anyone do shipping?

[stensg]

Looking into possibly shipping my bike to surprise Arizona from Fargo ND and back does anyone have a hookup or know the best place?

[Internet Annoyance]

I used to sell a lot of bikes and parts when i ran my shop, now i just dabble in it since i dont do this for a living anymore...It used to be a trucking company network called "Forward Air" (nothing to do with airplanes except most terminals are at or near Airports) was the best deal out there... still around, and handy in some respects, If i crated myself it was typically $350 across the US to most locations but had to be terminal to terminal (see website) it got more expensive, then they came out with their own containers, YOU supply the bike, tie downs and alock for the door, wheel it in, strap it down lock it and away it goes, Still a good deal for some people. But its a LOT more these days.. i havent used any of the door to door bike shippers lately, but some are quite good. Peruse Ebay listings for some of the more common ones,, seems $450 to $650 seems to be the rate across the US for bikes i got estimates on.
BUT,,,I have 3 shipments now with UShip.com and while a few hiccups, I have been very pleased... One was a basket case vintage bike from Back east to me, another was from one state away and a chopper frame from a small town, and recently,,,On behalf of a friend overseas,, I setup and recieved 3 pallets of bikes and parts from Alabama to here in Oregon. unlike the others,, this was from warehouse to warehouse, forklifts on each end, and regular business address's as I used my wifes work addy for delivery, and bribed the shipping dept there to help out.
This last one,, 3 pallets, 900., 1000 and 1200 pounds respectively cost me $1,295 which i thought was a REALLY good deal, There was SOME aggravations,,, I can go into detail if you like, but Overall I was happy.

your problem in my view is you are in a remote area to another remote area with little companion shipping,,,,So its going to be hard to line up a shipper who just delivered, and is looking for a load going back. this REALLY effects your prices. It would be different for a trucker or hauler with a load from Seattle to LA, or reverse,, thats a common route,, or Dallas to Chicago,

I have had issues with shipping, I sent some stuff to Eastern Montana, ND, SD and Wyoming and had a hard time finding anyone to haul it... Not a lot of freight other than limited loads,

My advice is try UShip.com. look carefully at the hauler, feedback, and be reasonable in your expectations, no one likes a PIA, also insure the hell out of it. make sure the paperwork is up tight, and the hauler is insured, registered, licensed, and has the right credentials. There ARE haulers who might do it at cost just to get a load, or might be looking for boosting feedback.

that chopper frame was just in a guys pickup who was looking to recoup some fuel expenses for a run he had to make anyway. It worked out, but at first i was nervous about it., it worked out well though. and something i would consider in the future myself on a roadtrip.