WED | Your 4-Step Holiday Guide To Ship Your Car | When it comes to shipping your car, we would normally tell you to steer clear of the holiday season as it is one of the busiest months in the shipping industry. When demand gets high, so do prices. You know how it goes. It’s the basic law of supply and demand.
Then again, most of life’s decisions never go as planned. So if you booked a last-minute ski trip three states away or decided to go back to your family home for a visit this Christmas (read more) and you’ve decided that bringing your car with you is a non-negotiable, then we’re here to help. All that’s left to do is to tackle the task head-on and help you get a good bang for your buck despite the “holiday prices.”
There are a few things you can do to ensure that you are keeping your car shipping expenses to a minimum and today, we’ll walk you through each step you need to take.
Here’s your official 4-step Holiday Guide to shipping your car to another state without hurting your wallet.
STEP 1: MAKE SURE YOU’VE GOT ALL THE DOCUMENTS READY
The best way to cut down on costs is to avoid adding more. We’re talking about delayed charges, penalties, and other fees that may pop up because you failed to comply with certain paperwork required to ship an item to another state.
You have to make sure that all your documents and registrations are ready and up-to-date. Your driver’s license, car registration, latest emission test results, and sales tax receipts are among the several types of paperwork you (or in this case, your car shipping company) need to present at customs when entering a new state. If you show up with expired papers, not only can you expect penalties but also shipment delays which can add on to the total cost payable to your shipping company.
So to answer your question on how to ship your car for the lowest price possible, our very first answer is to make sure you have all your paper documents ready before you even think about bringing your vehicle to another state. It’ll save you and your wallet from a world of trouble.
STEP 2: CLEAN OUT EVERYTHING THAT DOESN’T NEED TO BE THERE
Next, make sure that your vehicle is spick and span before you even ship it. Why? For one, it will make you look like a responsible person who knows how to take good care of his or her vehicle. Two, it’s going to help you decrease the cost of shipping.
The reason for this is simple: More weight = higher shipping fee. Like any other package, car shipping companies also base their pricing quotations on the weight of the item being shipped. And boy, a car is quite a heavy thing – well, heavier if you are the type of person who keeps a buttload of stuff in the trunk of your car.
If you want to keep your fees to a minimum, clear out anything unnecessary from your car. Not only is this cost-efficient but it’s also a way to safeguard your belongings since you can never be too sure of what can happen on the road.
STEP 3: FILL UP YOUR GAS TANK TO ONLY A FOURTH OF ITS CAPACITY
Here’s the thing: on this trip, your vehicle will be riding on another vehicle, otherwise known as a car hauler. That being said, topping up on gas is a pretty useless thing to do. Your car would be on standby for hours and the only time the engine needs to start is when the car is being loaded and unloaded from the hauler. The only thing more gas will contribute in this case is more shipping fees.
Just like the unnecessary clutter that you normally haul along in your car, gas, too, can significantly contribute to your vehicle’s overall weight. Less gas, less fees to pay for. Fill it to a fourth of its capacity just so you can pick it up from the drop-off location and drive it home.
Also, you can always just bring extra with you when you go pick up your car. Here’s how to do it: https://www.nps.gov/articles/fire-p52-gas-cans.htm.
STEP 4: WATCH OUT FOR HOLIDAY DISCOUNTS
It’s the holidays! It won’t be surprising for car shipping companies to spread a little love, care, and discounts during this season of giving.
Make sure to take advantage of any holiday promotions they have and follow them on their socials for any limited-time discounts exclusively announced on their social media pages. They might even offer extras for free if you’ve been a loyal client so make sure you ask if they have any type of promotion for the holidays.
And that’s it. Remember, just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you should go around splurging money. Be wise with your spending as it is very easy to spend money like there’s no tomorrow when the holiday fever is high. Find a car shipping company you can trust with your vehicle and do the above steps to get the best deals.
Happy holidays!
