Fishing rods can be quite tricky to ship; after all, rods can be quite delicate and subject to damage. The last thing you want is to ship a rod to a customer and find that it arrived warped or crushed! So, I’d like to share with you a step-by-step guide to ensure that your rod arrives at its destination completely intact.
Measure Your Rod
You will need to ship your fishing rod in a container that has at least two inches of space on either end. This will allow plenty of space for packing material to cushion the rod.
Choose a Tube
In order to safely ship a fishing rod, you can’t just stick it in a box and hope for the best. It needs to be inside or some sort of tube before being packaged in a box. Many people choose to purchase a length of PVC sewer line pipe from Home Depot and have an employee cut it to the rod’s size specifications. An alternative is to ship the rod in a mailing tube that is made specifically for fishing rods. If you want to easily find one of these, head to your local tackle shop and ask them if they have any leftover shipping tubes. They might even give one to you for free!
Pack the Rod
If you are shipping a two-piece or telescopic fishing rod, condense it so that it is as short as possible. Wrap the rod (or pieces, if it’s a two-piece rod) in bubble wrap and secure it with packing tape. Place the rod inside of your PVC tube and pack the ends with additional bubble wrap. This will ensure extra cushioning so that your rod won’t suffer any damage. Seal the ends of the tube and cover the entire thing with an extra layer of bubble wrap. Place the tube inside a triangular shipping tube. The triangular edges offer even more protection against bumps! Finally, slap on a “Fragile” sticker so that your courier won’t just toss your box around haphazardly.
Find a Courier
Most couriers will be able to ship your fishing rod if it is telescopic or a two-piece. However, if it is a one-piece rod, the box may be too long for some couriers to ship. Contact a few different companies to get their rates and to be sure that they can actually ship your package. For instance, you can input your box’s measurements and weight into Parcel Monkey for an instant quote.
What Else Should You Keep in Mind?
You may want to consider adding shipping insurance to your fishing rod package. This way, you can add compensation protection in case the rod is damaged during shipment.
Something else to keep in mind is that it may be difficult to ship a fishing rod overseas. Your choice of couriers will be sorely limited, and the rates will be much higher than shipping domestically. Be sure to shop around to get the best deal.
