Cheap(er) shipping options for bicycle?

[allencraig]

Hi folks,

I packed my road bike nicely in a bicycle box and brought it to Phra Khanong post office and was told it would be 11,070thb to ship it to California, U.S.A.! That's as cargo shipment. Regular air or EMS would be more, however by boat would "only" be 9,000thb with a three-month shipping time. None of these options include insurance or extras.

 

I've shipped this exact bike from Colombia and from Vietnam (and from the U.S.) for less than 1/3 the cost, so I can't help feeling like I'm missing something. The bike WITH the tools I also put in the box is 23kg—not heavy at all. It's a standard bike box (see picture.)

 

I'm already bringing my other bike on the flight with me so I'd rather not drag two bikes with me along with my luggage. Anyone have any ideas why this is so expensive to ship and suggestions for reducing my shipping cost?

 

Thanks.

[internationalism]

covid put prices up.

there are not the cheapest options available.

sell this bike

[allencraig]

27 minutes ago, internationalism said:

covid put prices up

They told me this at the Post Office, too, although she couldn't explain why this would be.

"Sell the bike" sounds so easy, but even if I could sell it in the next three days before leaving, I'd have to buy a replacement bike at my destination, and a comparable used bike would be more expensive. (I know, I know, so quit complaining...)

[CharlieH]

Limited options and much fewer flights have seen the PO merge with couriers for load sharing and thats now reflected in the price hike across the board.

11k and a reasonable delivery time is better than a mere 2k saving and 3 months.

Whats the bike worth ?

 

[jackdd]

https://www.thailandpost.co.th/un/rate_result/?country_code=US&weight=23000

You can ask for Logipost, "only" 6670THB

https://international.thailandpost.com/services/logispost-world/?lang=en

[allencraig]

17 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Whats the bike worth

Probably about 14k—or nothing, as I probably couldn't find a buyer for a bike so used. But a comparable replacement bike would probably be about 21k.

[thequietman]

2 hours ago, allencraig said:

Probably about 14k—or nothing, as I probably couldn't find a buyer for a bike so used. But a comparable replacement bike would probably be about 21k.

Is it a mountain bike?  If so. wud be interested, but at a big reduction.

 

Jus tryin to help. ????

[scubascuba3]

For a cheap bike like that i wouldn't bother transporting it unless included in flight luggage allowance. Advertise it on Facebook Marketplace tonight

[sanuk711]

I know you do not want to take with you---but it seems the best option......excess luggage rate would be a lot lower than what you are quoting.....11,070thb for 23 KG

[allencraig]

4 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

excess luggage rate

The excess luggage rate I'm looking at is a ridiculous $500usd!

I can't fathom how any airline could charge that much for a bike in a box, but Japan Airlines does.

[allencraig]

22 minutes ago, thequietman said:

wud be interested

You know, if we were speaking a week ago we'd probably work out a deal. Right now I'm three days out from my flight and one of the bikes is with the post office. (The cargo area was closed, but the regular area let me leave the box until tomorrow.)

[sanuk711]

10 minutes ago, allencraig said:

The excess luggage rate I'm looking at is a ridiculous $500usd!

That is extreme-- have you looked at upping  your seat to Business........just a thought. how many pieces of luggage and weight is Bus class

[bojo]

Pay the 11K, it's way faster, it's done then and you can relax and get on with your travel arrangements.................. that sea freight takes ages trust me, I've send thousands of packages and economy air (SAL) always worked well, sometimes less than 3 weeks to Europe.........Can't remember the insurance thresholds, worth checking........

[allencraig]

58 minutes ago, bojo said:

Pay the 11K, it's way faster, it's done then and you can relax and get on with your travel arrangements.................. that sea freight takes ages trust me, I've send thousands of packages and economy air (SAL) always worked well, sometimes less than 3 weeks to Europe.........Can't remember the insurance thresholds, worth checking........

Probably the best advice. It kills me though.

[allencraig]

On 5/25/2021 at 7:55 PM, bojo said:

Pay the 11K, it's way faster, it's done then and you can relax and get on with your travel arrangements.................. that sea freight takes ages trust me, I've send thousands of packages and economy air (SAL) always worked well, sometimes less than 3 weeks to Europe.........Can't remember the insurance thresholds, worth checking........

FYI, I cut down the box to reduce it's size and was able to get the shipping fee down to 6000thb! That's a big difference, just from shaving about 44cm from the box.

[occamde]

FedEx, DHL, UPS, and others are the common bike shipment options now. UPS bike shipment rates will be the cheapest among the three. In addition, Some airlines offer services for passengers who bring their bikes to other countries. The bike shipping cost that you have to pay is from $300 to $800; it still depends on the bike's weight and size.

[NextG]

23 hours ago, occamde said:

FedEx, DHL, UPS, and others are the common bike shipment options now. UPS bike shipment rates will be the cheapest among the three. In addition, Some airlines offer services for passengers who bring their bikes to other countries. The bike shipping cost that you have to pay is from $300 to $800; it still depends on the bike's weight and size.

Two years later?

[Pink Mist]

OP poster has obviously found his answer a few years back.  Since this Topic is over 2 years old and the OP poster has not returned to it the OP is now 

 

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