by Flack » Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:28 pm
There are a handful of businesses that will ship arcade cabinets. There are two types: those that require you to crate the games, and those that do not. Prices for the first group usually fall in the $100-$200 range, while those in the second usually cost around $300-$400.
For the former, you will need to get your arcade cabinet up on a crate and then pack it for transport. I suspect this would involve some sort of packing material, and a lot of plastic wrap. Depending on whether or not the shipper provides home pickup (many do not), you'll need to get this (now 500lb) lump of wood, electronics and plastic to the nearest shipping facility.
Good luck with all that.
The other guys, for $300-$400, will pick a cabinet up in your driveway, drive it across country, and drop it off in someone else's driveway. IF I were to ship a game, that's probably what I would do. The one I checked into (I'll have to dig up the name) charged $400 to ship 1 game anywhere in the country, and a 2nd game was free -- so really, if you have the need, 2 games was the way to go.
I sold a game to a guy once who picked it up in a minivan. Like you said, the seats were laid down and the cabinet fit, but barely. And, not to be all "Red Car Commandos" on you, but only a few of my games are 6' or less. I know because the shelf in the back of my arcade is at the 6' mark, and 90% of my games won't completely slide under it. Something I hadn't considered was that most minivans have a "lip" in the back, meaning that the cabinet drops down into the van a good 3-4". Not a problem when loading the cabinet, but I could see it being a pain in the ass when it's time to remove it.
There's also the great arcade debate over whether or not a cabinet should be transferred while lying down. I've done it both ways (standing up and lying down) and haven't had too many problems. The real issue is a lot of people rely on gravity to hold things in place, like coin doors, or PCBs, or sometimes monitors, so if you lie a cab down without checking it first ... "contents may shift." That's one reason I prefer using my Dad's trailer when moving games. It has a ramp, so you can just wheel games up on to it, strap them in place, and off you go. Getting a cab upright into the bed of a truck is typically worthy of a World's Funniest Video entry.
There are a handful of businesses that will ship arcade cabinets. There are two types: those that require you to crate the games, and those that do not. Prices for the first group usually fall in the $100-$200 range, while those in the second usually cost around $300-$400.
For the former, you will need to get your arcade cabinet up on a crate and then pack it for transport. I suspect this would involve some sort of packing material, and a lot of plastic wrap. Depending on whether or not the shipper provides home pickup (many do not), you'll need to get this (now 500lb) lump of wood, electronics and plastic to the nearest shipping facility.
Good luck with all that.
The other guys, for $300-$400, will pick a cabinet up in your driveway, drive it across country, and drop it off in someone else's driveway. IF I were to ship a game, that's probably what I would do. The one I checked into (I'll have to dig up the name) charged $400 to ship 1 game anywhere in the country, and a 2nd game was free -- so really, if you have the need, 2 games was the way to go.
I sold a game to a guy once who picked it up in a minivan. Like you said, the seats were laid down and the cabinet fit, but barely. And, not to be all "Red Car Commandos" on you, but only a few of my games are 6' or less. I know because the shelf in the back of my arcade is at the 6' mark, and 90% of my games won't completely slide under it. Something I hadn't considered was that most minivans have a "lip" in the back, meaning that the cabinet drops down into the van a good 3-4". Not a problem when loading the cabinet, but I could see it being a pain in the ass when it's time to remove it.
There's also the great arcade debate over whether or not a cabinet should be transferred while lying down. I've done it both ways (standing up and lying down) and haven't had too many problems. The real issue is a lot of people rely on gravity to hold things in place, like coin doors, or PCBs, or sometimes monitors, so if you lie a cab down without checking it first ... "contents may shift." That's one reason I prefer using my Dad's trailer when moving games. It has a ramp, so you can just wheel games up on to it, strap them in place, and off you go. Getting a cab upright into the bed of a truck is typically worthy of a World's Funniest Video entry.