[Elecraft] OT: What's The Best Way To Shp

[Don Wilhelm]

When equipment is damaged in shipment, it usually comes from movement 
inside that package, not from external damage to the package itself.

Your packing material needs to be tailored to the weight of the 
equipment.  Packing peanuts and bubble wrap are good for articles up to 
about 20 pounds.  With equipment heavier than that, you need something 
more substantial, like high density foam (not cushion grade foam rubber) 
to secure the equipment.

Those large packing "sacks of air" are not good for anything weighing 
more than a couple pounds.  If they receive much pressure, they will burst.

Think what will happen if the package comes to an abrupt stop at the end 
of a sorting conveyor.

I send and receive a lot of packages, and anytime I have observed damage 
is when the equipment inside has contacted the side of the package.
I have not found that one carrier is worse than another.  I use both UPS 
and USPS frequently, and on occasion FedEx.

If you have delivery problems, blame it on the local delivery person - 
baring some disaster in transit.  I currently have delays pending due to 
flooding in the area, but that kind of thing is not common.

73,
Don W3FPR


On 4/26/2017 9:36 AM, GRANT YOUNGMAN wrote:
> This topic comes up frequently — especially on boatanchor lists where a lot of heavy boxes get shipped around frequently.
> 
> I’ve had substantially roughed up packages (punctured exterior cardboard, crushed corners, split seams, etc,) arrive by USPS, FedEx and UPS — and consider them all to be equal opportunity offenders.  And exceptions to supposedly guaranteed arrival dates from all of them, too.  But those instances are relatively rare for any of them. In my experience it’s been far more common for actual damage to the shipped item occurring as the result of sloppy,  non-commercial grade, “peanut”-style packing and the frequent use of used packing materials than by the carriers themselves.  They’re all pretty good (or bad) depending on your perspective :-)
>