Shipping/Picking up Tools

[RGZoro]

I wasn't sure if this should maybe go under Buying advice but it is also a general question that is indirectly related to woodworking.

There is a larger piece of equipment on Ebay at the moment that I would love to purchase. The problem is I live in Edinburgh but the tool is down in London. I have a license but no car. Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and if so what option did you go with? Is there a shipping company that may be affordable or somewhere I could contact a driver with a van for hire? I am also considering renting a van. Any advice would be appreciated.

I do apologize if this is in the wrong section and will move it ASAP if it is in the wrong section. I mean to ruffle no feathers.

Thank you in advanced for any help.

 

[Friedrich]

shiply.com

 

[Rorschach]

Will the seller put it on a pallet? If so you can easily arrange a courier to collect.

 

[adidat]

yeah as above, pallet will probably cost about £70 depending on the item, often the seller would struggle to palletise something heavy without lifting equipment.

shiplys good met this nice lad who did a few collections from grimsby to somerset for £120 a trip to be fair each item he collected was bloody heavy, and he did a good job, there are some lemons on there that quote 600 bla bla bla....

adidat

 

[ndbrown]

Hi, I have been in the same situation as you and I live over the water in Dunfermline. I have used both methods, hiring a van and also using a pallet company. For a Startrite table saw I used a pallet company in 2013 and it was £63 + Vat to get it collected from near Manchester and delivered to my house. It was a company that was selling the saw and they were good enough to put it on a pallet ready for collection. I got the saw at a very good price so overall I was very satisfied. The pallet lorry turned up with a tail lift and the driver helped me unload it, all in all very happy.
I hired a van to collect my Sedgwick Planer/thicknesser from the Newcastle area. The van hire was around £105 all in including fuel and again it was a company selling it and they used a forklift to load it into the van (Transit Connect). So I guess it depends on the how much of a bargain it is and the type of seller. The pallet option I thought was very good but the Table saw was less of a risk and I got to see the planer/thicknesser before actually paying for it. hope this helps.
Nigel

 

[RGZoro]

shiply.com

I did not know of this website. Back home Everyone had a truck or a friend with a truck to pester. You have now opened up a whole world of options while I shop to rebuild my workshop. I thank you for the link, my wallet is not as happy about it.

 

[RobinBHM]

Pricing on Shiply can vary eidely and early quotes maybe stupidly dear.

I think there is a big variance in quality of couriers touting fir work on Shiply -read the reviews carefully.

If the seller will palletise and protect really well, then a pallet service is very reasonable. For a big item like a table saw, it ideally wants bolting to the pallet and surrounded by a ply or osb box. All part tighlty wrapped with pallet wrap. Palket companies deliver via hubs so its not a continuous journey.

 

[mikefab]

Anyvan.com is another alternative to Shiply that I have used. I bought a three phase converter (100kg) and had it brought down to Northumberland from somewhere up on Scotland.

 

[dickm]

As others have said, quotes from Shiply seem stupidly high. The best of about four that quoted last time was more than 3 times what Parcelforce ultimately charged. But maybe for even bigger stuff, it's better.
A lot of people seem to have had good service from a guy trading as "Landylift", who specialises in machinery moving. But no personal experience.