Shipping to College
 

DS is headed to college this fall -- almost 600 miles away. We have some options. Haul all his stuff in the van and hope it fits, ship his stuff and let him fly. If you ship it, can you tell me what are the best options that you Fodorites have taken?

I shipped much of my daughter's stuff from Boston to Washington DC last fall. I found that the good ol' US Postal Service was just as reasonable as UPS and FedEx. Partly because I could ship her books via the Media Mail or Bound Printed Matter rates, which are ridiculously cheap. (Details at www.usps.com.)

We also found that since her campus has a centralized delivery system (rather than mailboxes in each dorm) that USPS worked out better in our case. Nothing was broken or lost. She was glad to have a luggage trolley handy when her stuff arrived, though!

I should have mentioned that most of her stuff went via Parcel Post.

Used US Post Office going and UPS coming back home in the spring (college had kind of a racket set up with UPS at each dorm, so no choice but it worked out okay). Entirely happy with USPS to send -- went to central place for each dorm and easy to fetch it with dolly. Happy enough with UPS because they delivered back to our door (not sure how USPS would have handled that).

Yes, it's definitely worth sending books by book rate, but hopefully DS will be able to leave them stored at college over the summer.

A strong word of advice: get serious about using strapping tape, a lot of it. Wrap it not only around the top and bottom in several places but reinforce the corner edges (up the sides). Heavy handling -- tossing around regardless of "up" or "down" -- will land a box possibly at a corner and the opposite sides can split out. This seems to happen regardless of whether what's inside is heavy or light. We had pieces of clothing trying to escape out the side edges, even though the box was light and the top and bottom were well-taped.

Cassandra has good points about packing. I sell a lot on eBay, so I take it for granted. Any box you ship should pass the "Wince Test:" You should pack and seal it so well that you would be willing to toss it down the cellar stairs and then stand on it, without wincing. I know those criteria are essential because of stories that my son-in-law told me after a stint with UPS.

Strapping tape (an inch wide or more) is your friend. I use regular 2-inch-wide clear tape to seal the flaps and open edges of the box, then go around each direction with strapping tape, twice. A tiny extra investment in tape and effort will really pay off here. Also, put a strip of clear tape across your address label, so it can't get marred or fall off (that sticky backing stuff is unreliable, especially in heat and/or damp).

Anything heavy or fragile should be wrapped in padding (for eBay, use bubblewrap; for college, use clothes and linens). Put the heaviest weight in the center of the box, and distribute stuff so no box is exceptionally heavy. Pack snugly so things don't move around inside the box -- that interior motion can cause damage (ask your kid, he just took physics).

If you're feeling ambitious or compulsive, number the boxes and make a list of what's in each one. It takes a while to get through them all when unpacking, and he'll want towels, change of clothes, etc. immediately. The kids are really busy right away when they arrive. Or have an "open me first" box of the stuff he'll need right away.

Some colleges will let you ship far in advance, and will even deliver boxes to the kids' rooms. So be sure to find out the system at your particular school.

It depends on how the 600 miles run: If it's up and down (say Boston to NY), parcel post is usually cheaper. If it's across state lines, UPS or FedEx is generally less expensive -- truer the heavier the parcel. Common carriers also include $100 worth of insurance for free.

Do not go to a pack and ship, but the actual FedEx or UPS drop off if possible. Since it's going to a school, ask about commercial rates as opposed to residential. Be aware of the SIZE of the box -- a big box may go into oversize which will surcharge at 70 lbs. even if it may only weigh 35 (true of both post office and UPS). So measure box(es) before you take them and check websites for dimensional weight surcharges.

If it's clothing, put into large heavy garbage bags -- if box breaks, nothing should escape. Do not use duct tape. Wide clear tape works just as well. Put a piece with shipper and recipient info INSIDE. If you have lots of tape around the box, make sure label is secure (clear tape across it). Use a good box (I get mine from the hardware). You cannot use boxes that are printed with Bleach etc. or wine/liquor boxes.

Definitely media mail for books.

However, if you have issues trying to fit it all into a van ... not sure shipping would be feasible. What are you sending? Computer, microwave, etc. or just personal effects?

B/

I took the back seats out of my van and everything fit. That included computer, dvd player, tv, stereo, medium fridge (not small dorm size), microwave, clothes, tons of shoes,etc.

I found UPS always gets things delivered when they say they will but the USPS doesn't. If UPS says 4 days it's there in 4 days. If USPS says 4 days it can be a 1 1/2 weeks.

If you decided to drive, pack things into rolling,stacking,plastic drawers. This gives them extra drawer space and makes packing at the end of the year simple.

Another must for any college student are the hooks with 3m tape to hang things in the dorm and gaffers tape. These will not damage walls and come off easily at the end of the year.

One very important caveat about media mail: it can take weeks to arrive. It will be OK for books and CDs, ect that are not needed right away, but think twice about shipping any textbooks or reference materials that will be needed in time for class.

The first year DD went off across country we shipped so much stuff via UPS. But her school did not have any storage for summer breaks and this could have been a huge problem, but luckily she had a friend with an apartment who let her store her stuff there for the summer. If we had it to do over again, I think we'd send half of what we sent along, as some of it came back still in the original shipping cartons. What they think they need and what they really need, we found out, are two vastly different things. We could skipped most of the electronics, as her PowerBook served as her radio, CD player, and DVD player. Microwave-feh-everyone had one. Between her and her roommate they had duplicates of everything, and a whole lot more that they never used.

Our son attends college 1000 miles from home (Boston to Savannah). The first semester we all felt better cramming it into the van. A way to save space is to arrive a day or 2 before check-in and purchase some things there - linens, towels, etc. plus dorm stuff that he will need/want and does not already have - lamps, refrigerator, etc.

After freshman year, have him rent a storage locker at school location and then fly home. This may involve some creativity on his part to get stuff to storage locker without a car - but they get very creative while away at school and we don't do as much thinking for them. Remind him that if he is going to store any clothes or linens, it is nice to launder them first! By doing this our son can now fit everything back and forth in his small Toyota that he now has at school with him.

We have shipped stuff to our son (at Christmas he filled his luggage with "essential like games and CDs and we had to ship some clothes back to him). Often USPS will not deliver to dorm because that is not official US Mail site - and then kid has to lug stuff to dorm. Some colleges also use central site for FedEx and UPS (our son's college does) so that also involves hauling stuff a distance.

Also, shipping involves a greater level of organization than our son has - he needs to decide what he needs immediately and what he can wait for with shipping delays - because you don't want the stuff to get there before him.

When we do ship we have been happy with UPS - but that was partly because it is most convenient for us at our end.

FedEX Ground, hands down. I have become a total convert both for it getting there in and on time and at a huge savings in money. I HATE the USPS and have always used UPS. But now, I am convinced that FEDEX Ground is a huge savings.
Note--Sent 3 overnight mail (USPS) during Christmas. One took 2 days, one 3 days and one 8 days.