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Shipping a bike: What it costs in the USA.

This article is for anyone currently wondering what bike shipping costs are in the USA. Whether you want to ship a bike within the USA, or from the USA to an overseas destination, read on this article is for you. If you are not shipping from the USA we have a list of other guides available which you can select from here. Shipping costs vary between countries and we have decided the best way to present information on costs is to treat it on a country by country basis. This information is current as of February 2022. We will check back on the shipping rates periodically throughout the year and update this as necessary.

The two main factors that affect the cost to ship a bike are the size of the bike box and how quickly you want the delivery to be made. Prices to ship a bike box measuring 53 x 7 x 29 from New York to Los Angeles within 7 days ranged from $74 to $156. To have the same bike box shipped within 2 days ranged from $307 to $795. A slightly larger box measuring 59 x 9 x 36 costs between $156 and $357 for 7-day delivery and $630 and 1,662 for delivery within 2 days for the same route. Pick-up and delivery destinations have little to no impact on the prices quoted and you can expect similar prices regardless of your destination.

Who ships bikes in the USA?

The first step in our research was to find out which companies ship bikes within the USA. Here is the list of shipping companies we discovered that specifically advertise bikes. Our article about shipping bikes explains the difference between the shipping company types.

Bike shipping within the USA

We undertook some of our own research on what it would cost to ship a bike from various locations within the USA. The routes we included are New York to Los Angeles, New York to Denver and Los Angeles to Miami. We looked at the cost to ship 2 different sizes of bike boxes. The first measuring (inches) 59 x 9 x 36 and the second measuring (inches) 53 x 7 x 29. The sizes are based on boxes that are available for purchase. In both instances, we set the weight at 44lbs and estimated the value of the contents at US$2,500. This is what we found.

  • The speed of delivery has the greatest impact on the price you will pay. To ship the larger of the two box sizes between New York and Los Angles cost US$156 for a 7 day delivery and $630 for a 1-2 day delivery.
  • Box size also impacts the cost significantly. Our research showed that our larger box cost $630 for an overnight delivery between New York and Los Angeles, while our smaller box only cost $307 for the same service.
  • The shipping distance has less of an impact on the shipping cost than the other two. For example there was only a few dollars difference on all shipping times for a delivery to Denver vs Los Angeles.
  • Decreasing the weight from 44lbs to 30lbs had no impact on the prices quoted.
  • Insurance for a bike valued at $2,500 was between $31 and $37.
  • Pick-up at your address vs drop-off at a depot was only $5 extra.
  • For a 5 day delivery prices ranged from $74 to $156 for the small box and $138 to $357 for the large box. These prices do not include the insurance costs.

International bike shipping from the USA

We also looked at the cost to ship a bike from the USA to France from New York and Los Angeles. Again we used the 2 box sizes outlined above, a weight of 44lbs and a value of $2,500. This is what we found.

  • Box size still impacted cost but not to the same degree as above. For example, the cost of shipping a bike between New York and Paris was $635 for the large box and $428 for the small box.
  • There was little to no difference in price between shipping from New York to Paris vs shipping from Los Angeles to Paris.
  • There is little to no difference between shipping your bike to Paris vs Sydney.
  • There are less options in relation to the speed of the delivery and in some instances no options to choose from. Where the speed of delivery can be selected, it still impacts price significantly. In our research a 7 day delivery time was quoted at $972 for the small box vs $1,500 for a 2 day delivery.
  • Box size impacted on the delivery speed. For example the smaller box could be shipped within 2 days whereas the large box could only be shipped within 5 days at best.
  • Depending on the reason for sending the bike you could be up for significant import duties. Generally speaking if you are sending the bike because you are relocating or going on vacation you will not be charged import duties. However, if you are sending your bike because you have sold it, or gifted it import duties will be charged.
  • Duties charged vary based on the country you are sending the bike.

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