I am planning on buying a set of wheels with tires (GsR Blades) from a member here. He is located in Southern California and I am located in Buffalo, NY. What can I expect the shipping cost to be and has anybody found a place to ship for fairly cheap? He told me he thinks it will cost around $80 but that doesn't sound right to me

 

You can look up rates yourself. First, find the weight and dimensions. You can look up tire weights in tire specs on the Tire Rack website or the tire manufacturers' websites. Find the wheel weight the same way, or use one of the links to wheel weight sites in the FAQ topic in this forum. Use a tire calculator to find the outer dimensions (section width and outer diameter).

Then, use the shipper websites to look up the shipping rates ("calculate time and cost"). You'll get the best shipping rates if you do all the packing/wrapping yourself and pay for it on the shipper website yourself, and drop it off at one of their own facilities (e.g. a FedEx staffed or FedEx Kinko's site, NOT an "Authorized ShipCenter"). In my experience, FedEx (Ground or Home Delivery) is usually slightly cheaper than UPS Ground or the post office. Both FedEx and UPS include insurance for up to $100 in their rates.

For example, GSR blades are 16 pounds each, and the Yokohama S.drive in 195/55-15 is 19 pounds each and is 23.3" in diameter and 8" in width. Add a pound for packing material - you'll want to tape cardboard to the sides to keep the wheels from getting scratched - and you've got four packages, each one weighing 36 pounds and dimensionally 24"x24"x8". To ship four packages, each 24x24x8 and 36 pounds, from downtown Buffalo 14201 to a residence in downtown Los Angeles 90001 via FedEx Home Delivery, insured for $100 each, is $183.32 via FedEx Home Delivery, and $202.68 via UPS Ground.

 

Typical shipping costs for average weight/size 15" wheels from Southern California to Wisconsin, are around $50 without packaging costs.

 

for normal retail home delivery id expect somewhere in the 200 range if shipped all separate the way ken explained BUT if the seller placed each tire/rim in an actual box then shipping should be slightly less cus carriers charge special handling fees for tires/rims by themselves.

reference: my own personal exp n my wife works for fedex

 

The numbers I looked up and posted above do not include any special handling fees. If the shippers charge them - and sometimes they will (although sometimes they won't) - they would be in addition to the rates I quoted above. And you'll have to pay for the boxes (if your wife doesn't work for FedEx) and they may add to the weight of the wheels/tires. I'm not saying don't do it that way, but you may not be saving as much as you think that way.

 

thank you for all the help. i was expecting a bit north of $100, but am willing to pay $150 for shipping especially for mint GsR blades considering you can not find any in my area that are clean. hopefully the seller and i come to agreement

 

yea i was referring to only shipping charges n not the cost of boxes.

shoot, i dont even get her discount n i buy my own boxes lol. just threw her in there cus she likes to school me on fun facts about shipping big, awkward shaped items w/ fedex.

i either use double sided boxes fr uhaul or buy home depot boxes and double them up.

just got my bill n they charged me somewhat extra for some huge boxes i shipped. i used a box suitable for a 27" tube tv.