The problem you have is that when the seller contracts the "professional" packing he gets the rcpt and you still do not have a lot of recourse if the seller does not play. I was lucky, nothing broke. The "professional' packing does at least insure that UPS /FedEx will honor the claim. The USPS is another animal. Notice that professional is in quotes. look the term up in any dictionary and you will see why. Most people now equate the word Professional with quality work. The dictionary will clear up this little misconception. There are the UPS and UPS / FedEx shipping and packing stores which might do a decent job but my approach is that if it is an antique and in exceptional condition then i will go and pick it up unless I talk with the seller on the phone or in person. If I can do none of these then I do not bid / buy. There are many JVC BR-S822DXU machines so even if it got trashed I could obtain another. Antiques is a different proposition all together. I will not let anybody pack items for shipping other than myself. I do not trust the high school drop out in the back room of the pack and ship to get it right. They have never heard of spray in place foam, shrink wrap, or air pillows. All they know is peanuts. You can forget disassemble and separate boxes. I think UPS tells you your packing job must withstand the 6 foot drop test without damage. That is a tough test.... If you take the item to the packing store then you can supervise the packing. HiFi electronics, musical instruments and most modern items they do fine with. The fun starts when you show up with the Edison class M that you want to ship. They do not have a clue as to what it is let alone how to pack it. I have seen the mechanism of Edison homes blasted through the side of an inner cardboard box and dents on the inside of the outer box, and it was very well packed. I have seen the output transformer mounting screws sheared off in the 1920s style battery radios, box looked perfect. If your UPS package is going to travel through the Chicago package transfer point I would recommend prayer and burnt offerings.
This is why I insist on registered mail or go after it unless it is a recent or current production item. The seller of the tape machine did use a "professional" pack and ship place, they were prowd enough of their work to install a nice label on the box. Rich On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:55:10 -0600, Robert Wright wrote: >Ouch. But Rich, did you see or get a receipt for the 'professional' >packing? Do you know what company you could've blamed for it (and who we >should avoid)? Are you positive the seller didn't just pocket the money? >I've only used pro-packers a couple of times, always as a sender, never a >receiver... I sent two very costly electric guitars north to get them set >up and outfitted with some special parts, and I watched the person at >Mailboxes, Etc wrap both guitar cases in plastic wrap to keep them tight >together, then she wrapped that with 2 layers of large bubble wrap, put that >assembly into a box, put that box into a larger box stuffed tightly with >peanuts, sealed it up, and off it went. Everything came out great. My >other experiences went pretty much like that one did, once with very heavy >yet very delicate hifi components costing nearly $10k. >Two things -- one, I'd make sure the seller got me a receipt, a number, or >something they could back up the claim of using a professional packer with. >I'd tell them before I ever sent payment that they would need to provide >proof and tell me who they used. I'd call the place they used and confirm >it with them; it's in their sales records, and most places pack it and mail >it out themselves, so they'd know. >And two, a point I meant to include in the trips/tricks compendium (heh >heh) -- every time I get a box that's clearly marked FRAGILE! in big letters >on every side of the box, it's fine. Every time I get a box without >FRAGILE! on it, the box has no shape left to it by the time I get it. The >last thing I always request in my "here's how to pack that thing you're >about to send to me" email is for the seller to get a Sharpie and write >FRAGILE! in BIG letters at least once on every side of the box. If I want >to be an ass to the USPS, etc., I have them write HIGHLY INSURED!! all over >it, too. That's one they take pretty seriously, cuz that's gonna cost their >bosses money if something happens to it (or so they'll be inclined to >think). I also find that things like "GLASS!!", "DO NOT DROP!", and the >actual contents, like "ANTIQUE PHONOGRAPH RECORDS!" help out, too. >I got the hint to write what's in the box on the sides from the father of a >good friend who's now a retired postal worker. He said the package stops >being just another anonymous box if what's inside is written on the outside. >It can impart a sense of pride to a mail carrier if s/he knows why that >package is so valuable. Mind you, this man didn't work for UPS or FedEx, >both of which may have a very different vibe for employees. >At the end of the day, they're (we're) all human, and where there's human, >there's error. >Best, >Robert >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Rich" <[email protected]> >To: "Antique Phonograph List" <[email protected]> >Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2007 2:52 PM >Subject: Re: [Phono-L] shipping phonographs >> OK, Here is my opinion on the "packaging store" it is real simple, a >> basic waste of mony. I have yet to >> see a decent job come out of one of those places. How do you expect a low >> buck clerk to have any idea >> on how to pack a phono? It does provide a small layer of insurance that >> the final carrier will pay up if its >> trashed though. >> >> OK kiddies, story time. This is about the shipping store. >> I purchased a video tape machine recently. It was a professional grade >> S-VHS machine, a JVC BR- >> S822DXU. The original cost of this machine in the 2000 time frame was >> $15,000.00 or so. I paid a lot >> less. Now I was charged $30.00 to "professionally" package the machine. >> It fits into a 19" rack and >> weighs about 54 pounds and is almost 24" deep and 7" high. This is what >> showed up on the door step. >> One large previously used box containing the VCR wrapped in 2 complete >> turns of bubble wrap and the >> remainder of the box loosely filled with plastic peanuts. By some >> miracle, after picking peanuts out of >> the machine it was un damaged other than one of the rack mounting handles >> was bent about 45 >> degrees when compared to the other side. The box had been dropped >> repeatedly as there were no >> corners that were not crushed and all sides were now soft. For that I >> paid $30.00. >_______________________________________________ >Phono-L mailing list >http://phono-l.oldcrank.org
