Change in Fastenal Shipping

[DanStokes]

There's been a change in the Fastenal shipping system so I thought I'd pass this along. I'm shipping one of Mutt's old injection pumps to a guy in Colorado with no special deliver date required so Fastenal is perfect for this. Last year when I used their system I just took the box into the store and it was handled - though there was some confusion about how and how much to charge. Now you fill out an on-line form and they send back a quote. You print out the quote and take that to the store where they collect the money and handle the shipment from there. A note of caution: The system expects shipments of stuff by the pallet load (great if you're shipping an engine) so you have to be sure to let them know it's a boxed item if that's what you're shipping.

Here's the website address: www.fastenal.com/en/22/third-pa

You click the box at the bottom of the page and the form comes up.

Dan

[STINEY]

My local store wants even a box to be strapped to a pallet. Just easier to fit into their logistic pattern that way.

The quoting online process was quick and easy a few weeks ago.

[DanStokes]

Turns out that Fastenal was NOT, in this case, cheap. USPS was less than 1/2 and time is not of the essence so it's off in a red, white, and blue truck. I didn't think to check Greyhound but I don't know where the terminal is in town and I wanted to get on with it. Maybe next time......

Dan

[nickleone]

Dan,Greyhound Package Express is at
CAPE FEAR PUBLIC TRANSIT
505 CANDO ST
Wilmington, North Carolina28405
(910) 791-8040

GPX is great for oversize packages where UPS/FEDEX have a $55 oversize charge.
Max dimensions for GPX are 82x47x30 and 100#
I am in the shipping business and can ship a bicycle across the country in a 70x38x12 box for under $70. My oversize charge is about $8.00
UPS/FEDEX would charge about double that. With the big box I use I only pull the pedals and twist the handlebars. With UPS/FEDEX I would have to take off wheels
pedals and handlebars. I ship a lot of bicycles.

Nick

[DanStokes]

Thanks Nick. I'll have to find Cando Street for my next shipment.

Dan

[milner351]

USPS flat rate box is very useful for lots of smallish car parts.

For the big stuff I've had pretty good luck with FedEx ground. For the really big stuff - since we are close to the Detroit Metro airport - we have lots of shipping companies near by, put whatever it is on a pallet in the back of the truck, they off load with a forklift, and off it goes. I've used R&L, Old Dominion, and a few others. Also if you pick up big items at the local freight depot instead of requiring residential (Tommy lift) drop off - it usually saves at least $75.