Shipping
 

I need to ship a queen size quilt from California to Florida. Does anyone know the cheapest method for doing this? Thanks

What ever you do.....make sure you have it insured and a tracking number. I had shipped quilt by FED EX, UPS and the United States postal service and had good luck with all of them.

Thank you, I will be sure to do that.

Please be award that buying the insurance when shipping rarely results in them paying the claim if the worst should happen. You will need documented proof of the quilts value which means getting an appraisal. I have heard horror stories of UPS and USPS not even honoring appraisals and reimbursing only for raw costs of material, long arming services (if you had it longarmed) and batting and then only when you were able to provide receipts for them. They do not reimburse you for the labor hours you have invested in the quilt. Many show quilters buy riders on their homeowners policies but you are then talking about quilts that have appraised at thousands of dollars.

That said, I have shipped a lot of quilts all over the country and have always had great luck with USPS priority mail. It is the most economical and they provide a tracking number.

there are online shipping calculators where you can enter the zip codes and the weight and it compares different shipping services and gives you prices.

I usually use UPS, their tracking is very good and they are good at paying insurance claims. (Can't say the same about USPS) However they can be pricey if the address is not in a major city.

I prefer USPS because they will not just drop a pkg at the door. If nobody is home they should leave a notice in the mailbox to pick it up at the PO

To follow up on postal service insurance. As feline fanatic stated, you will only be reimbursed for items you have receipts for. Make sure you take a photo.
Your labor is specifically excluded per the following documentation.

http://pe.usps.com/archive/pdf/dmmar...080512/609.pdf
609 Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage
4.3 Nonpayable Claims
ag. Personal time used to make hobby, craft, or similar handmade items
Often the clerk will take your money for insurance over and above what you can actually claim.
I would also mail or ship it as soon as possible to avoid the Christmas rush.

Mine are always left at the door. For that reason I usually ship to my work address.

Typically if I package weighs over about 4lbs, fedex is cheapest.

I've had to deal with a lost package with them once and it was super easy.

When I worked, I had a comparison chart on the wall of my office. USPS was the cheapest and that's all I know about it.