Stephan, I'm sure it is in the archives, but definitely the cheapest way to ship a (vintage) frame to Australia is via the USPS. You must however, keep the size of the package under their "108 inch" rule. This means, that the longest length, added to the girth of a fabric tape wrapped around the other two dimensions, must not exceed 108". This is no problem for most frames, but once you get to the big ones, it may become necessary to make the box as thin as possible, in order to keep the girth low. I try to make sure that the box will stay below 106", just to be safe.
An example of a regular box might be 36 x 27 x 8", which equals 106" following the formula. A bigger box might have to be something like 38 x 28 x 6", also equaling 106".
This gets a bit tight, since one of our beloved frames might measure about 5" across the dropout section. Certainly, the forks must be removed and secured to the side of the frame, or on top of the seat stays. You can come closer to the 108" total, but I hate to have someone turn me away because the actual girth measurement somehow comes out larger that simply taking measurements of the sides.
Hope this helps...
Ciao, Mark Agree Southfield MI USA ~ ~ ~
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 10:08:49 -0700 (PDT) From: sandranian <sandranian@yahoo.com> To: Rendezvous Classic <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR]Sending a Frame to Australia
I did a quick search of the archives and couldn't find what I am looking for...so I am asking the list for help.
I am donating a NOS Gitane frame (no fork) to a fan of the bikes in Australia. It is too big for me...and hung on the wall in my office for a few years, but now needs to be ridden.
I am looking for the most inexpensive way to ship it to Australia...and my "shipping guy" told me it would cost $236! For a 13 lb. box! I was shocked...he has always been so reasonable in the past, and I have imported lots of framesets, but never sent one out of the country. Anyone know the best way to go? Is this the normal price?
Stephan Andranian
Costa Mesa, CA
http://www.GitaneUSA.com