If you have a bike you need to ship, using UPS is definitely an option worth considering.
UPS offers bike shipping services and has experience handling all types of bicycles.
I’ve used them several times myself with good results.
In this article, I’ll go over everything you need to know about using UPS to pack and ship a bike.
Whether you need to ship your road bike across the country or just send your kid’s bike to grandma’s house two states away, UPS can likely get it there safely.
But it’s good to understand how their services and fees work so you can get the best rate.
Let’s dive in!
The short answer is yes, UPS will pack and ship bicycles as part of their package delivery services.
They have special bike boxes and padding available to help ensure your bike arrives safely.
UPS ships all kinds of bikes including road, mountain, hybrid, folding, electric, and kids bikes.
If it’s a standard bicycle, UPS can ship it in their bike boxes.
Unusual bikes like tandems or recumbents may need a custom crate built.
One thing to note is that UPS does not do the packing for you.
You’ll need to disassemble your bike and safely pack it into a bike box yourself.
UPS can provide a sturdy cardboard bike box that’s specially designed to protect your bike frame and components.
UPS does offer professional packing services through their UPS Stores locations.
So if you don’t feel up to packing the bike yourself, you can bring it to a UPS Store and pay them to pack it properly for shipping.
No matter how you pack it, UPS will then pick up the packaged bike from your home or business and ship it safely to its destination via their ground, air, or freight delivery services.
UPS bike shipping rates vary quite a bit based on the weight and dimensions of your packaged bike, the shipping speed, and the distance it needs to travel.
In general, though, expect to pay anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars to ship a bike with UPS.
Some key factors that affect your UPS bike shipping costs include:
To get an exact UPS bike shipping quote, you’ll need to enter details like the bike’s weight, box dimensions, origin/destination zip codes, and your preferred shipping speed.
The UPS website has an easy shipping rate calculator you can use.
I’ll go over ways to keep your UPS shipping costs down a bit later in this article.
But in general, expect to pay at least $50 to $150 for most bike shipments.
UPS uses what’s called dimensional weight pricing for bike shipments.
This means they charge you by the greater of the package’s actual weight or its dimensional weight.
Dimensional weight is calculated based on the length, width, and height of your packaged bike in inches.
UPS has a formula where they multiply the package dimensions by a standard density factor to estimate an equivalent dimensional weight in pounds.
So even if your actual bike weight is 25 lbs, if the box dimensions calculate out to a higher dimensional weight, that’s what UPS will charge you for.
This is why using a properly sized bike box is important to keep costs down.
In most cases, the dimensional weight will be greater than the actual weight for a bike package.
But UPS does compare the two and charges whichever is higher.
Bottom line – both the physical weight and size of your packaged bike matter when estimating UPS shipping costs.
Take steps to minimize both when packing your bike.
To get the lowest UPS bike shipping rates, here are some tips:
With some smart packing and shopping around, you can probably ship a standard bike for about $50-$100 with UPS ground service.
Not bad for safely getting your wheels from coast to coast!
While this article covers UPS bike shipping specifically, FedEx is another good option to consider.
They offer similar services for shipping bicycles safely.
Here are some tips for packing your bike to ship with FedEx:
FedEx offers convenient pickup so you don’t have to haul the box to a location yourself.
And their website makes it easy to estimate shipping rates, print labels, and schedule a pickup time.
So investigate both FedEx and UPS prices when you have a bike to ship. Often one will have better rates than the other.
To give you a real cost example, let’s say you need to ship your standard road bike about 500 miles from Chicago to Nashville.
For this medium-distance ground shipment, you can expect to pay:
The final cost would depend on the exact weight and box dimensions, but that price range is typical.
To get the best rate, use the smallest box possible, preferably a used UPS bike box.
Remove unneeded parts to make it fit.
Package it up nicely with plenty of padding and keep the weight minimal.
Then take the time to check rates online for both UPS and FedEx to see who’s running the best specials.
Print the label yourself and drop off instead of residential pickup to save on charges.
For a 500-mile shipment like this, I would probably go with FedEx Ground and expect to pay around $80 with some smart packing and shopping around.
Well worth it for the peace of mind of having my bike safely delivered door to door!
Shipping a bicycle does require some work – you’ve got to properly disassemble and pack it up all snug in a box.
But once you have it packaged, using UPS to ship it is very convenient.
Just be prepared that costs can range from $50 up to several hundred dollars depending on the specifics.
Heavier e-bikes and tandems end up at the higher end.
While a standard lightweight road or hybrid bike in a small UPS bike box will be at the lower end.
I recommend checking rates online with UPS and FedEx first so you know what to expect cost-wise before packing up your bike.
And do take steps like removing wheels and using a tight-fitting box to keep both weight and dimensions minimal.
Hopefully, the information in this article gives you a good idea of what’s involved in using UPS to ship your bicycle.
