[sahqueen]

Just looking for ball park figures to ship a two wheeled show cart (Jerald/Serafin type) from New York to Florida. I quoted a price to someone interested and they thought it was totally unreasonable...what is the going rate for shipping in an enclosed trailer this distance?

[MeghanDACVA]

Depends!! If it is a special shippment it will cost more than if you can cooridinate it with somebody already taking a load that way.

We bought a golf cart recently and it was shipped in coordination with an empty new enclosed trailer that was going our way. Shipped from Ga to Ok for about $500. But that was a "going with" shippment.

If you figure it will cost about $0.60 per loaded mile, plus wear and tear on vehicle, plus expenses, plus the associated "cost of doing business (licenses, fees, etc), plus driver's time, plus having to prob haul back empty (aka dead head) at about $0.50 per mile and the same other costs. Don't know the milage but it is probably a 3-4day drive with one driver or 2-3 day with 2 drivers, each way.

You do the math.

[sahqueen]

Friends were traveling with several horses, but could make room...they quoted $300 from upstate NY to their farm in central Florida.

Potential buyer thought that was too much as the last cart they had transported they only paid $100 with a 'commercial shipper', but didn't say what the starting point was.

I was thinking $300 was pretty reasonable as carts, while not heavy, do take up a lot of room and you do have to be careful with them. Guess it was a difference of opinion! I know I paid $125 when I purchased it to have it delivered (by someone I knew, but not a friend) from 7 hours away...

[Zwarte]

Uship.com - put it up for bids there. If someone has room to take it, they will bid.

[China Doll]

300.00 is reasonable. let them worry about getting it delivered.

[buck22]

Though my experience is limited, I too agree a) it entirely depends, and b) $300 is reasonable on any day.

I paid $500 farm to farm from AL to NJ for my 4 wheeler. It was an open ride in the bed of a p/u on the return trip of a commercial hauler, two week wait. Next lowest price I had was in an enclosed on a return trip for $750 with a 5 week wait and I had to pick it up myself from the hauler's HQs 150 miles awau. I was happy to pony up the $500.

[red mares]

Was their "commercial shipper" on a trailer with a load of horses going south? carrier's convience maybe?

[MunchingonHay]

put an ad on the ride sharing. Lots of people driving down this time of year. The only down side is, carts take up a lot of room.

[butlerfamilyzoo]

As a commercial horse hauler... I've given out quotes for carts/carriages and every time the person getting the quote told me it was too high... People fail to realize how much space these things take up. I could make better money putting 3 horses in the spot their one cart takes up yet they want it shipped for less than the price of one horse going the same distance. I gave up offering.

For personal trips, i've offered lower rates to people just to help me cover some gas. I've always been turned down as being too high on that too... As in $200 for 1000 miles or more... I dont really know what people expect anymore, i guess they think my big F450 runs on air and never needs any maintenance and insurance is free...

Heck, i just shipped a saddle to a lady, a lighter weight western saddle, standard UPS but paid for extra insurance and sign at delivery, it was $95... BLEW ME AWAY... yet people balk at spending a couple hundred to ship their huge 300lb cart 1000 miles for $200?

[trubandloki]

$300 dollars seems very reasonable to me.

[sahqueen]

Thanks for all of the input...I thought that was a reasonable shipping fee considering the distance and being in an enclosed trailer. The response I got back from the potential buyer had me questioning it since they were quite clear they felt it was too expensive.

In any case, the trailer left over the weekend and the box stall they were going to put the cart in ended up with an equine resident for a higher shipping cost...friends made more $$, I still have the cart to keep advertising and am not going to get in the middle of trying to ship it anymore...it will be the buyer headache to arrange and negotiate price.

[ReSomething]

We just paid $325 to move one of those little fake barn garden sheds 65 miles. I'm sure that they'd charge about the same to carry a cart - the overhead isn't less. For 65 miles we'd stuff a cart in the back of the pickup though.

If they say they can get it delivered for less then let them do the legwork and make the arrangements.