Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2020 10:03:42 -0400
Reply-To: "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Shippers
In-Reply-To: <5ACDEB5A-0D30-4385-96F4-B71F1B1D7416@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
I use uship.com
Find a local reputable Vanagon friendly repair shop or expert who is
neutral to inspect the van for you.
Ken
On Sat, Jun 20, 2020, 2:25 AM Vanagon Man <t3vanagon@gmail.com> wrote:
> Awesome insight!
> Thanks so much for that, Ron.
>
>
> > On Jun 19, 2020, at 8:49 PM, The Bus Depot <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>
> >> Haven’t had one shipped since ‘06.
> >> Who should I trust? Or maybe
> >> more importantly, who should I avoid?
> >
> > Decades ago (wow, am I that old?) I used to buy Buses in California that
> had solid bodies but wouldn't pass smog, and local rustbuckets with strong
> engines, and make one good Bus out of the two. I used the profit I made to
> seed the Bus Depot. It's been a long time since I transported vehicles
> regularly, but the basic process hasn't changed.
> >
> > Some companies you contact have their own drivers, but many are brokers.
> Often even with their markup you can get a better price with a broker. The
> broker quotes you a price with a deposit due up front and the balance paid
> upon delivery. The deposit is his commission; the balance goes to the
> driver (or company) that actually does the haul. Once they quote you they
> post the job onto a national online bulletin board and try to get someone
> to take it for that price. So if they quote you $1000 with $200 of it due
> up front, they're offering $800 on the board. This is where it becomes a
> negotiating game. The broker can go one of three ways:
> >
> > 1) Be realistic and honest about what they think they can get a driver
> to do the haul for, tack on their profit, and quote you that price. It may
> not be the absolute lowest price but it's most likely to actually occur.
> From my limited recent experience eshiptransport.com works that way.
> >
> > 2) Quote a lowball price with quick pickup, realistic or not, to rope
> you in ("I have a driver who can come tomorrow for $500") and hope they get
> lucky and find a driver "deadheading" (traveling with an empty trailer on
> the way to a pickup) who will do the job for almost nothing so they can
> honor that quote. If they don't, then come the excuses and the price
> increases as they incrementally up their offer on the board until a driver
> bites. I dealt with shipwit.com twice and my gut feeling is that this is
> how he operates. That being said, the final prices I paid (though higher
> than the initial quotes) were still lower than anyone else I found. Being
> wise to the game, I'd use him again but take the initial quote with a very
> large grain of salt.
> >
> > 3) Quote high and hope you are not price sensitive. If you bite, both
> the broker and the driver make out very well. I didn't bother with these
> brokers as my pockets aren't deep enough.
> >
> > The one thing you don't want to do is talk to multiple brokers, as they
> will each put it on the board and you are effectively competing with
> yourself. If a driver sees the same job on the board numerous times with
> various brokers' names attached, needless to say he'll respond to the
> broker who is offering the highest price, so that's what you'll pay.
> >
> > Ron Salmon
> > The Bus Depot
> > www.BusDepot.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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