This may sound crazy but I need some stuff for my ex-cop Chevy Caprice - a new dash and some lightbars.

Get this - because they are quite heavy (50kgs for the two lightbars I need) and too big for USPS they need to go separately by UPS/FedEx and that will cost at least $500 .

I got a quote from my local Yank parts supplier to bundle it with their weekly air-freight but that works out only a tiny bit less after everyone has taken their cut.

I got a price for a flight to Charlotte, NC (where the place that has the stuff is) and it would be £244 ($380). Assuming I travel light I get a free short holiday *and* get to inspect my purchases!

Any ideas on a cheaper way of shipping them before I do something stupid? Anyone coming to the UK soon with 50kgs spare luggage? :-)

Cheers,

Gareth

A word of warning, I think most airlines only give you 20-30Kgs for luggage, and charge for whatever you go over by (unless you are flying first/buisness or have a gold frequent flyer card). I have heard of some airlines charging $25 per kilo, which will rather quickly erase the price differance.

I am not trying to put a downer on the idea, but also don't want you to get a nasty surprise at check in.

Just checking that now - with AA it's definately $80 if oversized and another $80 if overweight. If I went to Charlotte I would get whacked for the connecting flight too.

Next idea is to get them shipped to my Aunt in Kissimmee and fly into Orlando... I would only get hit for one flight then...

Gareth

You might get a better airling price flying into Greensboro or Raleigh and driving to Charlotte. (This also provides the added benefit of not staying in Charlotte any longer than you have to.) The drive there would be about two (GSO) or three (RDU) hours, all on Interstate roads. I could be wrong about the prices, but there are direct flights between London-Gatwick and RDU on American Airlines.

I don't know much about the shipping, though.

Hmmm.. hire car... 23yo....

I have just looked up the weight of the things and they might be a bit lighter than I remembered - 32lbs/14.5kgs each. Might get me out of the weight excess charge but not size.

I've just seen aacargo.com - the Expiditefs service might be worth looking into, as long as the people can get it to the airport - I might have to bung them a few extra $$$ though.

edit - flight prices are similar for Raleigh but a little more for GSO. For some dates the prices are £900+!

Gareth

If you can put up with a "slow boat" class of service, have you talked to any freight forwarders/consolidators? Your crate may be to small for their trouble, but maybe not.

This page shows a few forwarding outfits in Charlotte. Still won't be cheap, but it sounds like if you could get it under $200 you'd be pleased.

I've been charged over $800 in excess baggage on some trips. That was for two boxes (total weight, about 55kg), and a regular suitcase, and that was on Business Class.

Excess baggage can really hit you, if the people behind the counter want it to. That luggage I described above usually gets hit for $200-$300 excess baggage, but roughly 25% of the time, they don't charge me anything.

There's a lot of Brits importing old sports cars from the States still, and there are shipping companies regularly bringing containers across with about 4 - 6 cars per container. I have previously shipped a set of alloy wheels with tyres (crated) across from a shipping company in Carolina in a container that was coming across. It helped that one of the cars in the container belonged to a friend, but I managed to pay only about $100 or so for a dark corner of a container. They got across OK, but it was obvious someone had jemmied them open at one point.

Try looking up companies specialising in car imports in the US and calling to see if they'd be willing to do this.

a shipping company in Carolina

[pet peeve]
North Carolina and South Carolina are two very different (even though adjacent) places. Please don't lump them together. I understand if you don't remember which one it was, but don't assume or imply that they're the same, please. With a cherry on top.
[/pet peeve]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

I Googled most of the afternoon and turned up Eagle Global Logistics who have an office in Charlotte.

Total cost: $155 for their door to LHR. Ok, I have to drive to Heathrow and back but that's a small price to pay!

I got the Caprice shipped over this summer - *very* stressful and not recommended, especially when Wallenius Willhemsen can't find your car on their system. Took 2 days to find out it was delayed by customs, meanwhile my hair was going grey! It was only an $1800 car, god knows what it'll be like when I get a Viper! (in my dreams!) I am also glad that I got total loss cover considering the recent evidence regarding the navigational skills of their crew....

Gareth

Please don't lump them together

Aww...them Nawth Carolinians are gettin' too big in the britches. Cain't be heaped together with yore kin to the south, eh? Buncha yankees movin' in and steenkin' up the place. Well, we don' need you anyway...we'll secede from bein' a "carolina" too...you can have your stupid girly name.

I didn't mean to (in this case ) imply that SCians are wores than NCians. (You do have Charleston, after all.) Just different.

Oh, and, as far as girly names go, at least we've got it all over Georgia, Florida and Virginia.

Oh, and, as far as girly names go, at least we've got it all over Georgia, Florida and Virginia.

Aren't you neglecting Miss Issippi?

'twas tongue-in-cheek, I assure you. I'm not a native of the area, having spent the first 12 years of my life out west. I've only lived in North and South Carolina a mere 13 years, but I can empathize. We unfortunately get lumped together all the time...ie...Carolina Panthers, your Carolina Dodge dealer, Pepsi - born in the Carolinas, Carolina Hurricanes, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.