Question about gun shipping charges

[Phil Yearout]

I shipped a gun today; the charge including insurance was $83 and change! I have never paid close to this amount to have a gun shipped to me, so I'm wondering where I went wrong.

Standard shipping via UPS, with proof of delivery, + insurance for $2500. Insurance was $2.00 per hundred after the first $100 (free) so insurance was $48.00. What's more, the insurance covers loss but not damage because I didn't use one of THEIR cartons to pack it in.

The last gun I had shipped to me, the seller charged $35 and shipped UPS.

So what did I do wrong?

[Roundsworth]

I don't use UPS, but, when I ship long guns, via USPS Priority Mail, the cost gets up there with yours, especially with $5,000.00 insurance. I do know that, with UPS, the dimensions of boxes can cause a nominal fee to be charged, regardless if there is one pound, or 10 pounds in the box.

[Kirk Potter]

Ouch.. That does seem a bit excessive. I've only ever used USPS to ship long guns, that insurance cost seems ridiculous.

[Dean Romig]

I've shipped UPS with $10k insurance that I think cost about $76 and that was a couple of years ago.






.

[Kirk Potter]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I've never bought insurance when shipping a gun.. Just shipped a 12 gauge Parker reproduction USPS Priority mail for $17.03. I just go overboard on the packaging and tape and always ship with signature delivery, haven't had a problem yet.

[B. Dudley]

Shipping rates are going up as of late. But it varies based on location and weight of course.

I always use usps. Priority mail usually and sometimes express mail. Insurance used to be different for the different services, now it is all the same. They also used to give an on-line discount. Not so anymore.

But, you can usually ship a gun priority mail anywhere in the country for less than $50. Sometimes as cheap as $15.00 if it is within a few states of your location. But that does not factor in insurance.

[edgarspencer]

Phil, I just shipped out a gun for work, via UPS. Insurance ($5000) $49.50
16lbs, 11x50x4, $12.65, Delivery Surcharge $3.75, Additional Handling $10.85. That one I can't figure out. In addition to what? Not handling it?
I Figure about a buck per hundred on Insurance, so I don't know why they charged you so much. I take all my UPS directly to the Desk at the UPS Hanger at the airport. (it's only 7 miles away)

[Jeff Higgins]

We ship both long guns and handguns out on a weekly basis. I have noticed both UPS and Fed-Ex have raised their prices quite a bit. Ups and Fed-Ex state you must ship handguns two day even though it is not what the law requires. If they don't get it there in two days their attitude is O'well sorry about that. But no refund.

[Jean Swanson]

I just shipped a Parker to Mo. via USPS--- Certified , Priority , and Insured for $10,000 in a 3/4 pine box that I made to protect the gun---TOTAL COST $73.35. Cheap to protect 28 bore.

Allan

[Phil Yearout]

Originally Posted by Kirk Potter

Maybe I'm crazy, but I've never bought insurance when shipping a gun.. Just shipped a 12 gauge Parker reproduction USPS Priority mail for $17.03. I just go overboard on the packaging and tape and always ship with signature delivery, haven't had a problem yet.

Yeah, I thought long and hard about that; it would have been under $40 without the ins. Then I thought, "how hard will I be kicking myself over 50 bucks if the durned thing doesn't show up?"

My daughter has shipped two items in the past year that never made it and didn't even get logged in to the system so they could be traced. Luckily she had receipts on both to prove she sent them; they either got stolen before they were logged in or somebody didn't do their job. One was an item she sold on ebay. Dillions (Kroger) was processing mail at that time; the store manager acknowledged they screwed up and paid her for it. The other was an item she was returning to a store through the post office; the retailer credited her account anyway even though they never got the item back.