Posting a bike to the USA

[Vetus Ossa]

I’m really sorry to be asking this question as I am fairly sure it’s been asked before, I just can’t find it.
I have a bike that I would like to post to America. The guy who would like to buy it has had some quotes and with the details I have sent him and has come up with a quote of near £300, which is too much for him.
I’m sure it could be sent cheaper than this, has anyone had experience in posting a bike there please.

[robgul]

The international carriers like UPS/DHL etc seem to be more expensive than the consolidators that feed them bulk orders (i.e. front end resellers for them) - like Parcel2Go, P4D and Interparcel - worth checking.

AND in the past I've sold a couple of bikes to people in the US and it was cheaper for them to arrange/purchase the carriage from their end - just arranging the pick-up from the UK address. [It's also less hassle and risk for you that way]

Rob

[simonhill]

Complete bike or could you strip?

I've known people strip right down and use normal parcel mail.

It won't be cheap, however you do it.

[Vetus Ossa]

Thank you for the replies.
It will have to be partially stripped to fit in a bike box of course.
When sending myself I usually use parcels2go but as you say Rob, it’s far the best option to let the buyer arrange the courier.
I think in this case the buyer is looking for as cheap as possible.

[The utility cyclist]

ALWAYS send the wheels and frame separately, this makes it far cheaper as you're not in over-size box territory which is what jumps the price considerably. Also you need to get the box as physically small as possible as the charging is done on volume
Take the cranks off, the rear derailleur and chain, also remove the handle bars, seatpost/saddle, this also makes it easier to package with protection.

Actual location in the US can make a difference as to price as well, destinations like NY can be cheaper than places out in the back and beyond with certain couriers.

A quick quote through Interparcel for two parcels is showing £139.41 using Parcelforce Global, that's only £50 compensation so you'd need to up that, £500 is £21.60 more for example.
Parcel sizes I entered were 110x20x60cm @ 10kg and 75x20x68cm @5kg, this should be more than adequate unless you have an enormous fame, in which case I would also remove the forks as well, again this means you can wrap the forks and keep them out of harms way/lessen the chance of damage in transit.
HTH

There's also transworldglobal , I've used them in the past to send a bag of golf clubs to Australia https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/ for central NEw York it's coming up £136.32 plus the insurance is £10 for £500 cover that's UPS as the actual courier.

[Vetus Ossa]

ALWAYS send the wheels and frame separately, this makes it far cheaper as you're not in over-size box territory which is what jumps the price considerably. Also you need to get the box as physically small as possible as the charging is done on volume
Take the cranks off, the rear derailleur and chain, also remove the handle bars, seatpost/saddle, this also makes it easier to package with protection.

Actual location in the US can make a difference as to price as well, destinations like NY can be cheaper than places out in the back and beyond with certain couriers.

A quick quote through Interparcel for two parcels is showing £139.41 using Parcelforce Global, that's only £50 compensation so you'd need to up that, £500 is £21.60 more for example.
Parcel sizes I entered were 110x20x60cm @ 10kg and 75x20x68cm @5kg, this should be more than adequate unless you have an enormous fame, in which case I would also remove the forks as well, again this means you can wrap the forks and keep them out of harms way/lessen the chance of damage in transit.
HTH

There's also transworldglobal , I've used them in the past to send a bag of golf clubs to Australia https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/ for central NEw York it's coming up £136.32 plus the insurance is £10 for £500 cover that's UPS as the actual courier.

Interesting, thank you. I will pass that own to the potential buyer.

[LollyKat]

We sent our son's bike to Australia in November 2017 with SendBike for £189, including the purchase of a box. I also considered Parcelflight but can't remember why we didn't use them.

[The utility cyclist]

We sent our son's bike to Australia in November 2017 with SendBike for £189, including the purchase of a box. I also considered Parcelflight but can't remember why we didn't use them.

Not a bad shout
To the US as one large box it's £195+ extra for compensation, it's not any cheaper using two smaller boxes either, BUT if the OP can get the bike in a 132x18x73cm box (I entered 132x20x71 and the price stayed the same) then it's £109+compensation cover but not sure if that is incl or excl VAT, maybe doable I guess if it's a smallish frame, you take the forks off and you're very, very good at packing.

There's a few avenues but inding the cheapest with a reputable name can take a while, you can find discount codes/cashback as well to take a sliver off the cost.

[Vetus Ossa]

The box I have measures 132 x 23 x 73 and I'm pretty sure I could pack the bike into it.
Those are the figures I sent him so it's really up to him to find a price he's happy with or not buy it.
Thanks for your answers everyone.

[AndyA]

The box I have measures 132 x 23 x 73 and I'm pretty sure I could pack the bike into it.
Those are the figures I sent him so it's really up to him to find a price he's happy with or not buy it.
Thanks for your answers everyone.

In my experience, it's much cheaper if you make the long side 120cm or less. Lots of bikes will fit into a box that size