How Do I Ship 8ft Rods?

[TxHawgs]

The tubes from TW are 3.5in so the PO rounds it up to 4in and the PO only allows up to 88in long? Took to FedEx and it was like $100 to ship? 2in PVC pipe isnt big enough and 3in PVC only comes in heavy wall and weighs a ton. So how are you guys shipping 7ft + rods? Thanks

[dodgeguy]

I go to dicks and I ask for any rod tubes they have.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

8’> will incur oversized charges. I don’t know a way around it. 

[TxHawgs]

11 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

8’> will incur oversized charges. I don’t know a way around it. 

Does it cost a lot? What about 7'5" that's 89in plus 3in for padding on each end takes me over the 88in limit again. So I'm stuck to only being able to sell 7' rods? Dont guys sell rods over 7 here in the flea market?

2 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

I go to dicks and I ask for any rod tubes they have.

What r tube dimensions and how much is it costing u to ship? Have u shipped rods over 7'?

[S Hovanec]

Suck it up and pay if you want to ship long rods.  I won't ship them anymore.  

[TxHawgs]

Yea u cant they quoted me almost $100. Was asking cuz I c guys sell them on here and obviously there not paying that so wanted to know how they were shipping them.

[RichF]

The longest I shipped was 7'6 in a TW tube. Cost me like $45 at UPS.  

[A-Jay]

I've sold a few rods here.

The shipping is always a profit eater.

Only way I've found to take some of the sting out of it, is to sell multiple rods and ship them in one tube.

Sort of like a package deal.  Always have had to offer them at a very attractive price; otherwise referred to as cheap.

But if that's what it takes . . . . 

Even then, the shipping still feels like it takes a pretty big bite out of crime.

Never expected to end up with a retirement fund out of it - but breaking even or losing money hardly seems worth it.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[SC53]

I’ve heard you can get carpet (or other roll material) cores from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Might want to check those out.  Anything that come on a roll will have a tube core so there might be other applications that you can get the cores locally.

I don’t feel you need 3” of protection on each end.  The tubes themselves are solid fiber and will protect the rods. If they crush the tubes, they have really done something!

Rods I have received from Dobyns are about an inch on each end.  They have a small piece of foam tube on the tip end, 6” pieces of 3/16.” Bubble wrap placed at intervals along the length of the rod (and at each end) and the butt of the rod secured with a string and brought out the end of the tube and taped to the outside of the tube (for easy removal.  I’ve used a piece of tape to do this instead of string).  

BTW, I’ve been a packaging engineer for over 40 years.

As for cost there typically is a huge upcharge when you exceed 96” but for a 7’3” rod, you should be well below that at 87” +2” for ends (89” total). They are never cheap to ship but check both ups and fedex.

[dodgeguy]

11 hours ago, TxHawgs said:

Does it cost a lot? What about 7'5" that's 89in plus 3in for padding on each end takes me over the 88in limit again. So I'm stuck to only being able to sell 7' rods? Dont guys sell rods over 7 here in the flea market?

What r tube dimensions and how much is it costing u to ship? Have u shipped rods over 7'?

I forgot. But they had tubes over 8 ft because they have ocean rods. I cut mine down as short as possible. Shipping costs suck but you want rods protected.you don't need 3 inches of padding on each end.a piece of newspaper is fine.

[Dwight Hottle]

First way to save is not to have your tube 6" longer then the rod. Use a piece of foam & or bubble wrap to protect the tip & keep the butt. Cut the tube down with a hacksaw to just 1-2 inches longer than the rod length measurement. I have successfully sold & shipped a lot of rods this way with no breakage or problems. Go to Lowes or HD & buy some pipe insulation. They sell it pre slit lengthwise or you can cut it with a blade yourself. I use that to protect the rod at both ends & in the middle covering about 80-90% of the rod length. Fold over the end & tape it closed before inserting the rod ends. Use the smallest diameter tube you can find to accommodate the rod you are shipping. There is less potential damage to the rod/rods when they are not moving around inside an oversized shipping tube. Keep everything relatively tight. Mark the end to open being the rod butt end not the tip end. Check all three carriers for shipping price to find out the cheapest.  

[TxHawgs]

Thanks guys!

[kbeeb374]

I just shipped a 96" tube (3" diameter) with 5 rods in it from VA to NY for $13 plus insurance ($12).  I always print my own label at home through paypal.  For some reason USPS is more lenient when printing your own label and doing it through paypal.  I played around with the length and diameter and that was the magic maximum number i could get without getting denied.  Can't go to 4" diameter without dropping the length down considerably and i couldn't go higher with the 96" length of the tube at 3' diameter.  weight wasn't a big issue as far as price went.

 

 

[Justbass11]

How did you cap off the ends so the rod wouldn’t come out??? 

[TxHawgs]

41 minutes ago, Justbass11 said:

How did you cap off the ends so the rod wouldn’t come out??? 

I either use the plastic ones that come w a new rod or I make my own out of heavy cardboard and duct tape it really good.

[Justbass11]

Did you have to use brown paper to wrap the pvc to ship it??? Just went to ups and the wanted $50.00 to make a box and ship. Not sure it’s worth all the trouble to ship a rod back to the company.

[blckshirt98]

8' is essentially the cutoff point for buying/selling used rods.  Unless you're buying multiple rods at discount that'll make the oversize charges worth it, you're better off buying new from a place like TW when they have a sale and offer free shipping.  I still don't know how TW makes a profit on some of their rods with their free shipping threshold.

[TBAG]

What's the average cost to ship a single rod via UPS? I've got a few I'm possibly selling. Just curious.