shipping servers cheaply and reliably in USA?

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thetoad

Active Member
Feb 10, 2021
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Does anyone have advice on how to ship 2u servers cheaply and reliably if not part of a larger move where one would have movers? i.e. how to pack, who to use for shipping, how to get the best rate?

thanks.
 

BlueFox

Legendary Member Spam Hunter Extraordinaire
Oct 26, 2015
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Original boxes or ones specifically made for shipping servers with rigid foam need to be used. A bunch of bubble wrap will likely result in damage. There is no cheap way. If you're shipping a few, it's whoever has the best rate, be it FedEx or UPS. If it's a lot, shop around for a freight quote.
 

thetoad

Active Member
Feb 10, 2021
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I guess, I was looking for a cheap source of boxes / rigid foam (cheapest I've found so far is about $50 a shipping box (box + foam, where the server floats in the box, and was wondering if there was an alternative to ups/fedex, but sounds like not. ok, so would cost me $160ish to ship a server from arizona to DC based n what I'm seeing right now. I guess companies that send things out a lot, get significantly better rates.
 

BlueFox

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Oct 26, 2015
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That's better than what I've been using. Have been paying ~$85 per box (including shipping from CA to AZ). Shipping cross-country for something that size is ~$50-60 per box. FedEx and UPS do provide better discounts when you hit large volumes, but even then, the discount only goes so far.
 

thetoad

Active Member
Feb 10, 2021
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yea, as I said, the shipping box is $50, the shipping itself is $100 for what I'm looking at right now.
 

JSchuricht

Active Member
Apr 4, 2011
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It might not be worth it for one server but the 4x8 sheets of foam insulation from the hardware store work well for shipping.
 

thetoad

Active Member
Feb 10, 2021
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its one or 2, but its an extended family member doing me a favor, so dont want to put too much on them, wanted to simply say I'll ship you the needed stuff, buy the label and pickup will happen. Increases cost, but cest la vie. dont want to waste too much of their time.
 

Samir

Post Liker and Deal Hunter Extraordinaire!
Jul 21, 2017
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HSV and SFO
I believe Dell and HP have part numbers for their original packaging materials. Might want to see how much those would cost.