My son has a mountain bike. It weighs 12.2 kg, and I already have so much to move that I cannot take the bike with me to Australia. I know some bike shops will break it down and box it for a fee, which is good.
Now I am looking into shipping via FedEx or DHL, which I believe has to be done at a 7-11 (if wrong, pleases correct me). Does anyone know roughly how much I would expect to pay for this? The bike itself was about NT$7000 a few years ago. I am not even sure it’s cost-effective. If it is too much to ship, I will likely get a new bike in Australia (I know they are a bit expensive there, but what isn’t?).
Best (and probably only) way to get an answer to your question is to take the package all set to either of those couriers so they can weigh and measure it. These couriers also offer a quotation service online if you have ALL this information already in hand.
As to whether it is worth it falls on you to decide after you get your quote. Some people might ship it out of sentimental value, others might just get another bike at their destination place. Up to you.
That’s basically what I was feeling. I spoke with my wife, and we have decided to give it to a family member as following some snooping around, this is a very tricky process. I don’t want to get it packed into a box at the Giant shop and then find out that eaither DHL /FedEx won’t shop it or it is exorbitantly expensive. I also worry about the Australian end of things. I have had no issues shipping in standard Post Office boxes, but some people have had issues with other boxes. I wonder why.
That’s another thing. I think Australia can be very strict when it comes to soil-borne pathogens. I don’t remember where I came across this information but I remember reading something about someone going through immigration and being questioned because of dirt on the sole of some shoes in his luggage. My understanding is that they seem to worry about cross contamination of Australia’s own soil if soil-borne pathogens from outside Australia are brought in. My thinking is that if it is a mountain bike that is not certified new in its original box they might worry about possible soil-borne pathogens on the tires. Just my supposition, I’m just subjectively connecting dots here. I’m not sure how they are able to control this 100%, but if they do then it could mean an extra cost possibly. Worth investigating.
First, current courier fees are pretty expensive. FedEx for example, has suspended economy service, so you only have the more expensive express to choose from.
I’ve shipped bikes to the states and EU on the regular basis and depending on the size of the box, it most likely is oversized packaging and if you’re shipping FedEx, it will fall under the FedEx freight, which is more expensive than FedEx express and annoying af.
You want to bring the bike with you on the plane if you can. Have the shop box the bike and shove some of your luggage in there. The over weight baggage or oversized fee may be more cost effective than any courier fee.