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Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:34 am Post subject: Couriers

Thought this might be useful. I'm having to ship a 4 ton tractor a couple of hundred miles, and had quotes of around ï¿½450.

A bit of Googling gave me these three sites. Current lowest bid is ï¿½225, plus ï¿½35 in fees. Couriers bid on your load and the price plummets.

www.Shiply.com
www.uship.com
www.anyvan.com

Not as cheap as DS courier, for sure, but seems a good idea. I know Shiply's been mentioned before, but I thought I'd add the others.

Mustang

Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 768
Location: Sunny Suffolk

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:44 am Post subject:
I tried shiply once, but got no responses. Maybe my item was too small to bother with? The issue I have right now with a package I have to ship is one of insurance. I can get cheap postage deals, but they don't insure it (or only at a very basic level). Put insurance on (value is ï¿½600) and the price goes ballistic.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 11:50 am Post subject:
Have you tried the Post office? I'm shipping something with a value of ï¿½2,000, and they only want ï¿½8 extra.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 12:38 pm Post subject:
I tried shiply once, someone wanted ï¿½35 to ship a box of meat

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 12:50 pm Post subject:
I've tried shipley a few times - mostly for my solid-fuel-appliance habit. The first few quotes you get tend to be trying it on - then it gets more realistic.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 12:55 pm Post subject:
Indeed. Given that it was Christmas, I think I got a range of small businesses competing. I ended up with ï¿½250, via uShip, with no fees. Guy seems genuine, and he gets paid when he turns up with my tractor, so my risk is minimal.

Mustang

Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 768
Location: Sunny Suffolk

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 12:55 pm Post subject:
Unfortunately, it's 14.7kg, so RM will only insure it to ï¿½500.

camaro

Joined: 31 Mar 2010
Posts: 178
Location: N. Ireland

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 3:36 pm Post subject:

Shiply is great for cars - I just had a Jeep Grand Cherokee delivered from Plymouth to Belfast for ï¿½400.
That included the guy driving it 600 miles (at 17mpg, 4 litre petrol engine), paying for 2 full tanks of fuel (ï¿½120 each), paying for the Holyhead Ferry, then driving it up from Dublin and dropping it at my house in time for me to go to work in it.
All he asked was that I drop him at the nearest airport once he'd delivered it - that's 15 minutes away. Then he paid his own flight back.
I couldn't have done it myself for that price!

Edit - first quote was "ï¿½750, you pay for fuel and any accomodation/food costs"!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46244
Location: yes

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 6:22 pm Post subject:
is he driving the tractor to you ?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 6:47 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

Guy seems genuine, and he gets paid when he turns up with my tractor, so my risk is minimal.

Who's is the risk if the tractor disappears to Ireland?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 6:51 pm Post subject:

dpack wrote:

is he driving the tractor to you ?

I expect it'd be a more comfortable drive than my old fergy from the far side of Anglesey...

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 6:55 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

Nick wrote:

Guy seems genuine, and he gets paid when he turns up with my tractor, so my risk is minimal.

Who's is the risk if the tractor disappears to Ireland?

Mine, but I know where he works, and his details. He's just a regular courier. Same risk as normal I guess.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Tue Jan 03, 12 7:35 pm Post subject:

Chez wrote:

I've tried shipley a few times - mostly for my solid-fuel-appliance habit. The first few quotes you get tend to be trying it on - then it gets more realistic.

Unfortunately I only got the one quote.

Shan

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 12 2:45 pm Post subject:
I can't remember who we used but it was about ï¿½220 for the tractor, the flat 8 and the bucket and the tractor has a loader on it to be transported from Oxford to us.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Thu Jan 12, 12 5:22 pm Post subject:
And I have a tractor, with front loader!

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