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Author Topic: USBC shipping service  (Read 4438 times)

Tex

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USBC shipping service
« on: March 19, 2011, 05:03:26 AM »
Has anyone shipped using the service this year? If so, what were the costs. Thinking about shipping stuff home since may go down to Vegas for a couple days after bowling.


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milorafferty

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #16 on: March 22, 2011, 10:23:41 AM »

 So they need to pay hotel and food expenses for people from the Dallas area to live in Reno for 5 months? For a job that requires the same skill set one would use to work at a UPS Store? $8.00 an hour should be enough. Reno has a brutal unemployement rate right now, I'm sure there are some locals there who would love to have the job for a few months.

 

The reason USBC has been losing money is poor management. Besides, USBC isn't actually a business, they are a membership organization. And a non-profit one at that.



txbowler wrote on 3/22/2011 9:54 AM:
If you think they had staff from Arlington go to Reno to work the shipping service, then add lodging and food for 6 months to those costs that were mentioned earlier.  Also, $8 an hour?  The local McDonalds here in Dallas starts the kids at $8.50 flipping burgers.  They are not paying that low.  And finally, if you haven't noticed, USBC as an organization, is LOSING money.  So yes, they may look at add profit at any place they can.

 

Yes, we as bowlers need to look to every means possible to save money when we travel.  But I don't fault USBC for profiting while providing a service to bowlers.  

 

You are paying a premium for a convenience.  Every business charges for it.  Why can't USBC?  They are a business.  Bowlers just don't like thinking of them as one.  A poorly run one.  But still a business.

 


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txbowler

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2011, 11:46:23 AM »
However you want to describe it....
 
They have bills to pay...
 
And they need to earn money to pay them...
 
They are offering a service with a "convenience charge" that can be quite hefty.  If you want to avoid paying that fee, there are alternatives.  
 
Just like most other "organizations/business" out there:  Convenience Costs Money



Hoselrockets

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2011, 05:57:38 PM »
I always ship at least a case to Reno every year we ship them with Fedex and pay the "handling" fee when we pick them up to bowl.  But when we are done bowling for the week we find a local Fedex and ship them back home that way.  By doing this we don't get hit with the $25 fee for them to move the box.  I understand why they charge what they do but I think it could be a little more affordable.  If you have the time to catch a taxi to find a local Fedex I would think about doing this if you ship enough equipment out there. 


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Stan

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2011, 03:57:17 AM »
Expenses from this tournament come from our tournament entry fee. So, where is the need to charge so much additional money for this service ? 



THEICEMAN

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #20 on: March 23, 2011, 07:08:24 AM »
Just got back from Reno and actually shipped right to the hotel as I usually do.  $32 each way + $15 handling at Silver Legacy.  Some don't charge that though as I know Sands doesn't for sure.  Shipped form here in Appleton Wisconsin.  Buddy from Elkhart, Indiana shipped  using BBE and his was $56, from not to much farther away.  I guess both have advantages though.  But with out the $15 handling it would be significantly cheaper shipping them on your own.....

 

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triggerman

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #21 on: March 23, 2011, 10:56:43 AM »
call your hotel and ask to ship it there most will, tip the guy bringing them to your room and your golden, I shipped to and from the sands last year, nothing extra other then the 20 bucks I gave the bell hop to make sure my outbound shipment made it, they held the boxes for me till I checked in, put my clothes in the 3-4-5 bag and traveled light

 

as much stuff that is going thru BBE out there they should be at advertised rate with no jack up in price, cause they are only paying about half of the advertised rate anyway, that 56 dollar package is only costing them about 26.50 with ups anyway


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icefiction

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2011, 11:07:41 AM »
If you think the USBC is losing money because of us not putting in the fair amount, request their annual financial report and look at the numbers and  I am sure you will be quite surprised to see where the money went.






JessN16

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2011, 04:50:10 PM »
As much as I want to bowl at the stadium (it's on my "bucket list"), this is the primary issue that irks me.
 
I'm not paying the entry fee to bowl in that tournament and not have my full tournament arsenal at my disposal (that's seven balls, and no, I don't care if someone thinks that's too many). We're going next year to Baton Rouge because I can drive there in less than a day. Driving to Reno is three days out and three days back. 
 
You used to be able to take Amtrak without baggage restrictions, but it's $2400 for a four-day train ride (because you have to get a sleeping car). So that's out.
 
Goodness knows what it would cost to fly with that much stuff. I've got it in two bags, an in-line 3/4/5-ball roller -- the fourth ball zips onto the outside and a fifth bag attaches with Velcro to the top (that would have to come off for shipping and probably travel in a suitcase) plus a two-ball shoulder bag. 
 
I'm trying to decide how much it would cost to ship the entire five-ball roller, fully loaded, somewhere in Reno.  Otherwise, I could ship the roller on the plane (although it would probably weigh more than 50 lbs) and the shoulder bag, then have my wife check another two-ball shoulder bag and us cram all our luggage into her second bag plus the carry-ons.
 
Best options?
 
Jess



icefiction

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #24 on: April 03, 2011, 05:13:57 PM »
Having watched the streams from nationals and having talked to a few that went out, it seems the most reasonable thing to do, is go out there with your favorite two balls (free, per your carry on, on the plane) and then go drill one maybe two balls if necessary while your there. 






mjames1229

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #25 on: April 03, 2011, 07:45:22 PM »

 



JessN16 wrote on 4/3/2011 4:50 PM:I'm trying to decide how much it would cost to ship the entire five-ball roller, fully loaded, somewhere in Reno.  Otherwise, I could ship the roller on the plane (although it would probably weigh more than 50 lbs) and the shoulder bag, then have my wife check another two-ball shoulder bag and us cram all our luggage into her second bag plus the carry-ons.
 

Best options?

 

Jess




Jess - Our two teams (10 bowlers) put all of their equipment in their bowling bags (which also included some clothing so that everybody could just carry one bag on the plane) and placed it on a skid.  We had the pallet shipped via common carrier from Milwaukee to the terminal in Sparks (though we later found out that it could have been shipped to our hotel).

 

The shipment took only one day longer than if we UPSed everything, and the total cost for the round trip was about $11 or $12 per bowling ball.  I am positive we will do it again this year as it worked out very well.


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JessN16

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #26 on: April 03, 2011, 11:13:50 PM »
That's a pretty good idea. How many total balls/bags did you ship? I'm trying to figure out how many it would take to make pallet-shipping a viable idea for a group.
 
Jess
 
p.s.: Another idea from a friend of mine...they found someone who was traveling to Reno the same time they were, and paid him to take their balls out in his RV.
mjames1229 wrote on 4/3/2011 7:45 PM:

 



JessN16 wrote on 4/3/2011 4:50 PM:I'm trying to decide how much it would cost to ship the entire five-ball roller, fully loaded, somewhere in Reno.  Otherwise, I could ship the roller on the plane (although it would probably weigh more than 50 lbs) and the shoulder bag, then have my wife check another two-ball shoulder bag and us cram all our luggage into her second bag plus the carry-ons.
 

Best options?

 

Jess




Jess - Our two teams (10 bowlers) put all of their equipment in their bowling bags (which also included some clothing so that everybody could just carry one bag on the plane) and placed it on a skid.  We had the pallet shipped via common carrier from Milwaukee to the terminal in Sparks (though we later found out that it could have been shipped to our hotel).

 

The shipment took only one day longer than if we UPSed everything, and the total cost for the round trip was about $11 or $12 per bowling ball.  I am positive we will do it again this year as it worked out very well.


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mjames1229

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Re: USBC shipping service
« Reply #27 on: April 04, 2011, 05:55:22 AM »
We shipped about 45 bowling balls (in their respective bags).  I also looked at the paperwork from last year, and was closer to $15 per ball.  However, that was a "round trip" price, and still quite a bit lower than UPS or FedEx.  But with fuel surcharges higher and with different carriers in different areas and such, YMMV.