Has anybody shipped a Big Green Egg?

[Beefchop]

This makes my lips numb just thinking about it...

[jfmorris]

If its still in the original crate and on a pallet is probably the only way I would consider shipping it, if you won't be going down there to pack it. Or make a road trip to Florida and drive it back yourself...

If its the standard sized BGE, its only 18" diameter, same as your WSM, and while I know folks get creative with expansion systems on those things, I am glad my kamado is the 22" SNS Kamado. Don't think I would want one any smaller.

[PJD]

Some great feedback here, thanks gang.

I'm going to ask my MIL to take a picture of it's current packing configuration and maybe do a visual inspection to see if it's been damaged.

I didn't want her to have to deal with selling it locally but I feel like that's becoming more of a clear direction. Especially after $200-300 in shipping cost.

glitchy makes a great point; the BGE wouldn't be my first choice. I use a WSM 18.5 and have been wanting to move up to a pellet smoker for a while. It just felt a bit like with a low cost BGE available it was an easy option to increase my cook capacity and try other techniques.

[SmokingPat]

Have you tried the Easter Bunny? He (or she) is really good with eggs. May be on vacation -- if so, try next spring. šŸ˜

[JGo37]

Off topic, but there's three BGE's on CL in the Lou right now. All have a good 10" or so crack, and all are still $ 400 and up. I'm not buying..

[glitchy]

Another question to ask yourself is would a BGE be your first choice? Iā€™m in the camp of sell it there and purchase locally as the cost and risk of breakage seems like you might come out ahead doing that, plus if there was really a cooker you wanted more than a BGE it could be funds towards that.

[LA Pork Butt]

If it is still in the original package it would probably ship okay, but I would insure it. If it isnā€™t in the original package you might ant to ship each part separately or repack it very carefully. When I moved mine I didnā€™t pack each part and the diffuser broke.

[ComfortablyNumb]

My grist mill was shipped by Fastenal for less than half the cost of a regular freight carrier. They stacked something on top of it and bent some sheet metal. They asked me to get a quote for replacement metal, which was nearly what they charged to ship it. I was cut a cheque and pocketed it as the damage was cosmetic. And mostly the belt guard, which was never replaced after the first time I had to service the belt. Yeah, I know, But I see belt guards as optional.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Definitely a freight item. It will have to be palletised, perhaps it already is since I assume it was shipped to your MIL. If it does need it and you can't do it yourself, look for shipping services that specialise in packing odd items. This is not the UPS Store or Kinkos. I used to pick up at one in Berkeley, CA and they would pack anything.

Shop freight carriers, there plenty. Old Dominion, FedEx Freight, UPS Freight, XPO Logistics. The cheapest I have found is Fastenal. You read that right, the place that sells hardware. They have a fleet of trucks to service their stores and contract freight to fill them up. The only thing is that you have to get it to a Fastenal and pick it up at a Fastenal, no curbside pickup or delivery.

Bottom line, it can be done. But after figuring up cost of palletising and freight costs, it may be cheaper, as suggested above, to sell in FL and buy new in RI.

[ComfortablyNumb]

He still does.

[jfmorris]

When my SNS Deluxe Kamado that I won in the January great giveaway arrived, it was packed on a pallet, inside a heavy duty box, with tons of formed packing material. The Fedex Freight guy dollied it around to my patio and dropped it where it now lives. I had to cut bands that held it all together, and once I did, the box sides opened up and you could pull the ceramic kamado right out.

I guess where I am going with this, is if you are going to ship a kamado, and have it remain intact, I think it would have to be crated up properly, on a pallet that they won't stack other stuff on top of, and ship via a freight line or Fedex Freight. It's gonna be a couple hundred in shipping most likely from Florida to where you are.

[MBMorgan]

I had good luck with XPO Logistics delivering a couple of smokers on pallets. Might give them a try, too.

[SmokeyGator]

Of course it can be done. I had my Primo XL shipped to me. It arrived on a mini pallet. If yours is still on the shipping pallet it arrived on, then it is just a matter of finding a freight hauler to move it from Florida to Rhode Island.

But I would weigh the cost of shipping against the hassle. Option 2 is sell it in Florida, then buy a new one closer to you. If you can sell it for enough then once you add the cost of shipping to the cash from the sale, you might decide you are close enough to a new one that the "savings" are not enough to justify the hassle of having it moved.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

You could always call Big Green Egg and ask what they would suggest.

[smokin fool]

You might want to call Allied or United van lines or some kind of movers.
They would ship by weight and volume but if they're looking to fill a trailer out of Florida to your area you may luck out with a good shipping rate.
Courier pick up weights top out at 70lbs for bread truck style pick ups. Most couriers have a logistic or freight arm that could help but it won't be cheap