How much does it cost to ship a bike?
Shipping a bike can cost more than one might expect because of the large size and oversized packaging they require. It’s difficult to determine exactly how much it will cost to ship one, as rates depend on variables such as weight, the size of the box, and the distance it needs to travel.us were able Telling you that bikes are a very expensive item to send…but luckily, there are a number of ways you can save on shipping. So, let’s buckle up and start pedaling!
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Transporting a bike is expensive due to its size
When you consider the overall dimensions of a bike such as height, width and length, they are large objects that any shipping carrier would consider oversized. In fact, because they are so large, you can’t even ship most bikes with USPS! USPS has strict maximum sizes they allow their shipments because they only focus on shipping mail and smaller packages. Even if you break the bike down into individual parts and put it in a separate box, the dimensions will often end up being more than the USPS allows.
Since this is the case, you’ll need to choose a carrier other than USPS to ship your bike… in our experience, you’ll get the best price ups.
If you’re wondering why UPS is the best choice for other carriers like FedEx, it all boils down to cost. In general, UPS is the primary carrier for shipping heavy items and larger, oversized boxes. They offer similar services to FedEx (such as overnight and ground service) but are generally less expensive. a lot of reduce.
All bikes should come in one big box
Before you consider taking your bike to your local UPS store, let’s talk about packaging.Although you are technically were able We do not recommend shipping a bike without any packaging. If you don’t use any packaging, UPS will still measure the “air” around the bike first, as if it were in a box (like the dimensional weight we just talked about in the previous section). Therefore, you should choose a box from the beginning. This will protect your bike from any damage or scratches in transit and is easier for the delivery driver to handle. ULINE has large cardboard bike boxes that you can use to pack your bikes if you don’t already have one.These types of packs come in a variety of sizes, but The most common is 54 x 28 x 8″.
The cost of transporting a bike depends on weight (or size)
Although UPS specializes in heavier loads, most bikes weigh between 15-80 pounds, depending on style, and given that UPS accepts loads up to 150 pounds, bikes are not all so heavy. However, UPS typically prices large packages based on dimensional weight rather than dimensional weight. actual Weight (they charge based on the larger number). Dimensional weight or “DIM” refers to the space your box takes up on the truck, based on the total volume of your package. Carriers like UPS have a special formula for calculating DIM, which you can check out in our article on dimensional weight.
The fact that packages containing bikes have a relatively high dimensional weight makes them expensive to ship, as you’ll usually pay based on the size of the box rather than the actual weight.
UPS and other carriers treat bicycles as irregular packages
In addition to considering dimensional weight, carriers also consider packages containing bicycles to be considered “irregular packages” due to their odd shape. “Irregular package” basically refers to the shipping of long boxes or oversized boxes in addition to regular hand-held shipping.The biggest pain of irregular wrapping is that you will often incur Additional fee Ship them from UPS (and other carriers), and UPS counts them in your postage costs.
Carriers charge surcharges because these boxes take up more space on their trucks than they are economical.This makes sense if you think about it; space on delivery trucks is limited, so when one package takes up space for one or two other packages, UPS and other carriers need to make up their money Can are shipping those.
That said, the surcharges like “Additional Handling – Length” that you see when transporting a bike is one of the biggest factors that make a bike so expensive.
So how much will it cost?
The cost of shipping a bicycle with UPS varies, but we’ll provide an example.Say you’re shipping a bike in a box with dimensions 54 x 28 x 8″The total weight of the package is 30 pounds, it’s going from New York to Los Angeles.If you ship at a UPS store, this particular package will cost over $150 send! In general, it’s reasonable to assume that you’ll spend around $150 shipping a bike nationwide, and over $100 shipping locally. So if you’re expecting to pay $100 to $150 depending on how far your bike needs to travel, your guess is probably correct.
Save money with online shipping software
Despite the high cost of shipping a bike, one way to keep some money in your pocket is to use online shipping software to buy postage at a discount.
When you use shipping software, you can get special levels of discounts that carriers like UPS typically only offer to large commercial shippers who ship more than 50,000 packages per year.For UPS, this “secret” pricing tier is called Digital Access Program…getting these discounts can save you some serious coins, especially when sending expensive packages like boxes with bikes inside.
For example, shipping the same bike we listed in the example earlier in this article will cost you over $150 at your local UPS store. However, thanks to a discount on the UPS Digital Access Program, the package is only $90.70. That’s a savings of 42%, or about $60! When shipping costs automatically rise due to the size of the box you’re sending, every dollar you can save goes a long way.
