Shipping wheels

[CG]

Wasn't positive if this is the correct place to post where it could be seen. Mods will move to where they see fit. General seems kind of off because its not seen as much.

So I purchased ten steel wheels for our projects (67-72), and I shipped the seller UPS labels to put on the wheels. I asked my UPS guys at work what's the best way to ship something like this? I mean they are just plain steel. They both told me to wrap them in shipping plastic (the stuff you wrap around pallets and such), secure the wrap with packing tape so it doesn't unravel and put the packing slip on it. So that's how it got done.

Seller dropped them off at UPS, and UPS said to take off all the wrapping, put the label directly on the wheel and put packing tape over that. Hassle, but it got done and they shipped out to me, no problems.

Today at work we got a bill from UPS for an extra 105 bucks. Surcharge for not having the wheels in boxes. Ive purchased a lot of aluminum wheels and of course those have always been boxed first. I know a lot of wheels get sold on the parts board so this is just a heads up for you steel wheel purchasing guys that ship via UPS, and I imagine FedEx is probably the same.

[stomper]

That seems like a BS upcharge! I've slapped labels on plenty of things without a box. A tailpipe for a Dodge Cummins was the latest thing I remember doing that with. I realize it's easier to 'stack' a box but it's also wasteful packaging filling our landfills and emptying our pockets! Then again... I'm also the guy who brought 4 tires with me as checked baggage on a airline flight once.

[jocko]

Everything wheel I've ever shipped or received has been boxed. I bought a small stash of shipping boxes at a local wheel vendor and that has come in handy. I've heard of people shipping wrapped only - so it may have been a specific clerk that hosed you. I'd certainly go into the shippers human store over the $105.

[mike16]

it was bad advice to recomend shipping them with out a boxs. If it was a ups employeee who made that recommendation then go to him and show him the added sure sharge bill and demand an explaination and some compensation.

I shipped several military split rims for jeeps. each rim had an addres label attached to them. they were all firmly attached to gether.......and were all boxed. Its a scam to make money. It happens in every industry.

point out to them that you are a regular customer, and that it was on the advise of a shipping representative and that the sure charge is accessive. and that no mention was made of any surcharge when the rims were delivered for shipment.

if you dont win. I dont want to say what to do to that clown who gave you the advice to ship them

I got slamed with a surecharge for shipping a spare tire mount and hardware that hangs under the rear of a 52 chevy truck. Doubled my shipping cost .... because the box was an unusual shape.... "it was long and narrow"

[CG]

Well both of the UPS guys that gave me the info have been drivers for awhile. One is our current driver, over 10 years for him.

And the other was a buddy of mine that is a driver for 25 plus years. So they have seen it all come through their trucks Im sure. But I doubt either of them has any real info on how things get billed ... So for now Ill hold them blameless, however, I will give them a hard time about it LOL!

[special-K]

A couple years ago I sold off a bunch of my steel wheels of all sorts. I shipped pairs of 6-lug 15x6s using 3 pcs. of all-thread and nuts to bolt them tight together. I shipped 15 x 8s and 16.5 x 9.75s. I used FedEx mostly, except for 5 of the 8" bought by a member in CA who had a UPS account for his business. He sent labels and I went to the UPS hub. They put labels on the wheels and things went fine. The ones I sent by FedEx went fine, too, but along the line, I think 1st of the years, the started that unencased BS to increase profits and no other reason. It's hard to box a heavy item and not have it "unencase" itself in transit. A bare wheel offers many ways to grab and carry. You can carry two wheels at a time. They are easier to stack and take up a uniform amount of space with little wasted over a square or rectangle. Nothing says the encased package has to be square! It could be shaped like those milk cartons they had when I was in school, a tube, or any shape you can imagine, as long as it has "something" wrapped around them it somehow makes a difference. There are no pieces to loose, wheels are one big piece.

You had it encased in wrap, so tell them no extra is due. And mention if they are going to be sticking people with extra bills they should give accurate answers when a customer specifically asks for their advise on just this topic!

I don't know when the world became so cut throat. I feel safer walking through a ghetto than dealing with a huge corporation. The business model today is "whatever you can get away with. You hear on the news about every day a corp is being sued or a regulator is indicting one. Citicorp, I mean Citcorrupt, got busted for laundering money in Mexico. I wonder who's money that was