Shipping a Fishing Rod

[WRangler506]

I have a couple cardboard tubes to ship rods in. Which carrier do you guys use most and how much does it normally cost to ship one to somebody in the US? Ive never shipped one, but was going to sell a few.

[rippin-lips]

Each carrier has their own horror stories so I don’t feel any one stands out as the best. I use usps priority mail with insurance. Cost has ran me anywhere from $20-50 with about $30ish being the average price. 

[bigfruits]

ive had the best luck with fed ex

[LonnieP]

The ups store charged me 40 to ship one insured from Virginia to Washington state.

[S Hovanec]

You'll do just as well to ditch the cardboard tubes and ship the rods as they are for all the protection the cardboard offers.  My failure rate is 100% with cardboard.  Only PVC from now on.  Depending on length and destination, I've paid $25-$35 with FedEx.

[doublest]

 what grade of pvc  do you normally use and where do you buy it?

[S Hovanec]

2" SDR-21 for blanks

3.5 or 4" SCH-40 for rods.

 

I get it at Lowe's.

[WRangler506]

Wow im surprised. All my rods were ordered. About 10 Lengends, Avids and ELite techs. All showed up in cardboard, in perfect shape.

 

Ill have to check the sticker for what carrier they used.

[new2BC4bass]

59 minutes ago, WRangler506 said:

Wow im surprised. All my rods were ordered. About 10 Lengends, Avids and ELite techs. All showed up in cardboard, in perfect shape.

 

Ill have to check the sticker for what carrier they used.

I've received more than 10 rods in tubes that were in good shape.  I've also had a couple tubes broken and the rods were still in one piece.  I've had a couple tubes broken and the rods were also broken.  I've had one tube arrive in perfect shape, but about 4 inches was broken off the rod tip.  The seller never wrapped anything around the rod to protect it.  Sliding back and forth in the tube isn't good for a rod tip.  I also had a rod arrive in a PVC tube with several inches missing off the tip.  It may or may not have been caused by poor packing by the seller.  No end cap on one end.  Just one piece of tape.  The rod didn't have enough wrapping around it to keep it from sliding inside the tube.  The tip poked a hole through the tape and got snapped off.

 

Some sellers are a bit lazy when it comes to shipping rods.  I shipped one rod.  A gift to a deserving young man.  The rod was wrapped for the full length with the exception of about a foot in front of the handle.  A string was tied around the rod handle and the other end was taped on the outside of the tube...for easy removal of the rod.  I crossed drilled 2 holes through each end of the tube and end caps.  I then ran 1/4-20UNF bolts through the holes and used a washer and nut to bolt the end caps to the tube.

 

That tube wasn't losing an end cap and the rod wasn't going to move inside the tube.  Of course I didn't have a way to keep someone from putting it across a couple saw horses and jumping on it.  Luckily no one thought to do that so the rod arrived in one piece. 

 

OP.  I think it was around $20 to ship by USPS.

[fishwizzard]

Has anyone tried using pipe insulation to protect a rod in shipping?  It seems like it would work well.  

 

I keep buying new rods to "replace" ones I already have, but I have yet to get around to selling any of the old ones due to not wanting the hassle of shipping them.