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.

No particular experience with shipping quilts specifically but certainly other things. One other thing to keep in mind, particularly for UPS, if you ship FROM a business address TO a business address it will be cheaper. Probably applies to Fed Ex as well but can't say for certain. Both will leave packages on my porch as well unless it is shipped 'signature required'.

USPS is what I use. Medium is around $14 and large is around $18. The boxes are free, so it would be best to go to PO and pick up both sizes in both shapes (flat and square), to see which fits better. I sometimes use the space bags that you vacuum the air out of to make it fit a box. If you kneel/push on the bag, you can get it flatter, and shape it, if needed. It usually arrives in 2 to 3 days.

Not in my area. I used to have a good mail lady that would put them on the porch behind the geraniums, but she retired and we now have on that sometimes crams them in the mailbox and leaves the door open or just tosses them on the porch. A few weeks ago she left one on the edge of the porch and it got rained on. She has one more chance and I'm calling to report her.

I've used USPS and UPS both with no problems. Whichever you choose, be sure to put the quilt into a sealed plastic bag and then into the box. You can ask for a signature by the recipient with either--just costs a little extra. I always do that just in case--that also prevents the box just being left on the porch.

Cheap is not a good option for shipping a quilt. I always use priority mail with extra insurance and delivery confirmation.

I've used USPS and UPS...several years ago, I shipped 3 quilts to my DDIL by UPS, insured for the cost of fabrics, and extra for my time...she had friends who had had tripletts..the box was delievered to their front step...but was then stolen...It took a couple of weeks, but I did get my money back from UPS..the whole amount that I had insured the package for...then had to scramble to remake all 3 quilts...I now ship only to an address where someone will be there to get the package...and sign for it!!!

I use priority mail with the USPS. I never tell them a quilt is inside. If they ask, I tell them it's fabric. I take pictures of the quilt, then the box as it's "loaded" and one when it's packaged and sealed. Paranoid? Maybe. But so far, so good.

I go to a private shipping store that handles UPS, Fed Ex, USPS and someone else. I simply hand over the package and they tell me the cheapest way and when it will arrive. The funny part is sometimes if it is over the weekend, "slow delivery" is just as fast as "fast delivery". When describing what it is, I call it a blanket and insure it. I feel like stating it as a quilt calls attention to it.

One thing I have found is the size of the box. I shipped one once and the box was flatter and bigger rather than more compact in size and it cost a lot more. Try to fold your quikt as small as you can.

I have not had any problems with the Post Office. Automatically gives $50 insurance but I always get the additional

Flat Rate (free) boxes from the US Postal Service with signature required.

Before retiring, I owned an independent mail/packaging store for 28 years. Something like this, I would only ship UPS ground or Fed-X ground. Their accountability and tracking are FAR SUPERIOR to the USPS. 2 things - lay a plastic bag in the bottom and sides of the box and lay the quilt on top. Cardboard will find any piece of moisture anywhere and this provides a barrier. (I prefer not to put it in a bag because that is not breathable). And push it down to as small as possible. You will pay by size dimensions vs. weight. You can cut down any box by scoring across the inside, cutting down the corners to the score and folding (the scoring will allow the side to fold neatly). Be sure and put a card inside the box with the to/from info in case your label gets damaged. Coast to coast is 5 business days for both those services, so you can plan exactly when you want it delivered. These services may be a bit more, but not bad if you keep the size down and (I feel) it is so worth it. And, insurance goes by the $100 (first $100 is free) and it is very inexpensive. You can go online to pay and print a label and then drop it off anywhere that uses these services or go to a location. Reminder, if it is not an actual UPS Store or a Fed-X store, they will charge a surcharge. That is the reason many folks think these services are so much more expensive - they are paying the store markup. If it is a PO box address, you are out of luck. You can only use the Postal Service because the Post Office on the other end won't sign for a parcel.

I was able to get a queen in a large flat rate USPS box - I do not know how that compares to the other rates though.

USPS priority mail would be my choice. Also, I use space bags to condense the quilt down as small as possible. It doesn't harm the quilt at all, as it will spring back to it;s original bulk when opened.