So I found a car I'm interested in Vermont. It's a relatively cheap car, so I don't need anything fancy. I was considering a fly and drive, but a with $300 flight and a 18 hour drive it may just be cheaper to have it hauled, and will definitely be easier on me. So, any experience with affordable, quality car shipping?
Cheapest I have done is uship. Cost me $700 from Boston to la.
but most of the time I use horseless carriage which is usually 2x times or more. Not worth for a $300 car
I would find a good reputation u ship hubby and wife team.
be flexible with dates for Cheapest option
Not sure if a cheaper bid will take time, but I went ahead and made a listing and almost immediately got two bids of over $1,500, and there were published rates around $900 on the site, which all seem REALLY high to me. Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to be patient for reasonable bids?
I think being patient is the key.
m4ff3w said:I think being patient is the key.
I think you're right. It looks like the bid process is open for everyone to see, because every bid I've received has been cheaper than the last. I guess I'll just wait and see what happens.
In reply to 16vCorey :
I was looking for shipping companies to move a couple of our cars across the country around this time of year last year. The rates were pretty high around this time of year because of the holidays and everybody's business winding down somewhat before the end of the year.
Being patient might be the key, but keep in mind the reverse auction on uShip only runs for a week or so.
How about get a self-driving tesla to tow it? Free electricity, and no labor cost. ;)
Patience
Flexibility
Two key pieces needed for cheap bids....
Drivers want to drop something off and pick another load up nearby ,
when you get up in the Northeast thats hard to do , so you almost end up paying for them to make a special empty trip to go up and pick up your car.....
I think there are Bots on Uship that just throw prices out to every listing ,
Brokers who will then sell your load to the hauler who is doing the work......
With uship there will be some quick robo bids that will be really high. Later on you should get some actual people who have read your ad. I usually write something snarky in my ad like “I’m not going to put your kids through college so bid reasonably.”
Earlier this year I had this guy from Jacksonville move a Prius for me from Ohio to Illinois. I was just one stop on his big loop around the Eastern US.
Uship hits the drivers for a 25% fee and then his you the customer for another 7%. Easier to get a good price if you go direct. I was at 75 cents per mile. .
Uship used to have a Name Your Own Price. It was great for me. They have since done away with that feature but there is no reason that you can not just state right in your listing what you want to pay.
Also important to know that every possible shipper can see your replies to other shippers. So, if you tell one shipper you might go $1/per mile than never expect anyone to come in cheaper. But, if you reply to every shipper with your target price you will be sure that every potential shipper sees the target price.
Im not sure that you can see details in my profile but I have done some screen shots for you.
Here is two screen shots of my earliest quotes and final quotes.
Is $0.70/mile about the going rate?
When my father was hauling cars the target was about $0.50/mile, but he was putting 8 on the trailer.
This time of year there are a lot of cars leaving the NE heading south because of the snowbirds, so prices will be high for anything leaving NE. Once the snowbird rush is over (mid December) then the prices will come down to more reasonable levels.
In reply to dyintorace :
As you might see from the earliest bids or $700 to $600 for my 440 mile trip, the more "going rate" is more like $1.50-ish per mile.
In years past I've had 1000+ mile ships done for the 50 cent range
John Welsh said:Earlier this year I had this guy from Jacksonville move a Prius for me from Ohio to Illinois. I was just one stop on his big loop around the Eastern US.
Uship hits the drivers for a 25% fee and then his you the customer for another 7%. Easier to get a good price if you go direct. I was at 75 cents per mile. .
I just called George, based on your recommendation. We're going to try to work something out. I'd prefer to use him, given that I'm confident he'll be more considerate with the car!
In reply to dyintorace :
Great.
This is the rig that George arrived to my house with. I did not pay for enclosed transport but someone else on his loop route was paying for it so I got that added benefit for free.
If you look up his company on uShip you can see pics of other equipment and see that he has good reviews.
If you have other questions, I can be reached directly... Jwelsh02...yahoo....
John Welsh said:In reply to dyintorace :
Great.
This is the rig that George arrived to my house with. I did not pay for enclosed transport but someone else on his loop route was paying for it so I got that added benefit for free.
If you look up his company on uShip you can see pics of other equipment and see that he has good reviews.
If you have other questions, I can be reached directly... Jwelsh02...yahoo....
Very cool. Thanks. I'll keep you updated!
What car and where in Vermont? VW?
In reply to 16vCorey :
I have been moving cars for almost a decade and am happy to answer any questions anyone may have or provide you a quote. The best brokers to go with do not require a deposit until after the carrier has been scheduled, they always answer their phones and guarantee their prices.
AdamT said:In reply to 16vCorey :
I have been moving cars for almost a decade and am happy to answer any questions anyone may have or provide you a quote. The best brokers to go with do not require a deposit until after the carrier has been scheduled, they always answer their phones and guarantee their prices.
Can you ship a canoe?
In reply to 16vCorey :
Keep in mind that the busy season Memorial Day to Labor Day cost much more than other times of the year. All the snowbirds leaving the South and going back up North. I found out the hard way that just posting online for a transport got me nothing but trouble. Kind of like going to the parking lot of Home Depot and hiring whoever is in the parking lot. You get what you get. Last couple times I used a broker for my daughter's car when leaving school for another school then home. A to Z Auto Shipping. Gave me absolutely no worries.
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