Shipping Box Dimensions

[t4t3r]

I want to sell off some shafts that have been sitting in the closet and need to find some extra boxes for shipping.

 

With the dimensional pricing and increased costs etc, I am trying to remember the max LWH to keep the fees reasonable.
 

Is it 46x5x5? 

 

Thanks

[bhj83]

1 minute ago, t4t3r said:

I want to sell off some shafts that have been sitting in the closet and need to find some extra boxes for shipping.

 

With the dimensional pricing and increased costs etc, I am trying to remember the max LWH to keep the fees reasonable.
 

Is it 46x5x5? 

 

Thanks

The one that almost got me recently was UPS...looks like anything under 48" is clear of extra charges. I use Pirate Ship to create labels and UPS has been the cheapest option for shipping golf clubs. USPS now charges a surcharge for anything over 36" I think. 

 

A package with the longest side exceeding 48 inches or second-longest side exceeding 30 inches.

[ode]

Use the various ship calculators and see for yourself!

[puresurfr]

be careful with those 48" boxes, UPS loves to say the 48" is the interior of the box and your box is over 48" from the outside and u have to pay a oversize fe which doubles your rate.    I always cut my box down at least half an inch to make sure.  They love adding that overage.  Pirate Ship has always managed to get me a refund after UPS charged the overage

[t4t3r]

2 minutes ago, puresurfr said:

be careful with those 48" boxes, UPS loves to say the 48" is the interior of the box and your box is over 48" from the outside and u have to pay a oversize fe which doubles your rate.    I always cut my box down at least half an inch to make sure.  They love adding that overage.  Pirate Ship has always managed to get me a refund after UPS charged the overage

Thanks. This is the kind of actual experience I was hoping for. I remember reading posts last year of some people getting hit with fees after the fact even from pirateship. That doesn’t show up on the shipping calculator. I’ve been using pirateship but also wanted to be vigilant.

Edited January 14, 2023 by t4t3r

[Rob_X]

2 hours ago, t4t3r said:

Thanks. This is the kind of actual experience I was hoping for. I remember reading posts last year of some people getting hit with fees after the fact even from pirateship. That doesn’t show up on the shipping calculator. I’ve been using pirateship but also wanted to be vigilant.

 

Always use something like Pirate Ship, Paypal Shipping, or something else that will get you a good price.

 

Yes, make sure you measure the outer dimension of the length and ensure it is <48".  The best are "47"" boxes because they will definitely be under 48 after the flaps are taped up.  If you go over 48", if goes from being maybe $12 to being more like $25.

 

For cross section, I generally find it is cheapest if you can keep it less than 12" for the sum of both sides.  For example, 6"x6" is cheap, 7"x5" is cheap, but 7"x6" is more expensive.

 

Weight makes a small difference, but generally <2 lb is cheap, and if you go up to 3 lb it may add a few dollars.

 

Also, make sure it is a rectangular box.  Triangular shipping boxes will get a irregular shape surcharge!

Edited January 14, 2023 by Rob_X

[brew4eagle]

Enter actual dimensions on pirateship and then enter the smallest size if you were to cut the box down.  If the $ difference is worth the effort, then get out a box knife.

[chavycha]

If you're just shipping shafts, skip the box entirely. Go to Home Depot, get some 1" white PVC and a few end caps. The total cost is about $5 per shaft. I buy the 10' lengths and just cut to size. It's never longer than 45" or so that way.

 

UPS/USPS have to try really hard to break rigid PVC tubing. Not so much on a box.  You do have to be a little creative with the scissors and label, but IMHO this is a far better solution than paying $10/box to the UPS store or having to hit up the golf shop for their spares.

Edited January 16, 2023 by chavycha

[brew4eagle]

4 hours ago, chavycha said:

If you're just shipping shafts, skip the box entirely. Go to Home Depot, get some 1" white PVC and a few end caps. The total cost is about $5 per shaft. I buy the 10' lengths and just cut to size. It's never longer than 45" or so that way.

 

UPS/USPS have to try really hard to break rigid PVC tubing. Not so much on a box.  You do have to be a little creative with the scissors and label, but IMHO this is a far better solution than paying $10/box to the UPS store or having to hit up the golf shop for their spares.

I've read you'll get hit with a non-rectangular container surcharge if you do that.  Have you not experienced the surcharge?

[njmack]

4 hours ago, brew4eagle said:

I've read you'll get hit with a non-rectangular container surcharge if you do that.  Have you not experienced the surcharge?

 

Not OP, but I have. Didn't use PVC pipe, but it was a sturdy cardboard tube. Was well under 48" and obv super light, but got hit with the surcharge after shipment thru Pirate Ship. Can't remember what it was exactly, but it was at least $10.

Edited January 16, 2023 by njmack

[chavycha]

4 hours ago, brew4eagle said:

I've read you'll get hit with a non-rectangular container surcharge if you do that.  Have you not experienced the surcharge?

 

I have not and I've shipped probably 50 in the past year with this method. 🤷‍♂️

[Rob_X]

9 hours ago, chavycha said:

 

I have not and I've shipped probably 50 in the past year with this method. 🤷‍♂️

 

Maybe the UPS store where you drop off or whoever scans in the packages are super nice or lax?  It seems like no one likes round or triangular tubes anymore.

[chavycha]

14 minutes ago, Rob_X said:

 

Maybe the UPS store where you drop off or whoever scans in the packages are super nice or lax?  It seems like no one likes round or triangular tubes anymore.

 

I don't know. I will keep doing it until I get hit with a charge. 

 

I usually ship through Shipstation, Facebook marketplace shipping, and eBay, and drop off at the local UPS store. They are usually pretty helpful and aware. I wonder if I am just getting the "frequent customer and all around great guy" treatment. 

[rainkingjr]

You're better off shipping drivers with the head removed so you can easily get under the 48" mark.

[chavycha]

5 hours ago, rainkingjr said:

You're better off shipping drivers with the head removed so you can easily get under the 48" mark.

Yep..when I ship them I take the head off, wrap the head in padding (and/or its headcover), and put the shaft in pipe as described above. All goes into a 48*6*6 box. 

[Mych]

Also remember that it's pretty easy to turn a 48" box into a 47" box. Just take a box cutter or sturdy scissors, cut an inch-long slit in each of the 4 corners, fold the sides down, and trim the excess off of the flaps. 

 

Much cheaper to modify the box than to pay a surcharge. 

[BoomShakalaka5]

On 1/16/2023 at 5:37 AM, chavycha said:

If you're just shipping shafts, skip the box entirely. Go to Home Depot, get some 1" white PVC and a few end caps. The total cost is about $5 per shaft. I buy the 10' lengths and just cut to size. It's never longer than 45" or so that way.

 

UPS/USPS have to try really hard to break rigid PVC tubing. Not so much on a box.  You do have to be a little creative with the scissors and label, but IMHO this is a far better solution than paying $10/box to the UPS store or having to hit up the golf shop for their spares.

Pure genius.  No way that gets damaged.  

[chavycha]

On 1/28/2023 at 5:41 AM, BoomShakalaka5 said:

Pure genius.  No way that gets damaged.  

 

Once upon a time, I used to ship a lot of fishing rod parts all around the world. We had custom made tubes for shipping, but they were basically just PVC cut to length. Every once in a great while, one would get stuck in a conveyor and get damaged. But we are talking like one in every thousand. 

 

1 in PVC and caps is just perfect for golf club shafts. The grip fits snugly so only needs a little bit of padding on the end if the tube is a little long for the shaft. I usually wrap the adapter tips in one layer of bubble wrap too. Cut the UPS label into a couple of pieces so all the barcodes are readable from the same side. Tape the caps on, and it's good to go.

 

Total cost for packing in this manner is about five bucks. $2.50 for the pvc, and $1.17 each for the caps. 

 

I have not run into any issues with non-machinable surcharges, but if I have an issue with that, I will probably still pack in the same manner and put it inside an appropriate rectangular box. There's just no way I would ship a graphite shaft without some sort of rigid sleeve. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by chavycha