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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Oregon Bill on March 20, 2008, 11:06:00 AM

Title: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Oregon Bill on March 20, 2008, 11:06:00 AM
First, read up on how to ship a bow. Then go to hardware store and ask them to cut a six-foot section of 3-inch inside diameter PVC. Seems kinda heavy, heh. Go to register and pay. $26 bucks! Are you kidding? No, and since we've cut it for you, it's yours. OK. Go home with your PVC. Geez, this is kind a heavy, heh. Just for the heck of it, weigh the PVC. Nearly 11 pounds? To mail a 12-ounce longbow? Calculate postage at USPS site for 12 pounds to zip code in Maine? Ayee! $28 clams! That's  well over $50 bucks. Re-read how to ship bows. Carpet tubing is free. Cool. Drive to carpet store five miles away. Tubing is too small. Drive to second carpet store 12 miles away. Sure we have what you want. I get $5 per tube. OK. Drive 12 miles back home for total of 24, in Ford F150, about 1.5 gallons unleaded at $3.52 per gallon. Wrap bow in bubble wrap, styrofoam, etc and pack nicely into tube. Use up rest of mailing tape. Go to store for another role, $2 plus gas. Finally got her done. Drive to post office and mail, insured, $23. Total cost, not including time and aggravation, about $61 ...
Some are blessed with a mind for business. Then there's me ...
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: PastorSteveHill on March 20, 2008, 11:08:00 AM
Or just keep the box it came in and ship it that way??? hahah.. Just kidding
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Austin Brown on March 20, 2008, 11:15:00 AM
LOL, that about sums up my experience of selling a bow as well. I think I ended up spending about what you did.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Blackhawk on March 20, 2008, 11:17:00 AM
That's a good one...   :scared:    

Does anyone buy bows in Washington or Oregon?     :confused:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: vermonster13 on March 20, 2008, 11:18:00 AM
A lot of the boxes bows come in aren't reusable unfortunately. $5 a tube isn't bad compared to PVC or buying a box. I'm lucky I have 4 stores in town and they all give it away and two even cut it to length for me at the store. I wouldn't recommend a 6' tube though, odds are you'll get hit with the balloon payment for being over 86" total.

If nothing else the lesson was priceless. (next time buy more than one tube to save on future gas)
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Wednesday Caste on March 20, 2008, 11:21:00 AM
LOL. The lesson you should have learned is only buy bows- never, I repeat, never sell them!
The archer with the most sticks at the end wins.  :D
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Kingstaken on March 20, 2008, 11:23:00 AM
I just did a post where I received this bow ship ped this way.
Where I don't recommend it, it was delivered safely..and cheaply... :D  
  (http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q93/Kingtaken/DSC00183.jpg)
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Jwilliam on March 20, 2008, 11:23:00 AM
And I thought I had a stressful day!!!  :biglaugh:


Bill
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Hot Hap on March 20, 2008, 12:35:00 PM
Now I know why I have 18 or 20 hanging down the basement. Hap
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: laddy on March 20, 2008, 01:47:00 PM
I was going to give my collection of Schulz bows away, but if it that costly to mail them forget it.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: WildmanSC on March 20, 2008, 01:56:00 PM
Now I know why I buy only T/D longbows and recurves.  When I sell or trade them it is much easier and cheaper to package and ship them!

Bill
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: LEOPARD on March 20, 2008, 03:00:00 PM
HAHA.....I think Kingstaken's bow takes the cake here! That's definately NOT the way to ship a bow!  ;)   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: michiganbowguy on March 20, 2008, 03:00:00 PM
i just sent out a longbow and arrows in a 3 inch pvc tube and it cost me 14 bucks.

mbg
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: SCATTERSHOT on March 20, 2008, 03:09:00 PM
laddy, send 'em to me. I'll pay the postage, least I can do.

Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Talondale on March 20, 2008, 03:29:00 PM
Yeah, I did the carpet tube run -- too small thing too.  UPS shipping store gave me some triangle boxes to use.  Bubble wrap was free too, leftover from some furniture I bought.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: buckracks7 on March 20, 2008, 03:37:00 PM
There are different weights of PVC. I bought 4" diameter thin wall PVC in a 8 foot section for about $6. I cut it myself. I think the caps were about a buck a piece.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: alaskabowhunter on March 20, 2008, 03:53:00 PM
you should see what the packages look like when they finally arrive here in Alaska after being shipped up from the lower 48.... I am amazed none of the bows I have bought have never been damaged in transit... (knock on wood)... I'll ship a seller a box I build and reinforce myself so that I know they have a suitable box for shipping. The extra expense to send a shipping box for expensive bows is worth the peace of mind. Sticking a 1"x2"  in the shipping box which is a couple inches longer than the bow you are shipping will protect the bow tips from being crushed without adding a lot of extra weight... just an idea for future reference
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: DeerSpotter on March 20, 2008, 04:07:00 PM
Sometimes if you go to a sporting-goods store you can find tubes that they received fishing rods in.  Ask them if you can have them, they are generally three to three half-inch is in diameter.  I shipped out of bow wrapped in bubble wrap in one of those tubes last week.  It works out great, if you receive a bow in a tube, do not throw it out !

Carl
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Dick in Seattle on March 20, 2008, 08:24:00 PM
I have been shipping a lot of longbows.  I buy fairly light 3" plastic drain tube at Lowe's for $4.65 an 8' length.    I cut it to 72",  This produces package that is under the 84" dimension at which extra charges come into play.   The extra piece is handy for shipping, or storing, arrows.   This tubing is kind of corrugated looking, but works fine.   I've probably shipped 20 bows in it in the lasdt two years and no problems.   Cost is generally under $20.   If you use the very heavy wall PVC cost can get up over $35.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Shawn Leonard on March 20, 2008, 09:34:00 PM
I just sent a schafer recurve(one-piece) to Canada in a recurve box that I got from an archery shop that my wife drives by everyday, I used the wrap that was left in the box, I walked to the post office and I shipped it to Canada insured for $650, the guy got it in 9 days and my cost was $13.65. Sorry but true, I will also say whoever charged ya five bucks for a carpet tube is a rip off artist. I have neevr paid for one. Shawn
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: brettlandon on March 20, 2008, 09:39:00 PM
Bill, there's one thing on your list you forgot.

...Seeing the face on the recipient of that longbow......priceless!  :biglaugh:  

-Brett
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Hoytman on March 21, 2008, 10:21:00 AM
Boxes that shotguns and rifles come in will work for most bows. ( free from sporting goods store)

Boxes that bows come in ( free from store)

2 arrow boxes taped together work for most bows

3" or 4" solid drain tile will work for long bows.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: NorthShoreLB on March 21, 2008, 03:49:00 PM
Actually, Kingstaken method is one to consider, I've shipped several bows to the mainland, always wrapped in generic brown paper, 100% success so far, not a scrach.

My thinking behind it is that the package looks so fragile that even the worst USPS employee takes care of it.

somethimes you gotta think, outside the box !

  :bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: VA Bowbender on March 21, 2008, 04:02:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Kingstaken:
I just did a post where I received this bow ship ped this way.
Where I don't recommend it, it was delivered safely..and cheaply...  :D  
   (http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q93/Kingtaken/DSC00183.jpg)
That is sad, but Damn it's funny too.
  :biglaugh:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: JEFF B on March 21, 2008, 04:15:00 PM
hey jay massey i would like to see ya send one to new zealand like that. ha it would not last 5 minutes.  :biglaugh:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Jim Harris on March 21, 2008, 04:19:00 PM
I go to a place in town here that sells packing supplies and a young guy there cuts a box to fit the item I am shipping, and charges a very reasonable price for the box. Might check that next time you ship something. Jim.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: NorthShoreLB on March 21, 2008, 07:07:00 PM
....What, you Kiwi's treat your packages like your women ?  :bigsmyl:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: NorthShoreLB on March 21, 2008, 07:09:00 PM
Ho yeah, maybe you wanna read a bit about archery history, you'll learn about Jay Massey that way  :readit:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: rxhntr on March 21, 2008, 07:47:00 PM
$ 3.52/gallon----what a steal man my diesel is up to $4.29   :(  

some times going by construction sites the workers have left over pipes they will give you instead of throwing them out.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Mike Hames on March 21, 2008, 09:53:00 PM
I use the 4" pvc with caps. I have shipped many bows in it. I ship a bow to someone and pay for the shipping back, empty. Never have to make another one to ship in.
Just an idea. I also ship firearms like that in a aluminum case I had made and they ship it back to me.

Mike
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Kingstaken on March 21, 2008, 10:41:00 PM
NorthshoreLB...that ain't my method of shipping...LMAO    :knothead:
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Basic Instinct on March 21, 2008, 10:48:00 PM
Top it all off with a 1/2 lunch is all you get, and wait 25 min in line at post office
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Jedimaster on March 22, 2008, 01:22:00 AM
The thin wall 4" PVC is perfect and much less expensive to purchase and ship than the heavy PVC.

I have found the most economical way for me is to purchase a bunch of bows and keep the tubes they are shipped in.  That way I don't have to buy any.  Now if I could convince my wife how thrifty I am.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Leo L. on March 22, 2008, 04:24:00 AM
Check this out. The post office has these boxes for FREE.  And you can even go to the USPS website and order a whole mess of them and they will deliver them to you FREE.
I've sent several bows this way.  The boxes are not long enough for a bow, but 5 minutes of cutting and taping, and voila, a bow box.

 http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=13354&productId=26002&langId=-1

This is definetely the BEST way to do it if you don't want to spend all the money you made off the bow by selling it.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Leo L. on March 22, 2008, 12:15:00 PM
It'll generally cost about $9 when all said and done.  Maybe even less if your bow is lighter.
Title: Re: How not to ship a bow
Post by: Eric Krewson on March 22, 2008, 01:34:00 PM
I use carpet tubes. There is a carpet place on my way to the gym that keeps their good tubes but throws away any that have a broken end. I can count on seeing one or two a month sticking out of their dumpster. If their crew comes in late they even put the good ones in the dumpster. My last haul was 8 good 6' sections. I now have so many I collected I don't stop anymore when I see one.

As for shipping in them, if they go down the belt in the shipping facility parallel with the belt all is well. If they get cross ways your bow is history no matter what you have it packed in. I sent a heavy osage stave to a friend in Arkansas, must have gotten cross ways because they managed to break it in half.