Occasionally, the items I sell online fall into a category I refer to as "Too Big for UPS, but Too Inexpensive for a Freighter." Usually I avoid buying these kinds of items because of the hassle involved in packing and shipping them, but sometimes I just can't help myself. At a recent real-life auction, my "left bid" resulted in my winning a child's cast aluminum pedal tractor, which led me into my Greyhound adventure.

The tractor was a wonderful piece, and I obtained it at the right price. I quickly listed it for sale on eBay before stopping to consider that it might exceed the 130" limit that both UPS and the USPS impose on the dimensions of a package. Even mustering every ounce of my powers of spatial imaging, there was no way (aside from applying my trusty Sawzall) that I was going to be able to pack this John Deere so that it could be sent through traditional means.

If anyone has ever been caught up in this dilemma before, they can probably relate to my situation. I had quoted a flat shipping price in my auction listing, and my package exceeded the 130" size limits of both the USPS and UPS. (UPS refers customers to UPS Logistics Freight when they have a package that exceeds the UPS size constraints, but the minimum charge is $159.)

That's when I decided to "Go Greyhound." For those of you outside North America, Greyhound is a bus line. I've been told Canadians use Greyhound quite a bit for shipping packages, but it's not something I had ever considered until the "tractor incident."

Greyhound Package Express (GPX) is a service designed for shipping items that weigh less than 100 lbs but are too bulky to be shipped via UPS or USPS. Never having dealt with Greyhound before, I wasn't familiar with the process or the pricing. So I went to the GPX Web site http://www.shipgreyhound.com/?ab to get more information and found that my package, which was 72 lbs and measured 44"x26"x32", could indeed, be shipped using their service. Using the GPX calculator, I discovered that my pedal tractor would cost approximately $52 to ship from Boston to Arizona. A Bargain!

Now, before you get caught up in my euphoria, I should outline some of the limitations of GPX shipping, and some of the things you should check out before you use their service.

• The buyer will have to pick up the package from their local Greyhound terminal. GPX does not deliver to homes or businesses. Make sure that this information is included in your auction.
• Greyhound subcontracts other bus lines to deliver packages for them, and the restrictions on package size ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. Greyhound uses these guidelines for accepting packages: "The extreme measurements of length, width, and height shall not exceed either: A) 33" x 33" x 48" or B) 24" x 53" x 74". Maximum weight per piece is 100 pounds." (A $2 service fee will apply for any piece in excess of 24" on any one side.) Peter Pan bus lines, for example, also delivers GPX packages. However, they only accept packages that are smaller than 33"x 33" x 24", which is half the size accepted by Greyhound. So before you package up your item and drive to the terminal, make sure that it is, indeed, a Greyhound terminal.
• I have no experience shipping fragile items via GPX, so I can't tell you if it's well suited for those types of items. The pedal tractor I sold was solid cast-aluminum, and double boxed. Sly Stallone wouldn't have been able to punch through my packaging. In any event, if you use GPX, make sure you purchase enough insurance to cover the cost of the item.
• This is a very important point: for extremely large packages, you may want to consider Priority GPX. It's a bit more expensive (in my case, the price went from $52 to $82) but, as the Greyhound representative at the terminal explained, shipping a package across the country will result in quite a few bus changes. This pedal tractor was going to visit NY City, Tennessee, El Paso, and 2 other cities before it reached its destination. At each stop, the package would be unloaded and loaded onto another vehicle, and it's up to the discretion of the GPX employee at each terminal as to which packages will make it onto the bus. Sending it Standard GPX, there was no guaranteed time of arrival for my package. My poor pedal tractor might end up sitting at a terminal in Nashville, listening to George Strait for several days.

By sending it GPX Priority, my package would reach its new owner within 3 days. The extra $30 was a small price to pay for the security of knowing that it would arrive in a timely fashion.

Despite everything, including having to drive the package nearly 20 miles into Boston on a rainy day, shipping Greyhound Package Express was a good experience. The package did, indeed, arrive safely 3 days later, and there is a youngster in Arizona who is happily zipping around his yard on his vintage pedal tractor. If nothing else, it's good to know that there is an inexpensive method of shipping those odd items that we all run into occasionally.