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Just FYI.
In case you haven’t noticed, shipping costs have gone up too. The insurance for shipped items has followed along with that. I have posted a higher value rifle for sale and discovered, the cost for shipping and insurance varies from $150..00 to $250.00. 
RDB
rogertherelic said I have posted a higher value rifle for sale and discovered, the cost for shipping and insurance varies from $150..00 to $250.00.
As Lou just said, it’s probably money thrown away if you have to make a claim.
I don’t know what it cost today for shipping and insurance at RIA when you buy an expensive gun. Ten years ago a friend of mine paid RIA over $700 for shipping and insurance on a $75,000. 73. The premium was value based and done in house. A lot of money to move a gun 200 miles. After that I drove, now that they are in Texas that’s not practical. Shipping expensive guns scares me. T/R
TR said
I don’t know what it cost today for shipping and insurance at RIA when you buy an expensive gun. Ten years ago a friend of mine paid RIA over $700 for shipping and insurance on a $75,000. 73. The premium was value based and done in house. A lot of money to move a gun 200 miles. After that I drove, now that they are in Texas that’s not practical. Shipping expensive guns scares me. T/R
Shipping expense/risk adds into the equation when deciding whether to purchase a gun or not. Added to that is the fact that much of the time when you are arranging to have a gun shipped to you, that probably means you haven’t held it in your hands (another reason to be reluctant to buy a gun).
TR said
I don’t know what it cost today for shipping and insurance at RIA when you buy an expensive gun. Ten years ago a friend of mine paid RIA over $700 for shipping and insurance on a $75,000. 73. The premium was value based and done in house. A lot of money to move a gun 200 miles. After that I drove, now that they are in Texas that’s not practical. Shipping expensive guns scares me. T/R
RIA & the other big league auction firms ought to set up its own shipping service. For yrs I hoped NRA would do the same, but that was before the org bankrupted itself defending its Grifter-in-Chief. Not only must we endure the negligent, if not deliberate, damage inflicted on irreplaceable antiques, but the worst of it is that we’re rewarding corporations that hate us with our patronage!
November 7, 2015
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clarence said
TR said
I don’t know what it cost today for shipping and insurance at RIA when you buy an expensive gun. Ten years ago a friend of mine paid RIA over $700 for shipping and insurance on a $75,000. 73. The premium was value based and done in house. A lot of money to move a gun 200 miles. After that I drove, now that they are in Texas that’s not practical. Shipping expensive guns scares me. T/R
RIA & the other big league auction firms ought to set up its own shipping service. For yrs I hoped NRA would do the same, but that was before the org bankrupted itself defending its Grifter-in-Chief. Not only must we endure the negligent, if not deliberate, damage inflicted on irreplaceable antiques, but the worst of it is that we’re rewarding corporations that hate us with our patronage!
I know Cabela’s packs and ships probably thousands of guns a year from store to store or other FFL holders but the level of expertise involved varies. They use a parcel service but I don’t know who that may be these days. Rising shipping costs and indifference (hostility?) of package handlers is certainly food for thought.
Mike
I’ve lost a cabelas rifle before so I suspect they’re just as suseptible to damage as any other. It was a store to store transfer and they had to call me and tell me it was damaged beyond sale.
Jeremy P said
I’ve lost a cabelas rifle before so I suspect they’re just as suseptible to damage as any other. It was a store to store transfer and they had to call me and tell me it was damaged beyond sale.
If they’re shipping by a “common carrier” like our enemies UPS, etc, of course they’re subject to the same abuse as you or I.
A few years back I bought a Model 61 with a grooved aluminum receiver from Gun Broker. It appeared to be unused. I was then able to contact Mr. Ned Schwing and talk to him regarding the rifle. After I sent him detailed photos of the rifle, he called me and suggested I send the rifle to him for personal inspection and varification. He said with varification the value would increase to betweem $15 and $20 grand. I was too afraid of damage or even loosing the rifle in the shipping process to send it. I still wonder if I made the correct decision. RDB
rogertherelic said
A few years back I bought a Model 61 with a grooved aluminum receiver from Gun Broker. It appeared to be unused. I was then able to contact Mr. Ned Schwing and talk to him regarding the rifle. After I sent him detailed photos of the rifle, he called me and suggested I send the rifle to him for personal inspection and varification. He said with varification the value would increase to betweem $15 and $20 grand. I was too afraid of damage or even loosing the rifle in the shipping process to send it. I still wonder if I made the correct decision. RDB
Frankly, no, speaking as someone to whom 15-20 Gs represents a LOT of money. A TD rifle is much less subject to accidental damage, if broken down for shipping; the longer the package, the greater the risk. Shipped Registered, risk of theft would be extremely slight, & if the potential payoff for that slight risk was 15-20 Gs, I think it was VERY well worth a roll of the dice. There are other 61 “authorities,” but no one else I know of having the special status of Schwing.
I haven’t tried it yet, but a rifle wrapped tightly in bubble wrap and then placed in a PVC pipe capped on each end would appear impervious to being crushed, etc.
Over the decades I have seen damage that could have been prevented. Most commonly, there’s more than one piece in the box and they are not adequately separated. An example is a take down gun. While it is true you end up with a much shorter package, it the two pieces are allowed to knock or rub against each other, there’s going to be tears (i.e. eye tears) upon opening. When I ship a takedown, each piece is well padded and then they are tightly taped together.
The other piece of advice I have is to make sure the item can’t move around at all in the box. This takes thoughtful padding. Another tip – make sure the muzzle end is well padded with something hard – such as a couple layers of cardboard (vs. bubble wrap). With rough handling, a rifle barrel will easily punch through bubble wrap and then through the end of the box. This can even happen with a cheaper hard case – the muzzle will slip right through the seam of the case. I recall a Ross rifle I received (pretty thin barrel) where when the box arrived, six inches of the barrel was sticking through the end of the box (and it was undamaged!).
I think it is easy to not imagine the force with which some of these boxes are thrown. The contents in the box are traveling at a high rate of speed and then suddenly they are not.
steve004 said While it is true you end up with a much shorter package, it the two pieces are allowed to knock or rub against each other, there’s going to be tears (i.e. eye tears) upon opening. When I ship a takedown, each piece is well padded and then they are tightly taped together.
Of course, that goes without saying…I thought. If the person packaging the gun is as stupid as those who will be handing it after it’s shipped, all bets are off.
clarence said
steve004 said While it is true you end up with a much shorter package, it the two pieces are allowed to knock or rub against each other, there’s going to be tears (i.e. eye tears) upon opening. When I ship a takedown, each piece is well padded and then they are tightly taped together.
Of course, that goes without saying…I thought.
Clarence –
Based on some rifles I’ve received, I can assure you it does not go without saying 
My wife frequently receives amazon packages. She doesn’t buy anything unless it’s free shipping. I’m amazed when a box arrives here that I could fit four flats of shotgun shells in – and there’s a cosmetic inside that is the size of a wallet – and the total price was $3!
Steve and others–for the most part, frequent shippers have a contract with their servicing carrier and can ship way cheaper than you or I can when we send one item every year or two. Firearms repair shops often ship at a small fraction of what it costs to send a firearm to them. Same for others in the business where shipping is a regular occurrence. Tim
Steve and others–for the most part, frequent shippers have a contract with their servicing carrier and can ship way cheaper than you or I can when we send one item every year or two. tim tomlinson said
That’s how your mailbox gets flooded with unwanted catalogs & other junk mail–special postage rates.
clarence said
RIA & the other big league auction firms ought to set up its own shipping service. For yrs I hoped NRA would do the same, but that was before the org bankrupted itself defending its Grifter-in-Chief.
Hmmmm…..I smell a post-retirement job in a few years!
Jeremy P said
Hmmmm…..I smell a post-retirement job in a few years!
A hundred million should cover set-up costs. However, shipping firearms, new & used, & ammo, is a multi-million-dollar business. BEST thing UPS could do for us in the long run would be to carry their contempt of guns & gun-owners to the next logical step: prohibit ALL shipment of firearms! This would galvanize the shooting industry, led perhaps by the Nat Shooting Sports Foundation, into organizing & funding their own delivery service. Unfortunately, great as is UPS’s hatred for us, they still covet our business; ammo shipment, esp, must earn them millions.
A hundred million should cover set-up costs. clarence said
I’ll cut you in early for 50 mil.
November 7, 2015
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Jeremy P said
clarence said
RIA & the other big league auction firms ought to set up its own shipping service. For yrs I hoped NRA would do the same, but that was before the org bankrupted itself defending its Grifter-in-Chief.
Hmmmm…..I smell a post-retirement job in a few years!
Gentlemen, I’ve been very much involved in the logistics of shipping parcels and LTL freight for quite some time. It’s tedious, labor intensive and very expensive to operate. Trucks, terminals, employees, unions, IT, administration, government regulations, insurance, weather…the entities involved ship millions of packages every day but if it’s your package that’s lost or destroyed it’s personal, especially if it’s a collectible Winchester. The folks who ship our guns do a pretty good job most of the time but I wish they could understand that to us every Winchester is special and many are irreplaceable. Sticking your foot in that door will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and the folks who know what it takes are having a hard time making a profit. Good luck!
Mike
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