Anyone shipped wheels abroad?
Anyone shipped wheels abroad?
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Slow

Original Poster:

6,973 posts

167 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Got 4 19” wheels for sale on eBay, had a bloke in Italy want them. Who on earth do I try get shipping quotes with?

He is paying it but just trying to find something that will even quote to provide to him is hard.


craigjm

21,613 posts

230 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Why? Assuming it’s bare wheels with no tyres what do they weigh? About 10kg each? Why would they not quote for 4x10kg boxes? I’ve sent stuff heavier than that before abroad. Have you tried the comparison site parcel2go?

Slow

Original Poster:

6,973 posts

167 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
I had been including the tyres. Will see if he wants them without the tyres otherwise.

E63eeeeee...

5,766 posts

79 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Slow said:
I had been including the tyres. Will see if he wants them without the tyres otherwise.
Depending on how much difference the extra weight/size will make to the cost, the tyres will help protect the wheels in transit when the courier firm throw them down the stairs or whatever it is they do. I hate posting bare rims even just within the UK, I've had rims damaged through multiple layers of cardboard and bubble wrap.

craigjm

21,613 posts

230 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
quotequote all
Yeah that’s not gonna happen. Parcel2go are suggesting that DPD would do a bare wheel for about £20 each

shtu

4,596 posts

176 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Look at ebay's Global Shipping Programme, it's made for this sort of thing.

E63eeeeee...

5,766 posts

79 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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craigjm said:
Yeah that’s not gonna happen. Parcel2go are suggesting that DPD would do a bare wheel for about £20 each
That's remarkably good, you'll not pay much less than that for a single wheel within the UK.

anonymous-user

84 months

Tuesday 14th March 2023
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Pretty easy to put them on a pallet, cost might sting though.

Koyaanisqatsi

2,561 posts

60 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Try one of the parcel comparison sites. I sent 5 Audi wheels (each weighing 21kg) to Germany a couple of years ago. Think it worked out £20 per wheel. I worked quite close to an aftermarket alloy wheel shop so went in and asked nicely if I can have 5 cardboard boxes their 20" wheels get delivered in. Packed them out with enough bubble wrap to sink a battle ship and sent them with DHL if I remember correctly.

I didn't need to put them on a pallet though, they were shipped as one consignment but 1 of 5 items, so were all 'loose'.

Muzzer79

13,191 posts

217 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Bubble-wrap them, then shrink-wrap them to a pallet.

Then, call you local international pallet forwarder for a quote - lots of trucks going to Italy every week.

Shouldn't be that expensive, depending on weight.

anonymous-user

84 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Warn him of the customs charge he'll have to pay wink

Jonmx

2,935 posts

243 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Shipped wheels abroad many times. Beware the weight of packaging, it's not as light as you'd think and adds up. Pallet is probably your best bet for 19's with tyres. Otherwise, a load of bubble wrap around the face of each wheel. Several thick cardboard circles front and rear and then the thickest black pallet wrap all round. Then a load of brown strapping tape. 4 parcels that your pickup driver won't thank you for.
Couriers generally won't accept bare rubber as it can clag up their conveyor belts (somehow black circles etc seem to be able get away with it).

larrylamb11

693 posts

281 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Just be mindful that eBay charge handsomely and will charge their fees on not just the sale price, but the shipping, taxes and anything else charged to your buyer at 12.8%.... PLUS a further 1.26% on all of that for selling to someone not in your home country.....
That means that if you sell these wheels for say £500 and the shipping actually costs you £100, which you pass on to the buyer, you're only going to see £515.34 of the £600 the buyer pays you. You'd need to charge the buyer £116.37 for shipping to actually receive back the £100 net after eBay's fees to cover your cost....
Expensive shipping to someone overseas rapidly becomes more expensive and more hassle than it's worth in my experience, unless you can do it off platform. The risk of damage in transit (for which eBay side with the buyer 99% of the time) is the final nail in the coffin. Better to sell to someone in the UK for £100 less and get them to pick them up / arrange their own courier.

MustangGT

13,846 posts

310 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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Simple solution to avoid any scam/costs issues is to tell him to arrange collection.

VeeReihenmotor6

2,568 posts

205 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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I'd be inclined to get the buyer to sort it all out but offer to wrap them/put them on a pallet.

I sold some OZ Futura wheels to girl in Australia but made her sort courier stuff. If they want the wheels they'll do it as on the flip side you can always sell the wheels to a UK buyer with minimal hassle.

craigjm

21,613 posts

230 months

Wednesday 15th March 2023
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What wheels are they? Something super rare?