help- how to send fish tank!?

chardonnay_2

i sold a fish tank with local pickup but stated that delivery could be arranged. the person who bought it stays nowhere near me and still wants the item and they have asked that i arrange delivery.

the problem is that this is a heavy item, it comes in 3 parts, as it is a fancy cabinet and we have no idea how heavy it is. any ideas on which company to use and how to work out how much to charge?

thanks for any suggestions

pinkgem

i personally would not have said delivery could be arranged unless i had worked out weight, how to send it and how much to charge before listing.

it is going to be hard for anyone to estimate postage costs without knowing the weight of either the 3 separate pieces of the total weight of it all.

i weigh heavy items by standing on bathroom scales holding item, then put item down and weigh myself - the difference between the 2 weights being the weight of the item.

chardonnay_2

thanks for your useful suggestion. will get OH to give it a try.

re the should have worked it out first comment - the buyer thought our location was near him and made a mistake in bidding but he has decided to continue with purchase. my OH had intended to deliver it locally if the buyer wished but as we are in scotland and him down south it is out of the question.

i was wondering if any courier companies have set fees and if anyone could recommend a good firm.

vivaladiva

Have you tried parcels to go? They have set fees but max dimensions i.e 4 cubic feet (I think) and max weight 25KG.
Alternatively you could try local removal companies who might have a laod with space going south. (I did this when I was let down over a collection - mind you it cost £80!)
HTH

cheets99

You could try a local removal company to send it but it could be £50-100 depending on the distance.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

hi... before you go finding out the price for delivery.... you need to find out if the actual glass tank will be insured if it breaks...smashes.....or cracks.............

you could tell the buyer that.. the offer of arranging delivery was for local area.......

you prob.... will have to send it via a courier.. which by the sounds of it .....will be a pallet rate...or

a man wth a van for hire......see how much they will charge....... but make sure about the insurance for damage.....
plus if they will deliver glass....as it could be classed as too dangerous....or fragile.....

rose_sparky

Personally I wouldn't even attempt to pack it and as far as I am aware no courier will insure glass.

Good luck!

nearlyrich

I would ask the buyer to arrange collection or you could end up paying for it.

birchy

You would be very brave to send glass via any big named courier.Better sticking to a local one man band courier though I would expect the cost would be more than the tanks worth.

Crazychik

rose_sparky wrote:

Personally I wouldn't even attempt to pack it and as far as I am aware no courier will insure glass.

Good luck!

Just what I was going to say, I worked 10yrs for a well known world wide courier company, and they never accepted parcels containg glass,
Doesn't matter how well packed the item might be, if it gets damaged in transit, the company has to cough up money, if a "worker" who's handling the item, becomes injured because of the broken glass - they can put a claim in against the company.

In their opinions - its not worth the hassle.

IMHO - a man with a van would be your best bet, but they do charge. Make sure what insurance they would offer. Is the buyer prepared to pay for the extra costs involved & insurance cover.

Or have you simply stated these facts to the buyer, in hope it will put him off with completing the transaction?

Never go to a courier company like (sorry Ive deleted the names as I dont want to end up in court for bad mouthing them, but the type of courier's you see driving around a lot, delivering to private/business addresses) etc, I know how the parcels are handled thru transit. Even if it says fragile on it.
Parcels get used for bat n ball, a bed for the night staff to sleep on, step aerobics, etc.... Need I go On!

GeDink

This thread may help ?



http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=327012