My mom wants to send me a big (>4 ft or so in diameter) but lightweight (5-10 pounds) disk. Unfortunately, the awkward shape means that UPS’s rate formula comes up with a charge of >$100 to ship the disk.
What’s the best way to send the disk from one coast to the other?
Roll it.
Have her place an ad in her newspaper looking for someone driving to your location. Pay them $10 to take it along.
Greyhound buses used to carry packages, check with them.
A long distance moving company might throw it on one of their shipments for a small fee.
UPS is all but guaranteed to turn it into a taco. Or maybe even a burrito. I’m pretty sure you don’t want that to happen.
For something as oddly shaped as this, I’d be looking more to a household moving company or regular freight hauler.
A mover will “consolidate” this item with whatever else they’re moving across the country, so there’s likely to be significant delays while they amass enough other stuff to fill a truck and send it off. A few years ago, my brother moved a bedroom’s worth of furniture from Chicago to Connecticut, and it took three weeks. No idea what it would cost, though.
A “regular” freight company will probably be quicker, but hellishly expensive. I just did a quickie estimate with Yellow Freight, and you’re looking at $600-700, whether it’s 5 pounds or 95 pounds.
US postal service will let you mail packages up to 40X40X5 or 6". Not quite 4 feet, but you seem a bit uncertain on that dimension.
http://postcalc.usps.gov/default.asp?Problem=MT&OZ=68502&DZ=53545&P=12&O=0&image1.x=36&image1.y=7
Cost is ~$54.00.
What kind of computer uses a 4’ disk? Wonder what kind of seek time you get on that…
Thanks for the help, guys! I think I’ll look into the possibility of a moving company.
Heck, that’s big enough to just look it up yourself. Wonder what font it’s in.
Truck transport companies like Roadway Express specialize in this sort of thing and take over where UPS leaves off size and weight wise. Check with Roadway Express on this. You might also want to double box or frame it in or palletize (ie. bind it to a sturdy wooden shipping pallet with shipping flim) it somehow as large, lightweight items are especially subject to damage regardless of shipping method.
…or throw it like a frisbee.
Cuneiform.