Shipping tires? AK to WA/OR

dokaman · 10-04-2021, 01:01 PM

Have any of you had any experience shipping tires?

I am on an Alaska trip for a few more months and decided to have studded tires installed on my van. Now I have a good set of 33” AT tires I need to get home. Or sell up here.

Trying to figure out my plan…. Thanks for any advice

REF · 10-04-2021, 01:12 PM

You’re going to pay out the wazoo to ship tires to the lower 48, much better off trying to sell them up there. Are you around Anchorage? Just post em up on CL for a fair price, shouldn’t take long. Know anyone up there you could drop them with?
I had to get a new set of Duratracs when we were up there summer of ‘19, paid almost $100 premium per tire, and they were hard to find, I think I got the only set available in all of AK, keep that in mind when pricing.

Steve Hunt · 10-04-2021, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dokaman

Have any of you had any experience shipping tires?

I am on an Alaska trip for a few more months and decided to have studded tires installed on my van. Now I have a good set of 33” AT tires I need to get home. Or sell up here.

Trying to figure out my plan…. Thanks for any advice

It’s been decades since I worked at UPS so I can’t say this is current but we use to ship unboxed loose tires (no rim) all the time. The shipping label was on the running surface and then 4-5 wraps of clear tape over the label and off they went.

arctictraveller · 10-05-2021, 12:06 AM

Alaska marine lines is very affordable but you need deliver to a port they service, then pick up in Seattle. I’ve shipped with them for years and it’s very easy.
Barge Sailing Schedules for Alaska and Hawaii | Alaska Marine Lines

BrianW · 10-05-2021, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Alaska marine lines is very affordable but you need deliver to a port they service, then pick up in Seattle. I’ve shipped with them for years and it’s very easy.
Barge Sailing Schedules for Alaska and Hawaii | Alaska Marine Lines

I was going to suggest the barges too. I seem to remember freight consolidators in Anchorage that would handle it for you, but that was some years ago. I agree with just selling them in town and buying new when you’re back Outside, unless you’re talking really nice rims too. I think any shipping cost will exceed the price differential from selling and rebuying.

shenrie · 10-05-2021, 05:57 AM

If you aren’t in any kind of hurry you might be able to ship them to yourself via a greyhound bus. When customers weren’t in a hurry for carbon fiber car hoods and wanted to save money on shipping we would put the hoods in the belly of a greyhound bus. Would take weeks to get anywhere, but price was always fair. Just not sure if they are still taking large goods or where the countries are with letting people back and forth from Canada right now.

And steve is right. ups, fed ex, and on trac all deliver tires to us with nothing but a packing label taped to the tires. Often the smaller tires taped together are in pairs, but the 315-20’s we just got were all separate from one another. I assume 2 of those together is a little hard to huck around.

dokaman · 10-06-2021, 10:37 PM

Thanks for everyones information. I will check on those and come up with a plan.

👍

rescuejg · 10-10-2021, 12:09 PM

My guess is selling the tires up there is gonna be the most economical thing to do. It may even prove profitable.

Jong · 10-12-2021, 09:44 AM

Why are you buying studded tires over studless? I've always been under the impression studless tires are better.

simplesez · 10-12-2021, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jong

Why are you buying studded tires over studless? I've always been under the impression studless tires are better.

Better at what? Nothing beats studded tires on ice. They have their purpose. Some places have ice on the roads for up to 6 months.