Collection/delivery services

[Bill]

I'm trying to find some old wheels for an urgent replacement on a trailer plus some spares. Local scrappies and others have drawn a blank, but ebay might have something suitable.

The trouble is that most wheels seem to be "Collection Only".

Can anyone recommend a way of finding a courier who will pick up and deliver a few wheels tied together with a label?

I've tried to ask Parcel2Go, but they seem to have improved their website so I can no longer find how to ask anything there. Yodel and the other 2 I've tried, say they only accept boxed (some double wrapped) items

[Dave Liquorice]

See if you can find the "man with a van" services on eBay. Won't be overnight mind. We've had furniture bought on eBay delivered by such a service. Essentially they take the details of the collections/drops then arrange them as a round trip over a few days. The seller and buyer need to be flexible in pickup/dropoff day/times.

[polygonum]

A while ago I went to our local PO. Person was trying to post what looked like an alternator (about the size of a hefty one, whatever it actually was). So oil-covered even he carried it in on carrier bag. And expected to be able to post it without wrapping it at all.

Last seen in his vehicle in the car park looking very disgruntled. With said item on his knees.

Later heard this is a regular trick he tries to pull.

[Bill]

Thanks, Dave, I've looked at the services on ebay and it looks as if it could be an option.

Meanwhile I've chickened out of the wheels I was looking at taking a gamble on, and instead have printed out 6 pages of addresses of other breakers to try over the next few days.

I always seem to have trouble with trailer wheels. I suppose no-one here knows whether any Land Rovers had 16" steel wheels with the little nipples for hub caps. We thought these were LR wheels, but one of the breakers was adamant that no LR's had ever had hubcaps. It would be nice to know what to ask for.

[John Williamson]

A bit hard to get hold of, but:-

I know it's a Daily Mail picture, but it came up first in the list....

I have seen other pictures of early Series 1 estates bodied by Tickfords? that had hubcaps fitted.

[John Rumm]

For any courier service they will tend to only deal with boxed or wrapped items. I have seen how the lcoa tyre/wheel place sends out its ebay orders - basically cocooned in packing film.

Parcel2go will let you book remote collection and delivery to you rather than the more traditional direction.

[Chris Holmes]

Could you replace the hubs with something that has spare wheels more easily available?

[Andy Burns]

Could you get the seller to strap the wheels onto a pallet?

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

They were likely from some other vehicle that shared the PCD/offset, but which had hubcaps. Perhaps a Rover 80/90/100 etc, although I unrecall what the stud pattern was on them. Those chrome 'caps look awfully like Rover ones.

[Nick]

I've used Anyvan quite a few times.

Have sent some odd stuff and none of it packaged. Mostly owner/drivers looking for return loads. Not instant but generally within a couple of days. Pretty good prices. hth Nick.

[Lobster]

By that, I take it your intention is to find a 'collection only' seller who will sell to you, and then you will 'collect' by proxy, using a courier?

The problem with that approach is that if you buy a large heavy widget from me as a seller, then I will organise with you to pitch up at X o'clock to collect it; but I sure as hell won't sit around all bloody day between 7:30 am and 8 pm waiting for a courier company to arrive!

If I'd been prepared to accept that I'd have advertised my widget with a delivery cost, thereby opening up the marketplace to vastly greater numbers of potential buyers and guaranteeing myself a higher sale price.

YMMV of course...

[Adrian]

Any details/sizes/PCD? I seem to have acquired an ancient box trailer that's about to meet the scrappy...

[Adrian]

This is the easy option, if they're big. But if they're just 'ickle ones, then plenty of gaffer tape and plastic sheet will do the do.

As an occasional eBay seller, I'm happy to jump through the odd hoop if it helps get the sale price up - it always amazes me how few others are.

[Bill]

They look like pics of Land Rover wheels, except for the hubcap nipples. Not sure about pcd, but they are 4" between stud centres, and the centre hole is 4.5" across. A 4" centre hole would be OK on the hubs. The tyres on them are labelled 195/75 R 16 C 107/105R.

The outside to inside rim distance is about 6 3/8th inches, but I'm not sure what is normally measured, and can't get an accurate measure because the tyre is in the way.

I'm not sure they are all that unusual, and have held off trying breakers again today because I've been waiting to talk to a specialist local LR breaker, but he now seems to have stopped answering his phone, and hasn't yet responded to an email. I have a 6-page list ready for tomorrow's tour of other breakers.

I'm grateful for all the suggestions and help re couriers. I am now prepared so that I can discuss the matter with "Collection Only" ebay sellers

[fred]

In article , John Rumm writes

For info, I have had tyres delivered as separate unwrapped items by Citylink with labels stuck to the tread, items 1 to 4 of 4. Don't know if that is routine or by concession to a valued high volume user.