Yeah, I always ship insured.


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## Nickinator (May 16, 2015)

decotriumph said:


> No way would I ship without insurance, whether FedEx, USPS, or UPS. It's only $1 per $100 of value w/FedEx (BikeFlights). $10 to insure a $1000 bike? Yeah, I always ship insured.




In the past I have always left the choice of insurance up to the buyer, some do not want the extra cost no matter how reasonable it is. And up until recently we have had no issues since we do pack our bikes very well- and we've shipped some valuable and fragile bikes like a restored Aerocycle and aluminum Evinrude. 

May rethink the insurance thing, tho insurance claims are no guarantee you'll be reimbursed or compensated, I know of one case that took nearly a year to resolve, and others where it was denied because the other party refused to cooperate or take pics/save box. 

Darcie


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## Joe Buffardi (May 16, 2015)

Always ship with insurance. It should always be included it's not an extra. It protection and good business practice.


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## bikewhorder (May 16, 2015)

I always just eat the insurance cost for the piece of mind it gives.


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## Robertriley (May 16, 2015)

bikewhorder said:


> I always just eat the insurance cost for the piece of mind it gives.




I'm right there with you


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