Shipping Larger Items

Some items are just too big to ship via conventional means. Suppose you just sold an old pinball machine, or a roll-top desk, or a waterbed. How do you deal with items that big?

Assuming that the item is too big even for FedEx Ground or UPS, you have to turn to traditional trucking services. Some of these services will pack or crate the item for you (for a fee); others require you to do all the crating. In addition, some of these firms require you to deliver the item to their shipping terminal and for the buyer to pick it up from their dock. (Other firms offer door-to-door serviceagain, sometimes for a higher fee.) In any case, it helps to make a few calls and ask for specifics before you decide on a shipper.

When you have an oversized item to ship, here are some of the trucking services that other eBay sellers have used. Check with each firm individually as to its fees and shipping policies.

• AAA Cooper Transportation (www.aaacooper.com)

• Forward Air (www.forwardair.com)

• Vintage Transport Services (www.vintagetransport.com)

• Yellow Freight (www.yellowfreight.com)

Another option is to use Greyhound PackageXPRESS (www.shipgreyhound.com), which lets you ship large (and small) packages via Greyhound bus. You and the buyer have to live relatively close to a Greyhound bus station, and the item will have to be delivered to and picked up from the stationbut costs are substantially less than with traditional trucking services.