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How do I ship skis?

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hi_vis360
Posts: 5030 - Karma: 51,063
Never done this before. Selling some skis to my homie.

How much will it cost? What kind of box do I need? Extra padding? Are there special fees for oversized items I need to know about?

Skis have bindings on and are 188s (so longer than 6ft, if that matters)
Jan 24 2022 4:08PM
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 6979 - Karma: 60,964
Measure dimensions and guess weight. Go to ups.com to generate a quote (to get an idea). Do you have a box? If not, you can attach multiple boxes and kinda form them around the ski. How far away is he? Last I checked, skis were about $70-80 to ship between eastern seaboard to western states. Prior to that, I shipped some skis on eastern seaboard and it was like $45
Jan 24 2022 4:14PM
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Non_State_Actor
Posts: 4809 - Karma: 17,046
Get them boxed up and then measure and compare carriers. Don't forget about DHL
Jan 24 2022 4:37PM
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Logi
Posts: 388 - Karma: 3,870
If you don’t have bindings on them, you can check the weight of the ski on the manufacturer's website. Like if you had K2 skis you could go to the K2 site and look for the ski your shipping to find the weight of it in grams, then convert it to pounds to get an idea of how much it weighs.
Jan 24 2022 4:47PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,069
Go to a ski shop and see if they have any extra ski boxes laying around, this will save you some money from having to purchase a box. 50-80 bucks depending on where you're shipping, skis are long, heavy and awkward, especially with bindings.
Jan 24 2022 4:48PM
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steve0
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,309
USPS priority is the cheapest way to go.
Jan 24 2022 4:57PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,069
steve0USPS priority is the cheapest way to go.


You sure? Pretty sure USPS is the most expensive for shipping packages, might be better for smaller packages but I feel like UPS/FedEx handles larger packages better and faster, USPS could take 1-2 weeks.
Jan 24 2022 5:03PM
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steve0
Posts: 1131 - Karma: 1,309
eheathYou sure? Pretty sure USPS is the most expensive for shipping packages, might be better for smaller packages but I feel like UPS/FedEx handles larger packages better and faster, USPS could take 1-2 weeks.


100% sure for Socal to the northeast. I shipped three pairs this season for $45 - $65. Might be cheaper other places if you're not shipping across the country, but I priced out Fedex and UPS.

This is helpful:
https://www.easyship.com/blog/shipping-skis-guide#the-cost-of-shipping-skis
Jan 24 2022 5:15PM
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-Dan
Posts: 7130 - Karma: 51,729
eheathYou sure? Pretty sure USPS is the most expensive for shipping packages, might be better for smaller packages but I feel like UPS/FedEx handles larger packages better and faster, USPS could take 1-2 weeks.

In my experience usps is cheapest domestically, especially if you don’t have a business account. Also generally faster when shipping further way, like from east coast to west.
Jan 24 2022 5:16PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,069
-DanIn my experience usps is cheapest domestically, especially if you don’t have a business account. Also generally faster when shipping further way, like from east coast to west.


Really? Damn alright, I don't ship shit like you do so I definitely take your word on that.
Jan 24 2022 5:17PM
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-Dan
Posts: 7130 - Karma: 51,729
eheathReally? Damn alright, I don't ship shit like you do so I definitely take your word on that.


The key with shipping anything is to pack it appropriately. The wrong thing in the wrong packaging is where you end up paying too much.

OP, just cut up whatever cardboard you can find and wrap those skis up. Don’t use a shit ton of tape if you don’t need to. Bring it to the post office and let em take it from there. If you have a ups store around you can compare prices to be sure. I imagine the post office will get your skis sent cheaper and faster unless they going deep into the Rockies or Tahoe.
Jan 24 2022 5:21PM
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Session
Posts: 5379 - Karma: 22,167
Wrap them in cardboard, a full box will add cost. USPS is definitively the cheapest.
Jan 24 2022 5:34PM
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ASSholebomber22
Posts: 6598 - Karma: 69,844
I thought usps wouldn't ship that big? Past time I shipped some 189's to someone in jersey from CO it was like 65 bucks fedex. It's been a few years tho.

Also for a box just buy a new pair online bada bing bada boom you copped a box with a side of brand new skis
Jan 24 2022 6:27PM
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KCoCM
Posts: 963 - Karma: 8,782
as dan said if you don’t have a ski box, cut any sort of cardboard box and wrap it around, should be able to cover everything with 4-6 boxes . even if u have a ski box you’ll need to do this with 1-2 extra boxes since the skis aren’t flat
Jan 24 2022 6:46PM
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nmwninjart
Posts: 2994 - Karma: 15,064
I just bought a pair of skis earlier this month from someone on here. He sent them wrapped together in packing plastic, then a couple of cardboard boxes wrapped around them , then taped shut. The were flat and 177. Sent with UPS was $64
Jan 24 2022 8:02PM
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faber-castell
Posts: 42 - Karma: 489
Was able to ship a pair of 180 cm skis from PA to CO for 25 bucks through USPS. I taped a couple of flat cardboard boxes to make a huge flat square and then kind of wrapped it like a taco super tight. You can go to USPS.com and then calculate a price, enter where you are shipping from and to, enter dimensions of a nonrectangular box, and then print out the shipping label right from there. That worked the best for me but I think 189 cm might be right above the cut off for USPS but definitely call them and make sure
Jan 24 2022 11:00PM
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Casey
Posts: 7847 - Karma: 24,311
I don’t put them in a box the extra dimensions of wasted space drives up cost. Just cut 2 pieces of cardboard that are like 4” X however long the skis are, one goes over one goes under and wrap the bejesus out of it with tape and call it good. Skis are tough it will be fine
Jan 25 2022 12:10AM
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