Shipping a Plane for Sale
 

Greetings,

Has anyone on here sold a plane and had it shipped to the buyer?

What do you recommend as the proper protocol or procedure a seller should follow?

If it is okay to ship, what is the best means of shipping a plane?

Thanks!

protocol is pretty simple, don't ship anything unless you've got the buyer's payment in hand (or with trusted escrow if we're talking very high dollar)
as for is it OK to ship, it completely depends on the item itself being shipped, and to where... (I would not ship outside of the lower 48, but that's just my pref)

I would ship anything that was shipped to me. :)
I would NOT ship for example a 72" span kit built airplane with a one piece wing. (between the wingspan and the size of the fuselage including non removable empanage, I'd need a HUGE box that could not be crushed... (which isn't likely))
if it were a kit that hasn't yet been assembled, then no problem, ship away.

I agree with AMA. I used ups to ship so the buyer and I have a shipping number. Out of 2 I shipped, both arrived in excellent condition.

My situation would involve shipping a 60" once piece wing with a fuselage as well. Plane breaks down to only two pieces… I guess that would require a hard box or something to ship to insure damage does not occur?

My wife does a lot of ebay. You better figure the shipping before making any comittment. It will really cost quite a bit depending on where it goes and packing will be a real bear! Personally I would stay away from this as it's
more problem than it's worth unless you enjoy self abuse.:(

I have heard of lots of guys using Greyhound bus line to ship planes. They are cheaper on the big packages, but it will still probably cost you $75. Add to that your time and money in building a durable shipping box, and it will probably be hard to get enough for it to justify the cost.

This is a 40 wing span Newport 28 I shipped out yesterday,, I've used this same method to ship many planes

Box is 10x16x42 cost $23 to ship via USPS to MI from OH fully insured, took about an hour and a half to build the crate

Cardboard and foam wrap was trash picked, the plywood was scrap left overs from a cabinet job, the only extra cost to me on this was the packing tape and nails.

p.s.
For a wing that long, I've shipped in two boxes to avoid the "oversize" up charge. Other wise Greyhound is the only economical choice

good luck

Greyhound is a very economical choice for sure... FedEx is decent too.. as thier "oversize" limit is larger then UPS or USPS. These planes of all sizes are shipped every day around the world. The plane you have was shipped in some configuration to the location you obtained it from. Shipping though is somewhat like building.. as one has to have some experience to ship successfully... and put some planning and work into the package(s)...

Corrugated cardboard is in ever abundant supply if you look around... and with some practice one can build just about any size shipping carton for small to medium size models... and even larger with some planning. A good utility knife, and a good tape gun, some packing materials(styronuts and newspaper)...and some large boxes/cartons can yield a very sturdy container.

One has to shop around for shipping companies though, and for me, depending on whats shipping and where dictates which company I'm going to use. You could take it to a UPS store(or any retail shipper like that) and have it all packed.. but that definately costs the bucks... or you keep doing some leg work and studying and you'll be able to do what alot of us do on a regular basis....

Whatever you're shipping has been shipped 100 times over before so don't be shy... what is it, wheres it going... ? stuff like that.. maybe the more info you give, the more you'll get back. :)

I won't ship planes any more, but when I did, this is how I did it:

http://www.airfieldmodels.com/inform...ipping_crates/

You'd have to be the best salesman in the world to get someone to pay enough for a plane that it was worth it to ship. I had some .40 size sport planes on the marketplace here once and some fool offered me $50 for one and wanted it shipped for free. That's how most of the buyers who want things shipped think it should be.

I'd say many don't understand the cost,, most do,,

I shipped this to MO 3 years back,, shipped the wing separately to avoid the oversize charge,, was close to the same price shipped fedex right to his door vs. greyhound he'd have to drive 20 miles each way to pick up,, its was a no brainer,, shipping was under $55

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemID=727378

Same crating method as above,, it aint that hard IMO

feedback left
Comments: Tom is great to business with. He is on top of e-mails and any questions. He definitely knows how to ship. Fuselage, floats, and wing and NO damage. Thank you sir!

Hmm Appears to have been a Stream Schnieder Sport Tom. To bad you sold it I absolutely love mine:)

John

John, it wasn't built from the stream kit but it was the same as the size build from RCM plans I think,, I bought from a local builder, flew it one season as a back up plane to my kingfisher, Sold it to thin the hanger,, it did fly well.

Follow up on my Nieuport 28 sale,, crate was delivered and contents we not damaged at all,, another happy buyer.

I've shipped and received by Greyhound, their great and cheap.
I once shipped a Turbo Porter in the largest crate aloud by Greyhound, 3 1/2' x 5'x 2' as I recall, it was some years ago.
I made the crate from hard board and furring strips and screwed the whole thing together including rope handles at both ends and sides.

I shipped one plane via Greyhound. It went well. The only thing I would change is I would have opted for the 'upgraded' service which would have gotten the plane there faster with less stops. This would be for my own piece of mind - less people handling, less times other luggage/packages are stuffed in next to the airplane, etc. It isn't 'cheap' to ship an airplane but if you're shipping something that is actually worth shipping, it's worth the few extra bucks for the piece of mind. I believe it was about $80 and maybe was $100 or $120 for next day service. If the buyer receives a damaged airplane, it's on the seller to make it right.

I built a 'crate' out of 1x2 strapping and cardboard. I doubled up the cardboard in critical areas, maybe added a few small pieces of ply (near the tail feathers and nose) and used a ton of the big bubble wrap. It is worth noting that this was an assembled airplane - a 1.10 size (70" length) with tail feathers attached. Crate was probably 72x36x24. I would probably try UPS or FedEx for a non assembled kit.

I would do it again if selling an airplane worth the shipping and effort. It took awhile and some materials to build the crate, having to find bus schedules, and actually carting the crate down to the bus stop. the buyer has to go to the station and pick up the package too. They are not always that close to a Greyhound station.