Expectations and guidelines for shipping & handling mail-in cars

redlinederby Friday, 1/10/2020
Site manager

Handling and shipping cars is a huge part of mail-in racing, both for entrants and the hosts. Shipping is a pain and it can be expensive but we still need to handle things respectfully and professionally.

With some big events coming up, I thought it would be a good thing to cover, especially for newer folks that might just be starting or mailing in their first cars. Some of this has been covered in the Mail-in Hosting Guidelines but a dedicated post never hurts.

For people sending cars in to race...

  • You'll spend money. How much is up to you.
  • Trust your car will be handled with care
  • Don't be surprised if your car comes back in different packaging 

You will spend money. I know that sounds like a "no kidding" kind of thing but I gotta cover the basics. Typically you'll have to pay to get your car there, and also send along money to get it back. Even at an affordable $5 for one-way, that's a $10 round trip to enter your car in a race. Currently (in early 2020), you can get 1 or 2 cars shipped most places in the US for about $5 one-way. 

What containers, packing materials you use, and how much you spend on shipping, is entirely up to you. If you want/need to spend more to get cars to their destination safely and quickly, feel free. Whatever you're comfortable with.

However, don't expect that your car will get shipped back to you using the same method. If you spent $10 on next-day delivery or something, don't expect the host to do the same on the way back. In some cases it's just not necessary.

Also, unless you sent your car(s) in a special container, don't expect to have your car returned in the same box with the same packing materials. The goal is always to get cars to and from places without damage. If you wrapped your car in 20 layers of bubble wrap, don't be surprised if you only get back 5 layers. And sometimes the box the car was sent it will get smushed or damaged and can't be reused. That's life.

In any case, we should be able to trust race hosts to handle cars with care because they'd want same treatment for their cars. We're adults so lets play like adults. Common courtesy is still a thing.

For hosts receiving and sending cars back...

  • You'll spend your own money
  • Handle cars with care. Treat them like your own.
  • Reuse packaging for return shipping

You will spend money. Again, seems like a no-brainer but when you're hosting a race, you will spend more when shipping cars. Even if people include money for return shipping, it doesn't always cover it in some cases and so on. No one does it to slight you, trust me, it's just because shipping is a black box of expenses. It's different everytime. 

No matter what, take care of the cars. Think about how you'd want your cars handled. That doesn't mean you go overboard. It means you consider what needs to be done and you do it.

No one should expect you to remember which box their cars came in or which packaging was used. Try to reuse the boxes that were sent in, but if you can't, use any box in good condition that you have. Likewise, reuse the packing material you receive but you don't have to re-wrap cars the same way they came in - just make sure they're safe.

The exception to packaging is when someone sends their cars in a special container, like a small plastic box, or a collector blister, or something like that. That's their thing and they want it back, just like their cars. Take a minute to lable it upon arrival so you can match it up later.

For everybody...

Just communicate! If you have questions or concerns about a car, shipping, packaging, whatever...just ask. Send them a PM or an email. The worst thing you can do is not communicate when you have a question or when something went wrong. Just be up front, honest, and everything will be cool. Again, we're adults here.


Feel free to chime in with your own insights, concerns, and questions. The above is mostly a review. For more details, insight, and other guidelines for mail-in hosting, please see the Mail-in Hosting Guidelines article.

If just handle everything with care, don't get pissed when you have to spend some of your own money, and communicate with people, everything will be fine.


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