Shipping bow staves?

[nclonghunter]

Lots of the members here ship bows and staves all over the place. What is the best method and average cost to ship a stave. I live on the east coast and a post in the trading thread got me to thinking about shipping a stave to the west coast...whats the best way to do it and likely costs?

[bubby]

Pvc pipe is the safest way, i mostly ship priority usps i know ftom nor cal to Chicago or Michigan it costs around $25

[osage outlaw]

I wrap staves in black plastic with several wraps of duct tape down the length.   Shipping costs range from $15-$30 depending on the weight of the stave and the destination.   I try to keep the length at 70" or less to avoid a balloon charge for oversized packages. 

[mullet]

I just got one from Washington state yesterday. It said it cost $34 to ship it from there to Florida.

[Pat B]

I wrap staves in butcher paper and shipping tape and ship USPS regular mail. Getting it near the wanted size helps reduce the shipping.
  For bows I ship USPS Priority Mail and use a PVC tube and bubble wrap or plastic grocery bags for padding. It's been a while but I think it costs $15 to $30.

[Eric Krewson]

I have only shipped one stave, it was a massive osage stave that I packed in a carpet tube and didn't insure. Somehow the post office broke it in half in transit.

[PEARL DRUMS]

 

I wrap staves in black plastic with several wraps of duct tape down the length.   Shipping costs range from $15-$30 depending on the weight of the stave and the destination.   I try to keep the length at 70" or less to avoid a balloon charge for oversized packages. 

Exactly how I do it and what I pay.

[JEB]

I think the key is to keep it below the over size fee.  That will really add costs if you don't. I have received one in the mail from Pennsylvania to Michigan and the sender wrapped it in brown heavy paper and lots of clear tape and if I remember right it was around $12.00 shipping.

[JW_Halverson]

I recommend using the Post Office, too.  Slow boat shipping will run you half to one third of UPS/Fedex

[nclonghunter]

Thanks for the response, I checked at a local UPS Store and I was told that I had to wrap it in clear plastic and shipping would be around $80....I thought that was way off..Thanks again

[PEARL DRUMS]

UPS is a rip off if you don't have an account and ship/receive daily.

[Zuma]

Thanks for the response, I checked at a local UPS Store and I was told that I had to wrap it in clear plastic and shipping would be around $80....I thought that was way off..Thanks again

No problem, Lyman glad I could help

[Ranasp]

A tip for those looking for packaging, try going to a frame shop and asking if they have any boxes/will set aside any boxes they they get moulding in for you.  Typically they're in great shape and are designed to be sturdy but not too heavy, and are used to transport sticks of wood.    Some places have triangular boxes, others rectangular.  A lot of the time they'll have super thick cardboard tubes too, from customers dropping off posters or as the core of heavy craft paper.

[crooketarrow]

 I ship mind in the 4" tube at the center of floor carpet. Carpet world one of the places I pick up mine.

  There 8',10' 1/4 inch thick carboard. Easy to saw into the leanth you need. Duck the ends shut.

  I'm from WV. it runs at the post office $ 18.00, $ 20.00 this side of the rockies. Other side rockies aroud dobble depending on weight and leanth.

  Quite a lot more at UPS. It's been so long sence I've used ups I can remember how much.

  Your not making that much for the hard work you do to end up with a # 1 stave.

  I just shorten the more for arrows.

[JoJoDapyro]

Call up some sign shops. the vinyl comes on cardboard tubes. They mostly just throw them out.