Shipping Signs: Parcel Carriers vs Arranging Your Own Delivery

Short answer: small and medium signs, like most neon, small lightboxes and boxed letters, go by parcel carrier. Large or heavy signs go over the carriers' size and weight limits, so you arrange delivery yourself, by freight or your own van, and quote it separately.

Parcel carriers

UPS, FedEx and USPS are the simplest choice for signs that fit their limits.

At the time of writing, UPS and FedEx Ground take parcels up to about 150 lb, up to 108 inches long, and up to 165 inches for length plus girth (girth is twice the width plus twice the height). USPS limits are lower, at 70 lb. Limits and oversize charges change, so check each carrier's current rules.

Good:

• you can get rates from your own carrier account in seconds
• tracking and pickup are routine

Watch out:

• big, light boxes are charged by size, not weight, so a large neon sign can cost more to ship than you expect
• oversize surcharges kick in well before the maximum

Packing signs so they arrive whole

• Neon: keep the backer flat and fully supported, protect the tube so nothing presses on it, and pack the power supply separately so it cannot move.
• Letters: pack them individually, with a paper pattern for mounting.
• Lightboxes: protect the face and the corners. They take the knocks.
• Mark "fragile" and "this way up", though you cannot rely on it.
• Photograph the sign packed before it leaves. It helps with damage claims.

When the sign is too big

Long rails of channel letters, large lightboxes and big panels go over the parcel limits. Your options:

• Freight, on a pallet or in a crate
• Your own delivery, for local jobs
• Delivery with installation, often the best answer for large lit signs anyway

Quote it separately, and agree it with the customer before invoicing. A customer who assumes "shipping" is a small charge on a big sign will not be happy with a freight quote later.

How Sign Designer handles delivery

When you invoice, you can pull delivery rates from UPS, FedEx or USPS with your own carrier accounts, adjust them, or type your own. Very large signs can still be designed. You arrange delivery directly with the customer and type the charge into the invoice. See the invoice step.