Shipping arcades & pinballs

FlashbaxArcade

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you would think that someone(company) would figure out that we as a community and even outsiders like eBayers buying and selling games, could come up with a cheaper all around safe shipper that is very use to shipping these things!!! NAVL is good but so damn expensive in my opinion. Couldn't a large company(NAVL, etc...) have personell and certain shipping agents and drivers just for games??? It seems like NAVL already kinda does it but not sure why it should be so outrageous on prices and keeps people from doing more out-of-the-state deals.

i would venture to say that there is now enough biz with all the collectors/eBayers/amusement operator companies to just ship game items around the country alone!......but maybe not.............

just my 2 cents and seems like a million dollar deal............
 
I don't think there's enough demand for the economics to really make it work. I've been offering reasonable shipping ($1 per mile plus $50 pickup fee) within California for the last 2 months and have only gotten nibbles, but no bites. Between the DIYers, independent guys helping out and the pros like NAVL, there really isn't much room for profit, let alone to keep a full time company busy. If you could take a semi and always have it filled with games on the move, the rates would come down, but I bet there are less than 1 games a week that are actually shipping in the US and without more robust demand, it's hard to imagine anyone being able to do this seriously at a price less than what NAVL charges.

I think a better solution would be for KLOV or another community to form a co-op of sorts where games could be shipped once a month between cities. For example, if I knew there were a dozen games in SoCal that needed to be shipped up the coast, I could probably do it for $50 per game and someone in NorCal could charge another $50 to take 8 of them to Portland or Seattle. If we had enough shipping hubs in place, we could probably improve the prices quite a bit, but the entire system would be ripe for fraud and abuse and who really wants to buy a game and then wait a month to have it delivered?
 
I work for Forward Air, our shipping costs tend to be lower because its only station to station shipping. We do however ship just about everything. Pins and Vids are no hassle as right now we have a full jet turbine engine getting loaded onto a flatbed. hah
 
I think a better solution would be for KLOV or another community to form a co-op of sorts where games could be shipped once a month between cities. For example, if I knew there were a dozen games in SoCal that needed to be shipped up the coast, I could probably do it for $50 per game and someone in NorCal could charge another $50 to take 8 of them to Portland or Seattle. If we had enough shipping hubs in place, we could probably improve the prices quite a bit, but the entire system would be ripe for fraud and abuse and who really wants to buy a game and then wait a month to have it delivered?

i like that idea....but maybe we need a "SHIPPING" forum inside this site to add what potential buyers/sellers are inept to use all at once!!! of course, the eBayers wouldn't benefit too much though!

there's gotta be a better/cheaper way.....
 
I work for Forward Air, our shipping costs tend to be lower because its only station to station shipping. We do however ship just about everything. Pins and Vids are no hassle as right now we have a full jet turbine engine getting loaded onto a flatbed. hah

hey, i heard that Forward wanted games to be crated...true?

i would happily pay half of $400, what i just paid from CA to TX for one game, if it arrived safely and dock to dock(as i am within 30min of major DFW airport) with noone having to pallet/shrink-wrap themselves!!!
 
hey, i heard that Forward wanted games to be crated...true?

i would happily pay half of $400, what i just paid from CA to TX for one game, if it arrived safely and dock to dock(as i am within 30min of major DFW airport) with noone having to pallet/shrink-wrap themselves!!!

I agree Kray. I'm in Aledo. It takes me 45 minutes to get to DFW freight terminal. Would be very easy for me. I used to buy and sell a lot of guitar amps and finally got to the point where I was taking far less money to sell it on CL because I hated to crate things up to sell on eBay.
 
I agree that the economics are just not there.

That said, you think $400 is too much? I know someone that had a game shipped from Florida to PA via STI (NAVL). It was $400.

1,052 miles for the door to door service, which works out to $0.38 per mile.

I defy you to find anyone (a professional company) that will deliver a machine that distance, door to door, blanket wrapped, and unload it into the house for less than that.

I don't understand HOW they can do it for $400. Well, I know how, but you get what I am saying (I hope).

Chris
 
I've used USHIP.com for a lot and have developed a few good relationships for future deliveries.
 
I agree that the economics are just not there.

That said, you think $400 is too much? I know someone that had a game shipped from Florida to PA via STI (NAVL). It was $400.

1,052 miles for the door to door service, which works out to $0.38 per mile.

I defy you to find anyone (a professional company) that will deliver a machine that distance, door to door, blanket wrapped, and unload it into the house for less than that.

I don't understand HOW they can do it for $400. Well, I know how, but you get what I am saying (I hope).

Chris

i agree Chris, that is a great price but we are talking about the same price pretty much wherever it may be! for instance, i was quoted by NAVL(STI) $400 for a Houston to Dallas trip(4hrs away).....that's ridiculous!!! on top of that, they won't have a cheaper rate to pick up dock to dock, which defies common sense to me. they seem to, not care!

$400 clear across the country, i see easily but they still make plenty of money or they wouldn't do it. throwing it on an existing cross-country delivery truck with a few feet to spare is $400 cake!
 
I've used USHIP.com for a lot and have developed a few good relationships for future deliveries.

i signed up for uShip but was a little confused as to this being an auction listing but then you ask your own price??? but i am easily confused. LOL

maybe you can break this down how uShip actually works......seemed like a lot of "red-tape" to me but i would like to use them if someone could explain please!

thanks
 
U can list it or do a buy it now type, the problem with book it now is anyone can book it and you could get some slacker
 
I think the bottom line is no one really wants to pay $$$ to ship a game when your already shelling out likely enough money for said title. I just got a quote of 400 bucks which at first sounds high.. but shipping from AZ to NY which was 2500 miles, If you do the math that's really cheap at .16 cents a mile. I think if you can agree to split the cost of the shipping with the seller that's usually a win for all involved. You feel like your saving 50% on shipping, the person is more or less getting what they want for the game and the shipping company is getting what they need. Of course that's in a perfect world and usually doesn't happen.
 
Ive had 4 games shipped to me already from all over. And Ive never been charged $400. The most Ive been charged is $365 when I had a game shipped from New Jersey to San Antonio Texas. I started with uship and I have found a guy that does my shipping now. He shipped my MKII which I bought from Ctozzi from Henderson Nevada to SA and he charged me $310 and that was with insurance of up to $1000 and uship fees. So I contacted him on the side to avoid uship fess and he quoted me a game which Im getting shipped from Missouri to SA with insurance at $290. And thats 1200 miles away. You cant get anything cheaper then that. That included home pickup of the game and dropped at a local terminal. Now when I received my MKII, the cabinet was in perfect condition but the chassis in the monitor was a little rattled. Some of the roms checked red but Im getting with ctozzi on that. Typical of these freight shippers. But other then that it was good. I plan on fixing all my games up to pristine condition anayways. They dont package, so the game has to be put on a pallet and wrapped. Ive received many quotes from many different companies and this has been by far the best quotes. Let me know if anybody needs something shipped and I can provide you with his info.
 
Ive had 4 games shipped to me already from all over. And Ive never been charged $400. The most Ive been charged is $365 when I had a game shipped from New Jersey to San Antonio Texas. I started with uship and I have found a guy that does my shipping now. He shipped my MKII which I bought from Ctozzi from Henderson Nevada to SA and he charged me $310 and that was with insurance of up to $1000 and uship fees. So I contacted him on the side to avoid uship fess and he quoted me a game which Im getting shipped from Missouri to SA with insurance at $290. And thats 1200 miles away. You cant get anything cheaper then that. That included home pickup of the game and dropped at a local terminal. Now when I received my MKII, the cabinet was in perfect condition but the chassis in the monitor was a little rattled. Some of the roms checked red but Im getting with ctozzi on that. Typical of these freight shippers. But other then that it was good. I plan on fixing all my games up to pristine condition anayways. They dont package, so the game has to be put on a pallet and wrapped. Ive received many quotes from many different companies and this has been by far the best quotes. Let me know if anybody needs something shipped and I can provide you with his info.
I realize this 8 years ago, but would you still happen to have a reputable guy who runs games to the San Antonio area?
 
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