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shipping tips and tricks


Los_Control

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I am in the process of shipping some head  lights to a member of this forum. I can appreciate the thrill of the project. Will be a lot of effort on Mr Bisquick's end, but to have a set of restored Bulls eyes is a worthy goal.

My job is to do my best to see they get there and he has the opportunity to reach this goal ... *facepalm*

I picked up a box today at the post office, said I wanted the $13 flat rate shipping box, the lady asked me the weight and claimed, if not that heavy you should not need the flat rate price.

I said that they were just headlights and not that heavy, she said headlights? .... well I wouldn't .... then got the deer in the headlight look  Then she just gave me a box and said try it and come back when ready and hollered NEXT!

 

I have been negligent with my household recycling, I have plenty of cardboard around so I cut some strips and lined the bottom and all four sides.

Then I took a couple strips and made dividers, cutting 1/2 way through each one so they will overlap each other.

And of course I have a top for it .

This is as far as I got, My next step is to pack every nook and cranny with balled up newspaper so there is no movement, And the box really feels sturdy with all the reinforcement.

I think this just might work.

I would like to take this time to ask others if they have any input on how to make this better or maybe even start over.

And this thread would be a good place to put other tips and tricks you can share on shipping.

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I've shipped lots of fragile stuff over the years.  I'd want a larger box so that there would be much more cushion completely around the glass.  The next to the last photo looks as if there will not be much cushion on the top and bottom of the box.

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I'd wrap them in wax paper, maybe celephane of some type. Then take a $3.99 can of spray foam from Home Depot or Lowes, then fill the box with the foam. 

 

You need to wrap them with the wax paper or otherwise or the receiver will neve get the foam off. 

 

Like me someone else said, though, I'd use a bigger box. I'd want some foam all around and not let the glass touch the box.

Edited by austinsailor
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The way you've divided the box it reminds me of when I moved several years ago. I was in need of boxes and I got a few from a liquor store. The boxes still had the dividers in them for the wine bottles, worked great for glassware. May be of use when shipping small parts.

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I ship a lot of stuff...... If you use spray foam you will need to use the Blue Can (limited expansion, small 'push'). You will need to spray in lifts so the box does not distort. If you fill the box with foam and close the lid it may, or may not, cure as it needs air.

If you use a bigger box you could just use lots of foam peanuts.

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I would give it more crush room...2 inches top/bottom/side to side...

Actual weight vs Dimensional weight: check with usps/fedex/ups website to find out the formulas each uses.

If you ship a huge plastic bumper, and it weighs next to nothing, they'll get you with the amount of space it take up.

If the part is small, but weighs in over the limit of the flat rate box...they'll get you on the weight.

So reading up on the limits really helps out in your packing strategies.

Bubble wrap is a cheap and much better insurance for the ride.

48D

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I rarely hit those weight numbers, but they are there. 

From the USPS site

"Weight restrictions for domestic Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelopes, and Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes are 70 pounds.

Weight restrictions for Priority Mail Express International Flat Rate Envelopes are 4 pounds. Weight restrictions for Priority Mail International Large and Medium Flat Rate Boxes are 20 pounds, and 4 pounds for Priority Mail International Flat Rate Envelopes and Small Flat Rate Priced Boxes.

You may order free packaging supplies at usps.com/store."

48D

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Looks like the lights made it to conversion.  But for future reference,  fragile stuff like someone else said gets a few inches of smash zone.

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I have bought and sold over 1000 smaller items on eBay and Amazon, and with each transaction, I have kept almost all of the packing materials to reuse.  An oversized box full of packing peanuts with the item sitting on the bottom of the box, right up against the cardboard, would make me grit my teeth, as on a few occasions this did not prevent any shipping damages.  Putting the item in the box, then dumping peanuts on top of it, is not creating adequate cushion...swing and a miss, as they might say.  Eventually, I accumulated a large garbage bag of peanuts as I preferred to use bubble wrap and chunks of styrofoam from electronics purchases.  Then it dawned on me to use up the plastic grocery bags that were accumulating in the pantry by filling the bags half full with peanuts then tying the handles off...this allows the bag to be formed around the fragile item and can be used to pack the box contents firmly so the fragile item does not rattle around.  Also, the recipient doesn't have that shipping peanut mess to contend with as the bags are contained...several of my recipients have remarked that this was a welcome relief and something that they will use in the future.  The only casualties have been some bootleg salsa jars in care packages that did not survive their respective trips to Illinois, my friend reported back each time that the boxes themselves looked like they had tire tracks on them and was relieved that only one jars was busted each time...

If ya look at how new bulbs are packaged, you can get an idea of which direction to go with how much cushion to provide... economy sometimes needs to give way to reliability with precious cargo :cool:

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I have also used the approach JBNeal mentions, of putting the styrofoam peanuts into plastic grocery bags.  Some breakables are packaged in cardboard where cardboard pieces are shaped to hold the article well away from all of the sides of the box.  You could also double box it, with separate packaging around the inside box.  Some say there should be at least 2" of packaging around anything breakable.  I've heard that during transfers at the clearing stations the boxes are on an overhead track, and if a box gets against one of the supports, the workers shove it off of the line with a long pole.  Might involve a considerable fall, and then land on concrete.  Items insured for $1,000.00 or more are said to be handled by hand, but that doesn't help with an item like this.

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